Please donate for Lucas' education
Donation protected
Hi there to all of our family and friends!
Normally I would not do something like this, but I'm creating this fundraiser page to benefit my son and his future.
As most of you know Lucas battles with being on the autism spectrum and also battles with ADD, anxiety, and depression. Lucas was diagnosed with autism at the age of 3. His life has not been easy and has battled more battles in his 16 years of life than most of us have battled in a lifetime. He amazes me though, because each battle that arises he handles with such grace and positivity.
Unfortunately for Lucas, due to his special needs, his educational career has been a huge struggle. Since kindergarten he has gone to 5 different school systems because none of the schools could meet his needs academically. He was in our local public school system until 6th grade, but we removed him due to a severe case of bullying that the school system refused to address. My son was in the lunch line at school, when another child came behind him and pulled Lucas' pants down in front of everyone. To say we were upset would be an understatement, but what hurt the most was the school system not protecting our son from the possibility of future attacks. We decided then to put him into a private school that was geared to children with special needs. We were blessed to get financial assistance thru our state, and all was well for a few yrs. Then Lucas started getting bullied at the new school. The bullying was so severe that my son was thinking about suicide because his depression was that bad. Words can not describe how horrible this point in time was for my family and my husband and I reached out to everyone to get Lucas the help he needed. He got him in with a mental health specialist and decided he needed a new school again, because of the toxicity of the current one.
As some of you know, my family and I are Catholics, so we decided we would enroll Lucas into our local Catholic High School. It's a private college prep high school with a very good record and Lucas already had friends there from church.We were fortunate that the State of NC would help with the cost.Once again, all was well for about 4 months but then Lucas became the target for more bullying. His grades started to suffer and he just couldn't keep up the pace academically because of all the anxiety due to the bullying. At the end of the school year we were approached by the school's guidance counselor who stated she felt like this wasn't the right choice for our son and he didn't fit the student model for their school. My husband and I were in disbelief by this statement and decided once again that our son deserved better than this and ventured out for another school.
To our surprise and delight we found another private school in our local area that tailors to children just like Lucas. The school has a great relationship with our local special needs population, and we are so blessed that Lucas has been accepted for this upcoming school yr!!❤❤
But here is the issue, this school is EXTREMELY expensive!! For one year the annual tuition is $19,500! We are still blessed that the State of NC is helping with about $12,500,but that means my husband and I have to come up with the additional $7000!!
As many of you know, my husband is now disabled due to many chronic medical conditions and I am currently the only one working in the household. I am a nurse supervisor right now, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, I have been temporarily furloughed. For the past 4 months we have been surviving just on my husband's disability income. It's been a challenge to say the least, but we are so blessed that we can continue to pay our monthly bills.
Like I said earlier, I really debated of whether I wanted to create this page or not. I am one who does not like to ask for help. I've always had issues with my pride. But, I have to put all of that aside because my son's future is in the balance right now. He deserves a good academic career that will set him up for so many great opportunities in his future.
My family and I are firm believers in the Lord and I know in my heart that so many of my family members and friends, love my son as much as I do and want to help him succeed. Thank you so much for taking the time to read our story. Please know if you can't help out financially we completely understand. 2020 has been a rough year for everyone. But please pray for our son if you can. We firmly believe in God and his many miracles. Thanks again and love to all!❤❤
Normally I would not do something like this, but I'm creating this fundraiser page to benefit my son and his future.
As most of you know Lucas battles with being on the autism spectrum and also battles with ADD, anxiety, and depression. Lucas was diagnosed with autism at the age of 3. His life has not been easy and has battled more battles in his 16 years of life than most of us have battled in a lifetime. He amazes me though, because each battle that arises he handles with such grace and positivity.
Unfortunately for Lucas, due to his special needs, his educational career has been a huge struggle. Since kindergarten he has gone to 5 different school systems because none of the schools could meet his needs academically. He was in our local public school system until 6th grade, but we removed him due to a severe case of bullying that the school system refused to address. My son was in the lunch line at school, when another child came behind him and pulled Lucas' pants down in front of everyone. To say we were upset would be an understatement, but what hurt the most was the school system not protecting our son from the possibility of future attacks. We decided then to put him into a private school that was geared to children with special needs. We were blessed to get financial assistance thru our state, and all was well for a few yrs. Then Lucas started getting bullied at the new school. The bullying was so severe that my son was thinking about suicide because his depression was that bad. Words can not describe how horrible this point in time was for my family and my husband and I reached out to everyone to get Lucas the help he needed. He got him in with a mental health specialist and decided he needed a new school again, because of the toxicity of the current one.
As some of you know, my family and I are Catholics, so we decided we would enroll Lucas into our local Catholic High School. It's a private college prep high school with a very good record and Lucas already had friends there from church.We were fortunate that the State of NC would help with the cost.Once again, all was well for about 4 months but then Lucas became the target for more bullying. His grades started to suffer and he just couldn't keep up the pace academically because of all the anxiety due to the bullying. At the end of the school year we were approached by the school's guidance counselor who stated she felt like this wasn't the right choice for our son and he didn't fit the student model for their school. My husband and I were in disbelief by this statement and decided once again that our son deserved better than this and ventured out for another school.
To our surprise and delight we found another private school in our local area that tailors to children just like Lucas. The school has a great relationship with our local special needs population, and we are so blessed that Lucas has been accepted for this upcoming school yr!!❤❤
But here is the issue, this school is EXTREMELY expensive!! For one year the annual tuition is $19,500! We are still blessed that the State of NC is helping with about $12,500,but that means my husband and I have to come up with the additional $7000!!
As many of you know, my husband is now disabled due to many chronic medical conditions and I am currently the only one working in the household. I am a nurse supervisor right now, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, I have been temporarily furloughed. For the past 4 months we have been surviving just on my husband's disability income. It's been a challenge to say the least, but we are so blessed that we can continue to pay our monthly bills.
Like I said earlier, I really debated of whether I wanted to create this page or not. I am one who does not like to ask for help. I've always had issues with my pride. But, I have to put all of that aside because my son's future is in the balance right now. He deserves a good academic career that will set him up for so many great opportunities in his future.
My family and I are firm believers in the Lord and I know in my heart that so many of my family members and friends, love my son as much as I do and want to help him succeed. Thank you so much for taking the time to read our story. Please know if you can't help out financially we completely understand. 2020 has been a rough year for everyone. But please pray for our son if you can. We firmly believe in God and his many miracles. Thanks again and love to all!❤❤
Organizer
Rachel S Atencio
Organizer
High Point, NC