Non-profit BRAAC looks to the future with merger

Angie Leonard founded what became the Blue Ridge Autism & Achievement Center about twenty years ago after her toddler son was diagnosed as being somewhere on the autism spectrum – and she couldn’t find sufficient services to help him. Now BRAAC (operating under the St. Vincent’s HomeSVH Services banner) has merged with the Charlottesvillebased organization Leonard says BRAAC was modeled after, the Virginia Institute of Autism (VIA). The merged organization now employs around 300 people. No one lost a job due to the merger says Leonard, who is now the Chief Operating Officer Southwest for VIA.

Leonard says she is not ready to pack it in any time soon but looking ahead to retirement at some point was one motivation to explore an SVH-VIA union. “It was exactly what we need in our area,” she recalls thinking on her initial visit to VIA as she thought about establishing a similar operation in the Roanoke area two decades ago. The “new” VIA offers behavior analysis, speech language therapy, special education, autism diagnosis and treatment. More than 200 students, 175 outpatient families and around 100 adults over age 22 rely on BRAAC or VIA as they or their families cope with the impact of autism at various points on the spectrum. BRAAC had branched out to Lynchburg and Lexington and now those locations as well fly under the VIA banner.

Having a good succession plan in place for the autism services provided by BRAAC – well past whenever she decides to retire – was important, says Leonard. “We’re very excited about this opportunity to come together. [It’s] a match made in heaven.” Leonard says Virginia has a ways to go before it is considered a Top 20 state in terms of the services offered for those with autism, especially in the funding set aside by lawmakers in Richmond for those services.

Leonard recalls not being able to find any professional in the Roanoke Valley that could help her with her autistic son. That sent the family to Charlottesville or even beyond she says looking for help – and it led to the creation of BRAAC. “Now there’s a dozen agencies in Roanoke that help serve the needs of autism-specific disabilities. We have made lots of improvements [but] we still have a long way to go.”

It’s been quite a journey, from two students at the start (one of them, her son Joshua) as the Blue Ridge Autism Center in 2002, a merger with The Achievement Center and then branching out into adult services (independent or group living, employment assistance) as BRAAC students aged out. “It all started with just a small little school right here in Blue Ridge Virginia,” recalls Angie Leonard, as her next chapter with VIA unfolds.

ThERE’S SOMEThiNg hAPPENiNg hERE

By Gene Marrano

Executive Summary:

“Mostly we’re on the same page.

I cannot imagine a better group to merge together with.”