thumbnail image
HomeVIP Registered UsersSAGE Board Access
HomeVIP Registered UsersSAGE Board Access
  • HomeVIP Registered UsersSAGE Board Access
    HomeVIP Registered UsersSAGE Board Access
    HomeVIP Registered UsersSAGE Board Access
    • Frisco SAGE

      Support•Advocate• Grow•Educate
       

      sage - (adj.) wise through reflection and experience

      Donate
    • What We Do

      Support

      local programs, parent sanctuary, answer questions, gather resources, connect people, coffee talks

      Advocate

      community, schools, Chamber of Commerce, Frisco ISD Partnership, Local businesses

      Grow

      all ages, all stages, all abilities - We are here for you through all of them.

      Educate

      lending library, resource fairs, Diverse Abilities Programs, parent programs, partners PE training

      & Include!

      prom, homecoming mums & garters, accessible community garden,

    • Register Here for VIP Access

      We want to know get to know you better than ever! Sign up for a newsletter, important updates, registered content page, etc. We will NOT share your information with anyone else unless you ask us to do so. We also promise not to send email very often. This form can also be used to verify your identity if you are trying to join the Frisco SAGE private Facebook group. Once signed up, you will be able to access our Private Resources page for free downloads and materials you can use at home, for therapy or in the classroom.

      Sign Up Form
    • What We Do

      Diverse Abilities School Program

       

      Our Diverse Abilities School Program provides kits to Frisco and Prosper ISD schools to allow students to experience what it might be like to live with a diverse ability. This popular program has been used in Frisco ISD schools for over 10 years and has been very sucessful at promoting understanding, compassion, and empathy while celebrating differing abiliites.

       

      Frisco ISD schools can reserve stations, at no charge, for one week each school year on a first come, first served basis. Please talk to your school administration about dates and stations desired before officially scheduling. Questions? Email melanie@friscosage.org for more information! Prosper ISD schools can contact the Prosper ISD Family Resource Center to reserve.

      FISD - I'm Ready to Schedule!

      Presentations & Programs

      Schedule a presentation at your school, corporation, small business, organization or church. Our presentation are customized to your audience, needs and time allowances and can be between an hour and a full day. We have continuing education options, new hire training options, customer service options and educational options. Let us do the work and provide an engaging and hands-on presentation to your group that is filled with awareness, collaboration opportunities and opportunities to create a more inclusive environment.

      Let's Do This!

      Diverse Abilities Corporate Kits

       

      Thanks to several corproate partnerships we have developed a Diverse Abilities Corporate Program geared towards a workplace audience. These kits allow participants to see the value of a diverse and inclusive workplace and provide experiential activities that foster understanding of diverse abilities in the workplace.

    • Photo Albums

      Click on any album to view all photos. Archived albums are available in the VIP Section.

      Sign up with us to verify your account. It's free!

      Back to School Luau 

      2021

      Steve Madden Shoe Donations

      2021

      Diverse Abilities Program

      Partners PE Training

      Homecoming  Mum & Garter Donation Program

      Family Nights & Coffee Talks - Then and Now!

      Special Olympics

      2019

      Frisco SAGE Prom

      2019

    • Share Your Knowledge!

      Recommend providers / caretakers / community programs that have experience and expertise with our kids! Parents want to know about your experiences. Want access to the list of recommendations? Sign up for VIP Access! You'll have the list at your fingertips anytime you need information.

      Medical & Therapy Provider Recommendations
    • Connections & Accomplishments

       

      One of Mayor Jeff Cheney & Lifestyle Frisco's Chosen Nonprofits

      Launched alongside Mayor Jeff Cheney in 2019, the 24-hour giving campaign on Valentine’s Day demonstrates that

      Frisco is a city with a BIG heart for nonprofits making an impact in the community.

      GuideStar

      Our organization earned a 2021 Silver Seal of Transparency! Now, everyone can learn more about our programs and areas served and find us on social media. Check out our updated #NonprofitProfile on Candid: https://www.guidestar.org/Profile/82-5441720

    • Our Board of Directors

      Our board is made up of parents of children with disabilities with a wide variety of skills and volunteer experience. We desire to help families connect to, collaborate with and provide and seek support from families with similar needs.

      Heather Brown

      Heather and her husband live in a recently-emptied nest in Frisco. They are proud parents of kiddos with special needs, both now adults. Her daughter is in college majoring in Biology and her son has recently transitioned to a group home and is attending Special Abilities day program. Heather teaches Blended Pre-k in Prosper.

      A former systems analyst, she was introduced to the wonderful world of special needs by her son, who was developmentally delayed after having seizures as an infant, she continued her journey an aide then teacher in Frisco ISD's preschool program. Later she took a break from teaching to work with a special needs life planning company, helping parents apply for SSI and preparing for transition by introducing them to resources and supports available.

       

      In 2007, Heather wanted a way to bring special needs parents from all over the district together, but was unsure how to reach out. Judy Haven, Special Ed director at the time, introduced her to SAGE as a way of making those connections. She still loves providing information and resources to parents that help them feel empowered and included. "Sometimes we just need to know we are not alone," she says.

       

      The best part about having a special needs child, in her opinion, is connecting with other parents of children with disabilities and sharing stories that no one else could understand. She explains, "It's like having a running inside joke."

      Contact Heather

      Kristy Hutchins

      Kristy lives in Texas and has been married to her wonderful husband Clay for almost 30 years. They have two handsome boys: Brett, who is 25 years old and Jake who is 14 years old. Their younger was diagnosed at 8 years with autism.

       

      She became involved in Frisco SAGE through a friend. After diagnosis she reached out to SAGE and was direct to resources needed to advocate for her son. She became a board member as the organization was becoming an independent nonprofit in 2018. In addition to serving on the SAGE board, she works for a law firm as a case manager.

       

      Kristy's favorite part about being a board member is having the opportunity to meet families who have children with disabilities and their willingness to share their journeys with others. She says that her connection with disability has taught her to trust her gut and given her patience.

      An integral part of helping SAGE establish a stronger community presence, Kristy has helped establish a stronger social media presence and has helped with just about every program SAGE has been part of in the past 3 years. She helps us all be aware of current events in special education and the needs of others in the community who are not necessarily on social media or comfortable posting in a group.

       

      Contact Kristy

      Melanie Neystel

      Melanie lives In the State of Reality, or Texas as the rest of us would say. Her current zoo includes her husband, a daughter, a son, and their dog and cat.

       

      Her connection to the world of special needs is her amazing daughter who has Cerebral Palsy, but she also has experience as a former Special Education teacher in Frisco ISD. As if this is not already an amazing resume, Melanie is also a former federal agent and, in her own words, "a breast cancer surviving."

      Melanie's first connection to SAGE was through the PTA SAGE connection at her campus level as well becoming involved at the district level. The part of being a Frisco SAGE board member she most enjoys is learning of new resources that can help her family and also be passed along to others families navigating a life with special needs. She enjoy the Diverse Abilities program and the way it spreads awareness and understanding to the community.

       

      She continues to help expand the program to the new corporate level program and has most recently arranged the distribution of hundreds of pairs of adaptive shoes through a connection with the Steve Madden shoe brand. Assisting with Special Olympics and Brant's Grants has also been areas where her leadership has been key.

       

      When asked what positive impact being part of the special needs community has had on her own family, she says, "We’ve met many amazing people we would never have met. We appreciate that our daughter has been able to share her personality and change some people’s perspective on different abilities."

      Contact Melanie

      Cindy Badon

      Cindy lives in with her husband Patrick and 2 sons, Chance and Reagan. She is a former inclusion teacher prior to becoming a mom to one child with autism and another child who is twice exceptional (2E). She now looks back at her time in the classroom as HER education on disabilities, inclusion and her future role as a mom with a child with autism. "Little did I know that those students with special needs were not only helping me teach the other students, they were also preparing me for being a parent of a child with autism."

      When it became clear that her younger child had significant delays and needed early and involved intervention, she left the classroom to ensure that she was available to supervise his therapies and appointments, which was a full time job! The family relocated to the north Texas area because of the many resources available, the education provided by the school districts, and the opportunities for involvement.

      Her history with SAGE goes back to attending a meeting one week after moving to Frisco in the summer of 2009. She became involved with SAGE at various campuses and at a district level, helping to add to the offerings as opportunities presented themselves. She is proud to pay it forward by helping others make connections and find the joy in their journeys as well.

       

      Cindy's favorite board duties are those involving community and professional education opportunities. "The best thing about having a family member with a disability, in my opinion, is becoming part of a community of people who are truly accepting and have embraced the gift of seeing life through a different lens."

      Contact Cindy

      Shonna Cole

      Having lived in Frisco for almost 20 years and volunteering countless hours at the Parent Sanctuary and Lending Library at ECS, you may have met Shonna. She lives with her husband and her high school age son Ryan who was diagnosed with autism at 3 1/2 years of age. Shonna became an active volunteer on the PTA that existed at the time while Ryan was at ECS during the first years it was open.

       

      Prior to Ryan's birth, Shonna worked in the corporate world, which explains her great people skills. She particularly enjoys working with those who have children who have been newly diagnosed by helping them find their "people." Connecting with this community is what she considers one of the upsides to a disability diagnosis. Another would be the new view she has of experiences she would have never had were Ryan not who he is - a curious young man who loves animal encounters of all kinds!

      Shonna first encountered SAGE at a resource fair hosted at the Early Childhood School. When asked what her favorite event is as a board member, she has trouble picking just one as she finds joy in giving back to others.

       

      Shonna's claim to fame is that she was once on the Jay Leno show in his segment called JayWalking. If anyone can find a video clip of this we would LOVE to see it!

       

       

      Contact Shonna

      Amy Coolidge

      Since 2001, Amy has lived in Frisco with her husband Andy. The predictably, unpredictable life of the 5 Coolidge humans and 2 dogs is never boring: "We laugh, we cry, we dance and sing (some better than others) and we always try to make lemonade out of the lemons that come our way."

       

      Their entry into the world of special needs was gradual as each of their children had the same rare genetic condition, but it presented in different ways and with different needs. They began with medical needs and the insurance maze that comes with that, but as they began to enter school, they also needed educational support. They set out to understand the alphabet soup that comes with IEP/ARD/FIE and meetings. When her 3rd was born, they feel they fully entered the world of special needs, though having children with rare conditions means sometimes still having to navigate uncharted waters and in different ways for each child.

       

      Amy became involved with SAGE in helping with Partners PE training before her youngest child, Chase, entered middle school. Because he was in a centralized program, he needed the support of the program rather than being a peer buddy as her older two had been able to do. She sought to help with the program because she wanted the peer models to understand how important their job was and how much it was appreciated. Her favorite project is one that she brought with her to Frisco SAGE - the homecoming mum and garter project!

       

      Amy's claim to fame was that during her previous job in personal training and corporate health and wellness in the 90's, she once told Paula Abdul she couldn't reserve a stairclimber at the Four Seasons athletic center. When she came down to exercise, the center was empty! Amy is "Forever Your Girl, Paula!"

      Contact Amy

    • How You Can Help Us Help Others

      Donate

      Help support our existing programs! Earmark donations for a particular program if you wish.

      Donate Now

      Event Sponsorship

      Families, groups and businesses can sponsor events! Find out about this option here!

      Sponsor an Event

      Wishlists

      See a list of items needed for our existing and / or upcoming programs, classrooms or events.

      Current Wish List
    • The Blog

      Thoughts, musings, and ruminations.

    • Upcoming Events

    • Follow Us on Pinterest

      Looking for solutions and great ideas? Look no further!

    • Social Feed

      Social Media Updates for Frisco SAGE

    • SAGE Talk Podcast

      New Episodes Coming Soon!

      Episode List

      SAGE Talk Clubhouse

      Come as you are. Pajamas, cup of joe or glass of wine. You do you.

      Chat Schedule

      Private Facebook Group

      Find your people here.

      Join us!
    • Connect With Us

      Make sure to add links to the icons!

      Instagram
      Instagram
      Amazon Wish List
      Amazon Wish List
    • We have MERCH! (Coming Soon!)

       
       
       
       
       

       

    • Frisco SAGE Privacy Policy

      Home
      Store
      Posts
      Contact
    All Posts
    ×
    Cookie Use
    We use cookies to ensure a smooth browsing experience. By continuing we assume you accept the use of cookies.
    Learn More