About Us

I began working with people with special needs in 1999 through the public school setting. Shortly thereafter, I became involved in working with individuals through home- based community services in addition to working in the public school setting. The more I worked with individuals who had developmental disabilities, the more I was drawn to advocating for their overall care and wellbeing.

Through my personal work experiences, I was able to identify a substantial deficit in quality and affordable services as well as professionals working collaboratively towards common goals for the child or adult. Thus, began the creation of Lauren’s Institute For Education (L.I.F.E.). It was my vision along with Carrie Reed’s, to create an organization that provided all aspects of care for a child or adult with special needs and for the care to be provided under a singular roof with a team of professionals working collaboratively and cohesively together.

What began as a vision in 2007 soon became a model for many other service-based organizations to follow. Lauren’s Institute For Education was a first of its kind service organization fully devoted to the treatment of the whole child and in bringing all aspects of care including education, therapy, social and emotional support under a singular roof.

Our organization soon developed into an organization that brought students on a professional path from universities, community colleges, and trade schools onto our campus to learn under our unique model of being a transdisciplinary treatment center. In more recent years, we have also become a large partner to our neighboring community colleges and universities in service-learning opportunities.

Although we successfully support educators, behaviorists, therapists and direct support professionals working together cohesively and collaboratively for hundreds of individuals with developmental disabilities and their families today, we are still not done with the good work necessary for the future of those with developmental disabilities. We still have many goals to achieve, one being a heavy emphasis on the employment of individuals with special needs and functional and independent living skills. Our goal is to educate, train, and employ as many individuals as we can within our community and workforce.

I spend the majority of my time these days still very involved in the daily operations of this vast and complex organization while also striving to remain above the norm, staying on the cutting edge of today’s treatment models and methodologies.

I consider Lauren’s Institute For Education, my life’s work and as such is something I am devoted to ensuring it remains true to its mission and vision for years and generations to come.

My daughter, Lauren, is the namesake of our organization. She was born with a terminal genetic syndrome called Sanfilippo. In an effort to extend her life, my husband and I decided to do an experimental transplant.

After Lauren’s transplant, she desperately needed therapy but at that time there was such a shortage that I felt like all I was doing was putting her on waiting lists. The therapy I was able to get for her was in the Scottsdale and Phoenix area because at that time there wasn’t any therapy centers in the southeast valley. That meant Lauren was spending much of her time driving around town instead of getting to spend that time playing and enjoying her childhood. I also found it frustrating that none of the therapists were able to communicate with each other so they could not develop a cohesive plan for her.

I started to feel like something needed to be done about the way therapy for children with developmental disabilities was handled. I felt like if all the therapists were together in one location, we would see more progress with the kids if the therapists used a collaborative approach. One of Lauren’s providers, Margaret Travillion, had similar dreams for these children. We came together and decided to open Lauren’s Institute For Education (L.I.F.E.). In August of 2007, we opened the doors to this one-of-a-kind facility that offered all disciplines of therapy under one roof.

Over the last ten years, I have seen L.I.F.E. become everything I had hoped it would. We started in a small 7,000 square foot building and have evolved into a thriving school, behavioral program, therapy center, and adult day program on ten acres of property. We are living L.I.F.E.’s mission and vision and using L.I.F.E.’s values to continue to bring quality services that focus on nurturing the whole child, not just his or her disability.

As L.I.F.E. continues to grow, it is my hope that we are able to reach hundreds of children each year while supporting therapists, providers, educators, members of the community and most of all, our families. As a parent with a child with special needs, I understand the needs of families that come to us. I know the struggles I went through are shared by all of us. And that need inspired me to want to open L.I.F.E. and continues to drive me to ensure the legacy of my daughter helps those like her for many more years to come.