Miles of Smiles for Cheshire

It was almost as if a light bulb went off for Matt Hall when he learned that certain supplies at Darcey Elementary School weren't covered by the school budget. Hearing that special lighting was needed – but not available – in a classroom, Hall decided to start a local non-profit foundation to support Darcey's Early Intervention Center.

Hall, who is a former Town Council chairman, and his wife Lisa, launched The Mari Hall Family Foundation to help raise funds for the Darcey program where their daughter Mari is enrolled. Now four-years-old, Mari was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder two years ago.

The first donation from the foundation was made Tuesday to the Board of Education to be used specifically for the intervention program. The $7,500 was raised last fall during the First Annual Mari's Miles of Smile Race in which nearly 200 runners competed in the 10k event.

The presentation ceremony took place at Darcey in the very room that needed the additional lighting. "This whole idea began after I talked to the (intervention) teacher and looked at the budget," Hall said. "Our daughter has made such great strides, and I know the financial landscape," he added. "It's been almost two years to the day," since Mari began the program, Hall said. "There is such a big difference," he noted.

The classroom isn't lit with overhead florescent lights, as is the case in many schools, but instead uses wall-mounted task lamps. "The spot lighting helps the students focus on the task," said center teacher Lorraine Gurz. Turning a specific directional light on signals to the student where the next educational task will take place, she explained.

Superintendent of Schools Greg Florio, who attended the ceremony, said the school district will set up a grant fund with the foundation's donation. "This is the first grant in town that's specifically set up by a parent that's ongoing," he said.

The foundation also donated $2,500 to the Easter Seals First Partners program in Waterbury and will offer a scholarship this spring to a Cheshire High School senior who plans to study special education in college.

Florio said Cheshire as a whole benefits from the intervention center. "A lot of communities cannot provide services in the district. We serve a lot of students who would have to be sent outside the district," he said.

The ability to provide the services locally saves taxpayers tens of thousands of dollars a year, Florio said.

For more information about the foundation go to: www.marihallfoundation.org.

To learn more about the Early Intervention Center, go to: www.cheshire.k12.ct.us/darcey.