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Congratulations also to Gregory W. Geidemann of Belleville on his nomination to receive
his MSA, next year at the ICOD.

Schnuck's Escrip - The Learning Center is now registered with the Schnuck's Escrip program.
                 This is a fundraising program offered through the Schnuck's grocery stores. Obtain
                 an Escrip card at the Schnuck's customer service desk, register with Escrip, then use the
                 card every time you shop at Schnuck's and the Learning Center can receive up to 3% of
                 your purchases. The Learning Center id code is   Masonic Learning Center For Children
                 # 500015267.

The following was received from a parent of one of our students at the Learning Center

Max’s Story

Max’s learning difficulties started in preschool. His teacher called him lazy because

he would avoid doing worksheets. In kindergarten, he would complain of

stomachaches every week to avoid going to school. His teacher worried about his

lack of progress despite his hard work and was puzzled by his inconsistencies.

Because of his stress at school, Max developed new anxieties: he became scared

of the dark, developed night terrors, refused to stay in a room alone, became easily

tearful, and was in a constant bad mood. Needless to say, it was a difficult time for

our entire family!

Max’s kindergarten teacher prompted us to get testing for Max. We are so glad that

we tested Max early because it was the beginning of a turn around in our lives. All

signs pointed to dyslexia. Often children are not diagnosed with dyslexia until 3rd or

4th grade so we were blessed to be able to find help while he is still quite young.

Because he was at a private school, we had to pay for the educational testing

($1000) on top of the cost of a speech therapist and psychologist, none of which

our insurance would cover. The financial cost to diagnose and help our son

became overwhelming. We began to miss house payments in order to pay for the

educational/medical bills. We moved him to a public school and began to look for

specialized tutoring. Thankfully, we found the Children’s Dyslexia Center.

Max is now a happy, confident, first grader who loves school thanks to the

Children’s Dyslexia Center. Since Max has started tutoring with Ms. Lauer, we have

a completely different child! It has been a miracle to see Max’s anxieties completely

disappear as his confidence and love of learning have increased exponentially. He

started the first grade year at the bottom of the class but has moved up to the

academic middle with solid skills. He’ll always have to work harder than his peers,

but with the support he has been given, he now has the confidence to succeed.

And our family is a happy one again! Thank you for all you have given us.

Now he doesn’t just say “goodnight” to us, he spells it!

With gratitude,

Bruce & Shannah