Rock Bridge Family Services
Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. 1 John 3:18
Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. Make level paths for your feet, so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed.
Hebrews 12:12-13
Rock Bridge Family Services
P.O. Box 878
Lexington, VA 24450
ph: 540.319.3542
fax: 540.463.3079
James
Because of God's grace and your trust, we continue to help others!
Washington and Lee awards Community Services Grant to provide childcare at Parent Information and Support Meetings.
RBFS awards $3000 in Grants for Special Education
Friday's Alive Concert Series Schedule
The Lexington-Rockbridge Jaycees Raised significant funds to help three local charities. One of which is the Blue Ridge Autism and Achievement Center. Thank you Jaycees!
Once again these concerts will be presented free to the citizens and visitors of Lexington and Rockbridge County and are held at Lexington's Davidson Park.
Members of the “Friday’s Alive” Committee have begun to solicit donations from area businesses and individuals. Several opportunities remain for you to support. Information can be obtained by contacting the organization via email at lexingtonjaycees@yahoo.com.
The Lexington-Rockbridge Jaycees is comprised of young professionals ages 21-40. The focus of the organization is personal and professional development consistent with the motto, “Living Here, Playing Here and Giving Back.” More information is available at www.lexingtonjaycees.org.
The Blue Ridge Autism and Achievement Center Site Opens in BV - By Patte Wood
08/18/2009
With over 30 families with autistic children in Rockbridge County and a child of their own with autism, Patti and Jim Cook became active in forming a local support group for families dealing with autism when he took a job with VMI about two years ago. They formed a support group called the Rock Bridge Family Services.
Up until now, the only options for schooling of autistic children not integrated into the classroom were the Blue Ridge Autism Center in Blue Ridge and the Achievement Center in Roanoke. According to Rockbridge County Schools Special Education Director Twila Brown, The Blue Ridge Autism Center formally located in Blue Ridge, VA has recently merged with The Achievement Center in Roanoke that both served as private day schools. The merger of the two organizations has resulted in The Blue Ridge Autism and Achievement Center (BRAAC).
At the urging of the Rock Bridge Family Services, BRAAC is opening a satellite center in Buena Vista which will allow students from our area to be served in Rockbridge County. The school (located in Blue Ridge Baptist Church) will begin serving students on August 19, which coincides with the opening day of school in Rockbridge County. The center will follow the Buena Vista City Schools calendar for inclement weather unless otherwise noted on Channel 7 news.
Patti Cook is the director for the new center in Buena Vista and is very excited that they will be able to accommodate 8 students with 7 slots already filled.
The Blue Ridge Baptist Church is donating the space free of charge that will include three classrooms, storage, office and office equipment, meeting hall and playground. Tables, chairs, bookshelves, computers and playground equipment have also been donated by area organizations.
The school uses the Applied Behavioral Analysis method adopted in the U.S. from the work of Ivar Lovaas that teaches a student in small steps and uses data to determine their needs. The school will have one teacher for every student.
On Saturday, August 22 from 1 p.m. to 10 p.m., parent Valerie Hogg has organized Rock 'N 4 Autism, a benefit concert and fundraiser for the school to be held at Glen Maury Park. Local area bands performing include Myriad, Lies Fail and Every Waking Hour, also featuring Madrone from Roanoke and The Hackens Boys from Bridgewater. There will be activities for all ages including dunk-a-cop, pick-a-duck, paint-a-face, and toss-a-balloon. There will also be food and refreshments. The proceeds of this event will be donated to the Blue Ridge Autism and Achievement Center in Buena Vista. For fund raising information contact Valerie Hogg at 261-1173. For more information on the Buena Vista satellite center contact Patti Cook at 261-1289.* * * * *
Annual Car Show Blue Grass Festival To Benefit Autism April 17th By Patte Wood
April 13, 2010
April is National Autism Awareness month, and Rock Bridge Family Services is again hosting the 2nd Annual Car Show and 3rd Annual Bluegrass Festival on Saturday, April 17th at the Virginia Horse Center. Come down and visit between 9:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. to check out the wide array of antique and custom cars, trucks, hot rods! The Bluegrass Festival begins at 1:00 p.m. and ends at 7:00 p.m. Admission is $5 (children 12 and under are free), and you can enjoy local favorites Plank Road Express, Wonder, and Dorsey Hostetter, and North Carolina based T.R. and the Boys. All proceeds will go to Rock Bridge Family Services to support their continuing mission, vision and objectives, so bring your lawn chairs and blankets and come out to enjoy great fun, food and music while supporting this very worthwhile organization.
With more than one million (and growing) individuals in the United States alone living with autism, this quote couldn’t be more true. Autism Spectrum Disorder, a developmental disability that is marked by difficulty with communication and social relatedness, has become more pervasive than Cystic Fibrosis, Multiple Sclerosis, or Down’s Syndrome.
For those living with autism, and their families or caregivers, daily life presents unique challenges, but also unique opportunities. Formed more than a year ago, Rock Bridge Family Services (RBFS), a not-for-profit organization in Lexington, has a clear and powerful mission – they are committed to improving the lives of families within our community by assisting those impacted by Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). RBFS has already achieved 2 of their 3 objectives, to provide family advocacy and support, and to provide education and training. Their 3rd, and largest, objective is to provide a group-home residential facility in Rockbridge County for autistic teenage boys with a focus on therapy, counseling, growth, vocational training, programs, and support groups (that will always be open to the general public).
Comprised of the parents, friends and family of children and adults with ASD, and the professionals who serve them, this wonderful and selfless organization has already made an enormous impact in our community with the opening of the Blue Ridge Autism and Achievement Center – Buena Vista (BRAAC-BV) in August of 2009. This extraordinary school, dedicated to providing resources and training to families and professionals throughout Rockbridge County and the surrounding areas, was one of the first of many achievements of Rock Bridge Family Services. With a maximum capacity of 8 students, and a wonderful staff with a 1 to 1 ratio of student to therapist, each child gets an individualized program that is designed specifically to ensure he or she reaches their full potential.
Major James Cook, of VMI and his wife Patti Cook, director of the BRAAC-BV, and other members of the Board of Directors and partners of RBFS have worked tirelessly to ensure that they are well on their way to fulfilling their mission and vision. They strive to create a community where people within the autism spectrum and their families can; live with and receive respect, services and support based on individual differences, needs and preferences; enable individuals with autism to function as meaningfully and as independently as possible in the community; and to provide exemplary service throughout Rockbridge County to individuals with autism and their families.
When talking about his amazing (and autistic) son Jacob, Major Cook said it best; “Love and communication are the blessings I received from this wonderful person. What Jacob has taught me is to communicate better, love deeper and share blessings with others.” No one could ask for a better teacher!
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Rock Bridge Family Services Awards $1,000 Grants For Special Education
April 24, 2010
On April 22, 2010, Rock Bridge Family Services awarded $1,000 grants to Rockbridge County, Lexington City, and Buena Vista City Special Education Directors to provide financial Assistance for their schools for the purpose of training teachers and instructional assistants on Autism related topics or enhancing classrooms with Autism related curriculum and materials.
Pictured left to right are Dr. Juli Gibson – Special Education Director for Buena Vista City Schools, Dr. Debbie Woody-Maschal – Special Education Director for Lexington City Schools, Dr. Twila Brown – Special Education Director for Rockbridge County Schools, and Mr. James Cook – Executive Director, RBFS.
Rock Bridge Family Services is a non-profit dedicated to helping individuals with Autism and their families. More information can be found at www.RBFS.org.
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A Place to Call Home by Julia LeDoux
January 7, 2008
A vision and a plan...
What Jacob Taught Me
March 27, 2002
April is National Autism Awareness Month. The following tells how one local family deals with Autism and its effect on their lives and the life of their son.No one is too old to be a student. Life throws different situations at you that have profound long-term effects. My children are the greatest teachers. I never knew I would research and become an expert in why penguins fly spaceships in cartoons, how to talk in 101 silly voices, why big-eyed vegetables make kids laugh, how to stand perfectly still when your six-year old is practicing his karate kicks; and how to show fatherly love to three exceptional children.
Robbie is six years of age and the oldest. He has the deepest compassion of any first-grader I know. He knows all of the rules and enforces them judiciously. When you ask him how he is doing he shouts joyfully, "Super excellent." Sarah is our youngest. She is very smart and already very pretty. She is maturing gracefully into her mother. I don't know how she can use her hand with me so tightly wrapped around her finger. Jacob is our middle child. He is fun, loving, full of energy, very handsome and autistic. He can defy gravity and laugh at life in general.
When I was talking with a friend about his newly diagnosed Autistic son, I realized how much I learned about Autism in the past three and half years since our diagnosis. I could empathize with my friend's emotions as a father and his passion to find a cure. He probably sounds very much like I did in our first year. Our family experience has allowed me to understand and give counsel to my friend and others.
By no means am I declaring myself a "Subject Matter Expert" in Autism, but there are some areas in which I have become much better than I had ever expected.
One area is communication. Jacob's inability to communicate "normally" showed me how to use different methods to reach into an unclear world. I may have to use a picture, gestures, written communication, speech, rhymes or all of the above at one time. We have become very creative in our approach to teaching. I also learned that every situation and every person requires a different model.
If I extend this principle into the every day world, I can look beyond personalities and listen carefully to their real need. Now I am able to better express my intentions and send a message to diverse people using different methods.
The better the communication, the better the love. I have grown to love more and more.
My wife and I show love to Jacob in many ways, but mostly by attending to his needs. I do not understand why it is taking three years to potty-train Jacob, but I know that I'm prepared to take 30 years. He is worth it.
In most children love is caught, not taught. With Jacob, love has to be taught. He learns by routine and habit. I give our children butterfly kisses daily to show them my approval. We used to think Jacob gave them specifically because he enjoys to be tickled. We didn't know if he knew how to express his love.
One day, he came into the kitchen and grabbed his mother's hand and reached for mine. He pushed us close together and positioned us to pick him up to our level with his mom's hand under his one arm and mine under the other. When all of our faces where touching he said, "kiss" and we did. I cried, laughed and kissed. Jacob told us to butterfly kiss and we did. He knows how to love.
Love is the eternal reason why I do what I do. God is love and He has shown me through Jacob how to love others more deeply and sincerely.
Love and communication are the blessings I received from this wonderful person. What Jacob has taught me is to communicate better, love deeper and share blessings with others. As with all of our children, Jacob is one of my best teachers. Thank you Jacob.
©Up & Coming Magazine 2010 Letter: Blue Ridge Autism & Achievement Center Now Open
April 2010
Dear Editor, Rockbridge Weekly:
Rockbridge County citizens and businesses have joined together to show their support for the new Blue Ridge Autism and Achievement Center (BRAAC) Satellite School, whose first day of class was August 19th at the Blue Ridge Baptist Church on 11th Street in Buena Vista.
Children from Rockbridge County were previously being transported to Roanoke to attend BRAAC, which Director Patti Cook says made it difficult for the children to get the full scope of services they needed. Now that the children have a facility in their own community they have access to these services, and one of the most important is in-home training by the staff with each child’s family. This allows the therapy the children receive at school during the day to transition seamlessly to their homes.
Patti, who worked at BRAAC in Roanoke, and her husband Major Jim Cook, joined together with Rockbridge Family Services and the community to make all of this possible. There are currently 7 children (from ages 5 to 13) enrolled, with a maximum capacity of 8. The staff is wonderful, and with a 1 to 1 ratio of student to therapist, each child gets an individualized program that is designed specifically to ensure he or she reaches their full potential.
Many local businesses and citizens generously donated time and services to ensure the school was ready for the new students.
Blue Ridge Baptist Church donated full use of three classrooms, an office, kitchen, storage and outdoor play area. The computers in the school office were donated by VMI (where Major Jim Cook works) and Rockbridge Family Services donated new monitors. Washington & Lee University provided tech support for these computers, while Rockbridge Family Services also donated a brand new washer and dryer (from Lowe’s in Lexington). In the outdoor play area behind the church, the playground equipment was donated by two Rockbridge County families; the blue rubber mulch (which cushions the children in case of a fall) was donated by ParknPool in Lexington; the fence surrounding the play area was donated by Hughie Harrison, and Spencer’s Building Supply donated the wood. Andy Baldwin of Munters Des Champs Technologies and Clyde Hardin of Aramark provided invaluable services to ensure the ton of blue rubber mulch made it safely to the school.
On Saturday August 22nd, Rock N’ 4 Autism, a benefit concert held at Glen Maury Park in Buena Vista was just one more way the Rockbridge County community came together to express support for the school. Even the rain didn’t dampen spirits as the bands played to a dedicated crowd of supporters and volunteers. Organizers Valerie Hogg and Bridget Worth did a wonderful job ensuring the day was a great success.
Looking into the smiling faces of these wonderful children, it’s easy to see just how powerful the strength of one community can be.
Laura Dudley
Buena Vista******
Rock Bridge Family Services
P.O. Box 878
Lexington, VA 24450
ph: 540.319.3542
fax: 540.463.3079
James
