Richard is 29 this year.
When we started this journey with him, we had no idea where we were going or how we would get there. We are so thankful that First Step School has been there from the early days of in-home counseling to this day where Richard is living in his own apartment, a dream come true for all of us.
Down Syndrome had a stigma attached to it in the 70s but in our Hot Springs Community there is a facility in place that helped to erase the stigma and replace it with a life well lived by a young man who doesn’t know the meaning of the word.
We are also thankful that not only was First Step there for us but it has been there and has changed lives in countless families in our community through the years and in many, many surrounding communities. There is encouragement, support and cooperation through each phase of growth for every family and client who receives services through this facility. We have been recipients of far more than we can ever repay.
We continuously let others know of the services available through this marvelous place of hope. When we came to First Step it was housed in a 20 by 40 foot building. My, how it and its services have grown and advanced and the number of people served through all these years is an awesome witness to what people with vision can accomplish.
We are indebted to the Board, the Administration and the employees who have given so unselfishly so that Richard could live and work and grow old in his own community.
Richard will live beyond us and do that competently because of what has happened is his life through what he has been given by First Step.
Thanks First Step from hearts that overflow with gratitude and appreciation and love. Thanks First Step for including our family in your vision and plans and hopes. You have provided help and the people through out Central Arkansas continue to come and will continue to come for generations unknown.
Our love and continuous prayers on your behalf.
– Dick and Wanda Holden
