A successful Fall Festival Open House with over 100 in attendance was just the “housewarming” that Trellis needed for their Sparks location that still feels new to some. Every area of the 30,000 sq. ft. Trellis Learning Center had activities for clients, potential clients and their families on Saturday, November 15, 2014.
The facility, located on York Road, is home to The Trellis School, an afterschool program for Baltimore County, and all of Trellis’ clinic-based programs for children with autism spectrum disorders and other language and communication disorders. The facility includes six classrooms, a new fully equipped sensory gym, an outside playground and thousands of square feet of natural learning environment space.
The excitement from the staff and members of the community was palpable. Suzanne Heid, M.S., Trellis’ Associate Executive Director, commented, “The biggest thing that stood out for me was the sense of pride that our staff felt in showcasing our facility to the community!” The Fall Fest themed Open House, showcased Trellis Services to existing and new clients. When asked about the goal of the event Suzanne stated, “Our goal for the school and the clinic is to highlight our high quality programming with a focus on verbal behavior as part of the core curriculum for students and clients. We are continuously assessing our learners on a daily basis to determine how they acquire skills and progress.”
We are a place families can depend on once their child becomes a part of the Trellis community. This event allowed us to show the community who we are and what we believe in.”
Open House activities were held in each of the classrooms, and all of Trellis’ services were highlighted in some way. There were arts and crafts activities and carnival style games in the open areas, the hallways were flooded with children and all of the gyms were filled to capacity. The enthusiasm and engagement of the day were similar to what an attendee would see during a typical school day. Melissa Horrigan, Occupational Therapist, had this to say about the day,” I am so thankful for the amazing community we have here at Trellis! It was such a privilege to connect with our families outside of therapy. I had so much fun playing with my students alongside their family members. My husband volunteered during the day and he had such a blast meeting our families and seeing the amazing place where I get to work. We had so many families stop by the new OT gym. I was proud to provide a space that our students were excited to show their parents! How many kids can say that they would willingly go to school on a Saturday?” The large gym located in the back of Trellis, offers an abundance of space to run our Autism Waiver Therapeutic Integration After School Program. This program is designed to focus on recreation and leisure skills, while improving the student’s social skills, group participation, and reciprocal play.
“Our Fall Festival Open House was so much fun! It was incredibly rewarding to actually see so many of the families in our community we get to serve, “exclaimed Darcy Kline, Trellis School Autism Intervention Instructor. The event featured an auction with artwork created by current Trellis School students and learners in the Learn 2 Love (L2L) Program with the help of our Social Skills Specialist, Kate Cheek.
This event will be the first of many held in support of Trellis community and the families we serve. For more information about our services click here.
