Partners In Learning will offer a new program providing special needs children speech therapy in a fun way.
The program will be offered in the child’s natural environment ó in the home or child care center.
Partners In Learning has hired Shelby Barton, a veteran speech therapist, to provide the new services. The group also offers on-site inclusive classrooms, screenings, support groups and center/home based play therapy.
“In addition to working directly with the child, what makes this format so effective is the opportunity to make an impact on the environment so that the child continues to learn from the caregivers when the therapist is not present,” Barton said. “The child’s potential to make progress is multiplied and I find that one of the most exciting facets of this therapy model.”
Barton has more than 20 years of experience in speech therapy with geriatric and pediatric populations. She has spent the last nine years working with the preschool population through Rowan-Salisbury Schools.
She has worked part-time for Partners in Learning for the past four years using this therapy model. Her experience includes work with children diagnosed as having developmental apraxia, autism spectrum disorders, hearing loss, language and phonological delays, Down syndrome, Smith Maginis syndrome, oral motor dysfunction and cerebral palsy in addition to more typical language and phonological delays.
She has also worked with dysphagia patients in the adult geriatric realm and plans to pursue additional training in pediatric swallowing disorders.
Individual therapy costs may be covered by Medicaid and insurance. To learn more about Partners In Learning speech therapy, call 704-638-9020.
Big Lots announces video contest winners
KANNAPOLIS ó Big Lots has announced that students at A.L. Brown High School were winners of $2,500 in the Big Lots Lots2Give Video Contest this summer.
The school’s creativity was on display in its 90-second video, and Brown was selected as a second-place prize winner.
Forty-six schools competed for a share of $80,000 in cash prizes, with John E. Ewing Middle School in Gaffney, S.C., winning the $10,000 grand prize.
Big Lots asked participating schools to submit a short video and brief essay explaining why their school is in need of financial support.
From June 11 through July 12, the public voted for their favorite video at www.lots2give.com. More than 300,000 votes were cast to determine the 26 winners, which include one $10,000 grand prize, three $5,000 first prizes, and 26 second prizes.
Richard Potts earns special certification
Richard Potts, owner and president of Richard & Associates, Inc. in Concord, has earned the EcoBroker Certified designation, having successfully completed an informative training program on the energy and environmental issues that affect real estate transactions.
EcoBrokers serve as consumer and community resources on energy and environmental issues.
National surveys indicate nine out of 10 consumers consider energy efficiency and the environmentally sound aspects of a home or building to be almost as important as interior finishes.
“My EcoBroker Certified training helps me ensure that my clients get the knowledge they need,” Potts said in a press release. “From energy-efficient appliances to solar options to overall energy savings, I now have more resources at my disposal to help my buyers and sellers make informed real estate decisions.”
Financial planning, management merger
Mary T. Moose, president of Victory Wealth Management Inc., and Cynthia Peabody, managing partner of Cynthia Peabody and Associates, have announced their recent affiliation.
Moose and Peabody will be working together to meet the needs of their mutual clients providing comprehensive financial planning, investment and tax services.
Moose has offered comprehensive financial planning and investment management to her clients since 1998.
Victory assists clients in areas of their financial wealth and health including retirement planning, risk management, investment management, education planning, tax reduction planning and estate planning.
The Victory team includes three fully licensed and registered advisors and two support personnel.
In 2003, Peabody established her own firm, which currently consists of two CPAs, an accountant and two support staff.
The firm’s goal is to assist clients in achieving their personal goals through minimizing income and estate taxes and providing a structured investment plan.
Clients may meet with Moose and/or Peabody at their respective offices by appointment. Moose is located at 603 N. Main St. in China Grove. Her telephone number is 704-857-4924.
Peabody is located on Gateway Boulevard in Mooresville just off I-77 Exit 33. Her number is 704-663-0618.