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."

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."

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!"

For the past 14 years, Jenni, her husband Mike and their four children has called Frisco home. Their children have a variety of diagnoses, the most significant being her daughter Nora's Down syndrome.  

Her connection with Frisco SAGE is that she has been friends with most of the board members since SAGE was first founded 14 years ago. This is likely due to the fact that she has made a career out of volunteering, including the Parent Lending Library and Sanctuary for several years. She is also the inspiration and founding member behind the creation of Hope Park, Frisco's most inclusive and accessible playground! Hope Park was a dream Jenni had after Nora was in a wheelchair for a period of time and could not access local playgrounds and play with her friends.

Jenni's volunteerism transferred to her children as her older daughter was a peer buddy for Partners PE and Special Olympics and was the dreamer behind the Frisco SAGE inclusion based prom in 2019 at Verona Villa!

Her journey with having a child with Down syndrome has been heartbreaking and amazing at the same time. "Each day I learn something new about myself. Seeing the world through Nora’s eyes is beautiful. She has taught me to take great joy in life."

When asked what serving on the Frisco SAGE Board means to her, Jenni says it allows her to meet new friends with children like hers and teaches her to be grateful. Taking care of her daughter each day teaches me to be patient. She has learned not to sweat the small stuff because it’s mostly small stuff so she saves her energy for the important stuff. Being part of this community that has children with special needs is exactly where she wants to live.