Go Laik! Go!

Siskin Children's Institute is changing our lives!  And the lives of many other children in the Chattanooga area.  I'm sharing a recent email from Siskin that was sent to past, present and potential donors.  (I have pieced this post together, so the alignment may not be perfect.)

If you are interested in helping, tell them Laik sent you! ;o)

Don't forget to watch the video at the bottom of this page!

Many thanks!
Todd, Kim and Laik

You may have seen these blonde locks and this smiling face beaming back at you from a brochure you found in your mailbox recently. Two-year-old Laik Leffew is in Classroom 5 at the Siskin Early Learning Center-Downtown and, for the first time in his life, has experienced a freedom many of us take for granted.

"Within just several weeks, Laik became independent in his gait trainer, and now has the freedom of movement," said Lisa Spurlock, a physical therapy assistant who has been working with Laik and his family for almost a year. "He has independence now!"

Laik was diagnosed at birth with partial trisomy 12p, a rare chromosomal disorder that causes significant developmental delays. Laik first came through the Early Learning Center doors when he was 18 months old, and with the help of his loving family and teachers, he has made incredible progress! He now uses a gait trainer to help him develop skills for walking. And he flies across the playground and in the Institute's hallways.  

Laik is one of more than 2,000 children the Institute served last year through its early childhood education programs, the developmental pediatric center, the home visiting program and many other services. That's 33 percent more children than the previous year! And that's because of donors like you!

Your gift to the 365 Club means independence and mobility to Laik. The Institute is committed to providing a level of care that allows children to reach their full potential, but we can't do it without the support of generous donors like you.

You can feel confident that the full amount of your donation directly supports the children and families we serve. And if you give today, your donation will have double the impact! How? For every $1 donated, the Robert L. & Kathrina H. Maclellan Foundation will match it dollor for dollar up to $25,000.

Make a safe and secure online donation or mail your gift to:

Siskin Children's Institute

365 Club Annual Fund

1101 Carter Street

Chattanooga, TN  37402

Attn: Craig Ingvalson

Click here to watch Laik speed across the playground in his new gait trainer! 

Thanks to donors like you, Laik is moving alongside his friends and peers.

Click here to listen to Kim Leffew, Laik's mom, talk about her family's experience at the Institute

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Keep up with the running tally of our 365 Club gift total

at siskin.org/365clubtotal.