{"id":36108,"date":"2017-08-11T15:47:59","date_gmt":"2017-08-11T20:47:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/?p=36108"},"modified":"2017-08-11T15:47:59","modified_gmt":"2017-08-11T20:47:59","slug":"christian-academy-for-the-deaf-to-open-on-time-with-anonymous-150000-donation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/2017\/08\/11\/christian-academy-for-the-deaf-to-open-on-time-with-anonymous-150000-donation\/","title":{"rendered":"Christian Academy for the Deaf to open on time with anonymous $150,000 donation"},"content":{"rendered":"

Christian Academy for the Deaf to open on time with anonymous $150,000 donation<\/strong><\/p>\n

By SHELLY CONLON
\nEmail: sconlon@wacotrib.com<\/p>\n

August 8, 2017<\/p>\n

Three weeks after officially announcing efforts earlier this year to open Texas\u2019 first Christian Academy for the Deaf, board member Kathy Bartlett was losing faith and considered giving up.<\/p>\n

The seven-member board had spent at least two years getting organized and was trying to raise $160,000 to open the school by the first week of September. But by mid-June, the group only had about $10,000 of the funding needed to secure the building it wanted and time was running out, she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was doubting the Lord, and I was doubting God was going to bless us and this was really what was going to happen,\u201d Bartlett said. \u201cI could not see how this was going to happen. Looking around you, there was still a lot to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

But an unexpected phone call near the end of June changed everything. An anonymous donor from California offered up the rest of the funds needed and now the Christian Academy for the Deaf will open its doors Sept. 5 as planned, she said. The academy will be at 4224 S. University Parks Drive, not far from Baylor University.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe asked really poignant questions, very specific questions, and we had it all figured out,\u201d Bartlett said about the donor. \u201cEverything was in place. We had resumes. We had this building we really wanted. We had all these things figured out. I had all the curriculum in my attic. We had everything we needed, except for funding.\u201d<\/p>\n

Two hours later, Bartlett heard the news she had been praying for, she said. Board members held a parents meeting night onsite Monday to share the good news and register students in the tuition-free school.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been wanting this school to happen for some time. This has been a dream for Kathy Bartlett, and we\u2019ve just been praying it happens,\u201d Bruceville-Eddy mother Tina Eaton said before the meeting. \u201cAnd it just happened. Kathy\u2019s known (Eaton\u2019s son) Cole since he was 3, and he\u2019s now 8.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bartlett used to teach deaf or hard-of-hearing students and has a deaf son, who is also now an educator, she said. She taught Cole Eaton for three years and remained close to the family after she retired, Tina Eaton said. He will be one of the first students to attend the academy.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis school means everything,\u201d Tina Eaton said. \u201cHe has some other challenges, and he just needs to succeed in life if he wants to go further.\u201d<\/p>\n

The school will focus on teaching in a way that levels the educational playing field for preschool through sixth-grade students in its first year, Bartlett said. The school will have three teachers and a cap of nine students, Bartlett said. Then, the plan is to add a grade level every year, she said.<\/p>\n

The three teachers hired will come from Arizona and Florida to focus on a Christian-based educational philosophy to build academic, social, emotional and moral skills and values, she said. They\u2019ll teach everything in American Sign Language, including science, math, creative arts and Biblical culture. And students will also participate in different sporting events and activities, she said.<\/p>\n

Beyond that, the school will bridge a learning gap often found if deaf or hard-of-hearing students are included in public education classrooms, where the primary communication tool is talking, Bartlett said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn this environment, everybody signs. Everybody signs all the time,\u201d Bartlett said. \u201cWhen they\u2019re sitting at their tables, doing their coloring and they look up, they\u2019re in on the conversation. They\u2019re seeing the teacher talk.\u201d<\/p>\n

The property the school was built on also has an interesting story of faith, board member Wayne Hampton said. He spent time researching the area at the tax appraisal office recently, only to find out it once housed a strip club years ago, he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo me, it\u2019s pretty neat for me to know that a place that had been used for that purpose is now going to be used for God\u2019s purpose and glory,\u201d Hampton said. \u201cThe guy who bought this, he basically leveled it and rebuilt this structure. The whole time he did this construction, he prayed, \u2018God I want this building to be used for your purpose.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cHe specifically asked it be used for a church or some Christian effort or outreach method. As it turns out, here we are. He told me about this personally, the day we got the lease agreement.\u201d<\/p>\n

Because of the donations, budgetary needs are completely covered for the school\u2019s first year. Once the school opens officially, board members will shift their fundraising efforts toward the next two years to make the school viable for the foreseeable future, they said.<\/p>\n

Eventually, board members want to also use the building for American Sign Language church services and open the facility for other deaf organizations, like the Waco Association of the Deaf, or activities, Bartlett said.<\/p>\n

For more information or to donate to the Christian Academy for the Deaf, visit http:\/\/www.christianacademyforthedeaf.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re definitely still looking for financial donations from individuals. That\u2019s wide open and we\u2019re going to continue to beat that drum, because you never stop,\u201d Hampton said. \u201cYou never rest on your laurels for that. Financially, bring it on Waco.\u201d<\/p>\n

SOURCE:<\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.wacotrib.com\/news\/education\/christian-academy-for-the-deaf-to-open-on-time-with\/article_05dae3e5-3926-545a-b268-30a08552e8e7.html<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Christian Academy for the Deaf to open on time with anonymous $150,000 donation By SHELLY CONLON Email: sconlon@wacotrib.com August 8, 2017 Three weeks after officially announcing efforts earlier this year to open Texas\u2019 first Christian Academy for the Deaf, board…<\/p>\n

Read more →<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_crdt_document":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[2],"tags":[1629,4621,23,4938,25463,22127,92],"class_list":["post-36108","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-deaf-news","tag-american-sign-language","tag-article","tag-asl","tag-baylor-university","tag-christian-academy-for-the-deaf","tag-kathy-bartlett","tag-school"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p752R-9oo","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":36297,"url":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/2017\/09\/20\/open-house-at-the-christian-academy-for-the-deaf-10717-waco\/","url_meta":{"origin":36108,"position":0},"title":"Open house at the Christian Academy for the Deaf 10\/7\/17 – Waco","author":"Grant Laird Jr","date":"September 20, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Open house at the Christian Academy for the Deaf DATE: October 7, 2017 TIME: 10:00 am - 2:00 pm ADDRESS: 4224 University Parks Drive Waco, Texas 76706 WEBSITE: http:\/\/www.christianacademyforthedeaf.org Come see how God has blessed the Christian Academy for the Deaf at our Open House on October 7, 2017. We\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General"","block_context":{"text":"General","link":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/category\/deaf-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":36623,"url":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/2017\/11\/09\/christian-academy-for-the-deaf-open-enrollment\/","url_meta":{"origin":36108,"position":1},"title":"Christian Academy for the Deaf: Open Enrollment","author":"Grant Laird Jr","date":"November 9, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Open enrollment! DATE: current TIME: present, indefinite ADDRESS: 4224 University Parks Drive Waco, Texas WEBSITE: http:\/\/www.christianacademyforthedeaf.org The Christian Academy for the Deaf is currently accepting student applications for the Spring Semester. Please go to the website for more information. CONTACT PERSON NAME: Kathy Bartlett CONTACT EMAIL ADDRESS: contact@christianacademyforthedeaf.org","rel":"","context":"In "General"","block_context":{"text":"General","link":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/category\/deaf-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/Christian-Academy-for-the-Deaf-Waco-large-cad-logo-300x300-150x150.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":35052,"url":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/2017\/02\/09\/christian-academy-for-the-deaf-waco\/","url_meta":{"origin":36108,"position":2},"title":"Christian Academy for the Deaf – Waco","author":"Grant Laird Jr","date":"February 9, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Christian Academy for the Deaf - Waco The Christian Academy for the Deaf is a\u00a0non-profit, tuition free, privately funded school with a planned opening in August, 2017. The board is seeking letters of interest and resumes for the position of Headmaster. A job description and school information can be found\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General"","block_context":{"text":"General","link":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/category\/deaf-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/Christian-Academy-for-the-Deaf-Waco-large-cad-logo-300x300-150x150.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":28171,"url":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/2014\/08\/01\/part-time-deaf-education-teacher-waco\/","url_meta":{"origin":36108,"position":3},"title":"Part Time Deaf Education Teacher – Waco","author":"Grant Laird Jr","date":"August 1, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Part time Deaf Education Teacher Waco, Texas Apply at https:\/\/teams.wacoisd.org\/submission\/EntryPointHomeAction.do There's more at their listing. http:\/\/www.wacoisd.org\/cms\/One.aspx?portalId=428&pageId=2107 Kathy Bartlett Email: kathy.bartlett@wacoisd.org","rel":"","context":"In "General"","block_context":{"text":"General","link":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/category\/deaf-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":34298,"url":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/2016\/09\/21\/deaf-day-at-kiddieland-25th-anniversary-92416-waco\/","url_meta":{"origin":36108,"position":4},"title":"Deaf Day at Kiddieland – 25th Anniversary 9\/24\/16 – Waco","author":"Grant Laird Jr","date":"September 21, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Deaf Day at Kiddieland - 25th Anniversary DATE: September 24, 2016 TIME: 4pm to 8pm ADDRESS: 1716 N 42nd St Waco, Texas What a special occasion we have coming up very soon! This year's Deaf Awareness Week will be our 25th annual event at Waco Lion's Park's Kiddieland. 25 years\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General"","block_context":{"text":"General","link":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/category\/deaf-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":35985,"url":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/2017\/07\/20\/christian-academy-for-the-deaf-fundraising-72317-waco\/","url_meta":{"origin":36108,"position":5},"title":"Christian Academy for the Deaf Fundraising 7\/23\/17 – Waco","author":"Grant Laird Jr","date":"July 20, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"There will be a fundraiser for \"CAD\" on the July 23, 2017 of this month!! The Facebook event page is: https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/events\/1922955954630493\/?ti=cl Come one, come all!! We are inviting you to join us in celebrating CAD in Waco TX! 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