By HABEEBAH R. GRIMES About 20 years ago, I sat in a circle during one of my first group meetings at PEP Eastwood. As a newly hired one-on-one aide, I listened intently to the children discuss what had happened in their lives the day prior. One student’s story from the previous evening resonated deeply with
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Marixa had her doubters. She was referred to PEP Connections in her early teens because of the crippling anxiety and depression interfering with everyday life. Her life was spiraling out of control. Getting through the week seemed like a hurdle. Graduating high school seemed like a pipedream. Then came Robert McFarren, a veteran PEP Connections
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Sweta Asher can feel the weight of what her students are going through when they walk into her classroom each morning at PEP Hopewell on Cleveland’s West Side. Many of these children – some as young as kindergarten age – have witnessed or experienced things that no adult even should. By the time these kids
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Even as a young child, Sandra Alheit felt uncomfortable about the way people with special needs were often treated. She specifically remembers a film about a child with autism who was isolated because of adults’ inability – and or even willingness – to understand the disorder. Sandra knew that was an all-too-real scenario for many
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