Creative startup in Wheaton

[Guest guest]

On Thursday, January 12th, we held the first information meeting for Connection

of Friends. There were 32 parents/guardians that attended the meeting

representing 18 families. We have decided to hold a second information meeting

for those of you who could not attend the first meeting or for those of you

receiving this invitation for the first time.

My name is Terry Kline and my wife is Ginny. We are the grandparents of two

special needs children, (ages 12 and 8), with autism. I am a retired executive,

my wife is a retired schoolteacher and we have lived in Wheaton for 32-years.

Over the summer we began researching the availability of programs for special

needs students once they reach high school and eventually age out of the high

school system. We discovered there is limited programming available in our

community to keep teenagers and young adults with special needs meaningfully

engaged when not in school. Our vision is to provide a place for these young

adults to gather socially on a daily basis, as has been established at Our Place

of New Trier Township (www.ourplaceofnewtrier.org) in Wilmette.

To accomplish our vision -- we have formed a not-for-profit organization

called…Connection of Friends, Inc.

Connection of Friends has been created to enrich the lives of teenagers and

young adults with special needs with an emphasis on social, life skill,

volunteer and recreational activities. Its primary purpose is for participants

to engage in meaningful ways within the community and create lasting

relationships.

We invite you to attend an information meeting on Thursday, February 16, 2012 at

7:00 PM at Hubble Middle School, 3S600 Herrick Road, Warrenville, in the

school’s Library, to learn more about Connection of Friends. Specifically, we

will be sharing our programming ideas, operating hours, operating parameters and

other considerations. In addition, we will be seeking your comments, thoughts

and suggestions.

If you have any questions prior to the meeting, please feel free to contact us

at (630) 668-7374 or e-mail at tlkline@.... We would also request that

you RSVP to this invitation via email or phone call. We look forward to meeting

you on February 16th.

Regards,

Terry and Ginny Kline