More Than A Job

Therapy assistants realize career dreams while at Heartspring 

Lacy Cary and Cori Durham are therapy assistants working in Heartspring Pediatric Services. After observing and participating in therapies with Heartspring clients, both Lacy and Cori made career decisions focused on working with children with special needs. Currently they are both working toward degrees in Speech Language Pathology and have received assistance from Heartspring’s scholarship funds*.

Lacy’s Story

After becoming employed at Heartspring (as a receptionist) I knew I wanted to do more to help the children I see every day. There is no greater gift than teaching a child to communicate, and I had no doubt that speech pathology is what I want to do. I then became aware of the scholarship program that Heartspring offers and that confirmed to me there was absolutely no reason for me not to follow that dream when everything was possible for this dream to come true.

I am attending night classes at Wichita State University so that I can still work full time while pursuing my degree. Because I need to work full time as long as possible I do not have a graduation date planned. School currently has to fit into my busy life. As a parent and employee, my philosophy is I am working towards something greater, but I love what I do and am in no hurry to get there.

As a single mother I would like to thank Sigma Alpha for this scholarship, otherwise I do not feel it would be financially possible for me to go back to school. In return I will be able to help the children of our future. For that, you will never know what your generosity means to me!

In the meantime, I love being with the kids and seeing their progress. I never dread going to work, I love what I do and I enjoy working for Heartspring. I am so very thankful for my job every day and I feel extremely blessed to play a small part in each of the children’s lives.

Cori’s Story

When I first started at Heartspring I was a physical therapy major. I had never even heard of speech pathology. After helping some of the speech language pathologists hands-on with the kids and seeing how fast they learn I knew that this was what I wanted to do. Nothing is more important than the power of communication. Every day I see kids who get so frustrated and act out because they have no form of communication. I realized that I could be the person to help these kids find a way to express their wants and needs.

I am attending Wichita State University College of Health Professions and plan to graduate with a Bachelor’s degree in May 2012, and a Master of Arts in May 2014.

I would like the people who contribute to the scholarship funds to know that their gifts impact not only those of us who receive this scholarship, but all the lives of those we touch. I am grateful for the opportunity this donation allows, because as we all know, every penny counts when it comes to paying for college.

Anyone who knows anything about me at all knows how much I love my job. I used to dread going to work when I worked other places, but as soon as I started working at Heartspring I knew it was where I was supposed to be. I've worked here long enough now that I have seen tiny little babies learn how to sit up, crawl, walk, and pretty soon they are off running. Nothing is more exciting to me than hearing a child’s first words or seeing their first steps. If I'm having a bad day, I just look at the kids and there is no way I can still be grouchy. If they can still smile with all the challenges they face every day, then so can I.

One of the most touching moments for me came when one of our clients finally said my name. I had been seeing her for over a year and she just couldn't get my name out. I told her to practice hard and when she learned to say my name I would buy her anything she wanted. So she practiced and practiced and one day in therapy she just said, "Cori!" like it was nothing. We were all so excited and I was jumping up and down telling her how proud I was of her. That night I went to Wal-Mart and bought her a singing “Dora the Explorer” doll and gave it to her the next time I saw her. She was so excited and she continued to say my name over and over. That was by far one of my most favorite and exciting moments.

* These funds are supported by members of Sigma Alpha sorority and an endowment made in honor of former Heartspring president, Dr. Frank Kleffner and his wife, Charlotte.