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."

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!"