Johnny’s Kids: A Legacy Carried Out Through God’s Work

Two days ago, March 21st, was World Down Syndrome Day. A day to advocate for the rights of people with Down Syndrome. A day to bring awareness and listen to the stories of individuals with Down Syndrome. 

This is a special day to many, including us here at LiveBeyond. Johnny, Laurie’s brother, had Down Syndrome. He inspired many throughout his life and he is the inspiration for our Johnny’s Kids program. If you aren’t familiar with Johnny’s Kids, it is a program within the LiveBeyond school that serves children with special needs. This is the only program in our area to provide education to children with special needs.

While the students we serve have a variety of disabilities, they each bring a special light to this world and are a blessing to everyone they come in contact with. Each of these students carries an abundance of joy within their hearts that is infectious to those around them. 

The Joyful Johnny’s Kids Students

 

We are delighted to tell you that our Johnny’s Kids program has grown to 16 students! LiveBeyond staff has two shifts of drivers that pick these students up in the mornings to bring them to school and take them home in the afternoon. It is with great pride and joy that we get to serve these bright students in our school! Some of our students do so well in this program that they are able to mainstream into the classroom with their peers.

We have hopes and plans for the Johnny’s Kids program to continue to grow as the Lord is willing. Thank you for your prayers for each of these students. You can donate to LiveBeyond by clicking here to help us continue to grow and serve these students.

To learn more about Johnny’s legacy listen to this episode of the LiveBeyond podcast, an interview with Laurie Vanderpool.