One Good Turn Deserves Another

Contributed by Amy Keene

The purpose of the Fairfield Community Gazette is (1) to provide timely, unbiased, and valuable information that can be used to connect, uplift, and support our community and (2) to foster the growth and development of local entrepreneurs, cottage industries, public and private companies, major corporations (including medical facilities), schools, and churches as they continue to thrive and prosper in Fairfield. Our cover story for December fits both purposes. The article below was submitted by Amy Keene; we hope you enjoy it. For the last nine years, I have worked with children who have disabilities at Ault Elementary School in Fairfield. I have personally witnessed the impact that access to the right equipment can have on those who are “differently abled.” Since we only have Early Childhood at Ault, some of our students move on to Swenke Elementary as they age. I was so excited when I learned that Swenke was fundraising for an Inclusive Playground. My former students now at Swenke will soon have the opportunity to play in a state-of-the-art, inclusive playground environment designed with them in mind, which will remove both the physical and social barriers to inclusion. Numerous studies support findings that kids learn as they play, which is why servicing the special needs community like this is truly an important cause. A student who is very dear to me has a rare disease, and through the experience of working with her, I've learned a lot about the rare disease community. The official Rare Disease Awareness Day is February 29th, which is also "rare" as it is celebrated only every four years on leap year. Every February, our ECSE team at Ault wears a shirt we made several years ago to support those challenged with rare diseases. This year, I decided to design a special shirt in support of Rare Disease Awareness and the Inclusive Playground Project at Swenke Elementary. All proceeds will go to the Inclusive Playground Project. Unfortunately, I am not much of a marketer and have not sold very many shirts yet, so my contribution is small at this point. I very much want to contribute to such a worthy cause and something that is extremely dear to my heart. The website where purchases can be made is KeenieDesigns.com. There is a section next to the t-shirt with a blurb about the Inclusive Playground Project at Swenke. I am also selling the digital download of the design so that people can purchase something less expensive and still contribute. My long-term plan is that once Swenke's fundraising project is complete, I will keep this shirt on my website and continue to donate the proceeds to the International FoxG1 Foundation to aid their research on rare disorders.