Mini-Laps 2019 logo
Elijah Seikel avatar

A Message From Elijah Seikel

Hi, my name is Elijah, but my friends call me Eli. Did you know that I attend a school called The Little Light House? It's a really great school where they do what's called Early Intervention for my friends and me. It helps to get us with extra challenges ready for kindergarten. It all started when my mommy and daddy found out that I have Down Syndrome before I was even born. One of their friends said, "You should get him on the waiting list for the Little Light House." So they did. At the time, the Little Light House taught 64 kids every year, but they were raising money to expand and two years later, when they could accept 96 students, I got the 96th spot! That was three years ago and since then the therapists, teachers and volunteers at The Little Light House have taught me things that my parents didn't think I'd learn until I was much older. I already can count to twenty and I know all my letters, upper case and lower case! Everyone says I am so smart. The Little Light House also makes their Christian based curriculum available for anyone to use for free and educators come from all around the world to learn their methods for free. And even though the Little Light House spends about $30,000 per student they don't charge for tuition either because many families of children with special needs children have extra medical, therapeutic or equipment costs. All of their funding comes from private donations and they've raised enough that this year they met their goal of being able to accept 128 of the most special students in the Tulsa area! That's amazing! But it costs a lot of money to run our school so they ask families to help fund raise. So maybe you can give $10, $20 or $50. Maybe your company will match what you give. If you pay Oklahoma state taxes, you can even get a 50%-75% tax credit for your donation! Just ask my parents how. Regardless of how or how much you give, every dollar is well spent. Guidestar.org even gave the Little Light House a platinum rating for their financial transparency. So, I hope you will consider donating and keeping my school in your prayers.

$7,934

raised of $20,000 goal

3

supporters
CLOSED

Location / Venue

Little Light House logo
In Support of Little Light House

Little Light House is a Christian Developmental Center for Children with Special Needs from birth to 6 years old. Tulsa’s Little Light House is internationally recognized as providing some of the most individualized special education and therapeutic early intervention services in the world. A trans-disciplinary team approach maximizes a comprehensive knowledge from professionals who work collaboratively to design prescriptive programs for each child and assist every child in reaching their maximum potential. Through a variety of programs and schedules, these services are carried out by highly credentialed teachers, therapists, and specialists who represent decades of pediatric experience. Early Intervention classes are provided as a part-time program where caregivers attend and learn along with their child for two-hour classes once a week. 

Little Light House is tuition-free for families and does not receive government or United Way funding. Support comes from individuals, organizations, corporations, and foundations. In addition, LLH hosts four annual fundraisers each year bringing in about 40% of the $4.2 million dollar operating cost that allows our staff of over 90 members to provide services to over 300 children and families, support nearly a thousand volunteers, and train over 1,000 college and career students each year.

Little Light House believes that all children are a gift from God with the potential to achieve specific milestones to advance their quality of life. We strive for excellence by utilizing a Bible-based curriculum in a fun and loving atmosphere. We believe in an individualized, trans-disciplinary and God-centered approach to education-an approach that joins parents, professionals, and the Holy Spirit as partners in order to nurture the spirit, mind, and body of the children and their families. Our commitment incorporates being called to work/volunteer with children with special needs. Little Light House encourages a positive outlook on the future, based on trust in a loving heavenly Father.