Local news: the development center will innovate (9/25/21)

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The new facility will provide the necessary space

Dedication ceremonies for the new Barry Lawrence County Development Center are scheduled to take place at 10 a.m. on Monday, October 4 at the new center’s construction site at Chapell Drive and Park Street in Monett.

The Monett-based nonprofit that provides early intervention services to children aged 5 and under with developmental disabilities in Barry and Lawrence counties.

The center offers services to children with Down syndrome, autism, cerebral palsy, sensory difficulties, behavioral problems and communication disorders. It provides these services through the Missouri First Steps program and area school districts.

Services have been provided from an older house in a residential area of ​​Monett since 1981. However, the facility is not only aging, but does not provide enough space for therapeutic staff to work effectively with patients. clients. Two years ago, a fundraising campaign was launched after Randy and Julie Witt made a large donation to the northeast side of Monett.

With the generous donation of $ 100,000 from Jack and Margaret Prim, Lynda Painter, executive director of the center, announced that the board of directors is stepping on faith. and start the construction project.

?? We have almost half the money we need to complete the construction, ?? said the painter. We need another $ 250,000 to $ 300,000 in the next few months.

?? Right now, we have just started a naming rights campaign, ?? she said. Between the fundraisers we have organized, the support of the Barry and Lawrence Counties Tax Boards for People with Developmental Disabilities, and our naming rights campaign, as well as other donations, we have about the half the money needed for the project. ??

The new 6,000 square foot center will include individual therapy rooms, a large classroom, a storm shelter / sensory room, a large activity and snack area, offices, a conference room, storage and indoor and outdoor play areas. It will also include an events center with a small kitchen.

Painter said construction could take three months, depending on weather constraints.

?? But we will have to raise the remaining funds before we can move in, ?? she said.

To achieve this goal, the group is holding a silent, live auction at 6 p.m. on November 5 at the New Site Baptist Church in Monett.

Some auction items include Branson Show tickets, Dickerson Park Zoo tickets, fire pits, Kansas City Chiefs blanket, Discovery Center tickets and more.

Additionally, ladies at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Stones Prairie, near Purdy, have made a queen-sized quilt that will be donated in a design at the event. The quilt was designed in honor of the late Margaret Ann Holle, who co-founded the Development Center in 1973. The quilt, made with colorful materials in sage, burgundy, blue and cream, is made in the ?? Back to nature ?? model.

?? We are just starting to ask for donations for the auctions, ?? said the painter. ?? More information on the auction items will be released closer to the date of the event.

McKnight Auction donated its auction services for the event.

Those wishing to donate to the auction or request information about the Naming Rights campaign can call Painter at 417-235-9803.

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