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Dr. Leslie Meyer was convinced Greenville needed a school to serve special needs children.
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Speech therapy is an aid benefiting infants.
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Students and staff celebrated the 60th anniversary of the Meyer Center.
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De IIa Meyer, widow of Dr. Leslie Meyer, has continued the mission of the Meyer Center.
For GreerToday.com
The vision of one man 60 years ago has changed the lives of many special needs children.
Meyer Center for Special Children is hosting an event on Sunday, March 8 to honor and celebrate Dr. Leslie Meyer’s lasting legacy and the successes of “his” children.
When others saw only limitations of children with special needs, Meyer saw potential. After exploring a school for disabled children in Boston, Meyer was convinced that Greenville needed that kind of school and opened the Meyer Center.
“Sixty-one years later the Meyer Center’s Mission, Vision, Values and Goals continue to be based on Meyer’s belief that intensive education and therapy provided at the earliest possible age gives each child with a disability the best chance to succeed,” Louise Anthony, the Center’s executive director, said.
“The Meyer family is humbled by the good work that The Meyer Center has done for 60 years. We all feel blessed by knowing all the people and lives who have been positively affected and we have been honored to meet and hear the stories of many,” De Ila Meyer, widow of Meyer. said.
Originally the Meyer Center was called the Cerebral Palsy School since the vast majority of what the center treated was CP. The name was changed to the Meyer Center in 1977 to show the more inclusive nature of the students attending at the time and to honor Meyer. The Meyer Center now serves children with various types of disabilities.
Meyer was dedicated, inspiring, compassionate, and a visionary, but most of all, he was humble, according to Anthony. “I can hear him saying now, ‘I really didn’t do anything. It was just an idea.’”
An idea that has changed and will continue to change the lives of special needs children and their families.
Alumni, the community, and those impacted by Meyer’s life are invited to the event.
Want to go?
Sunday, March 8
2-4 p.m.
Embassy Suites Conference Center
670 Verdae Blvd.
Greenville
• About the author: Kim Wooten, 25, was born with cerebral palsy, which is a condition that affects her muscles and muscle control. She graduated cum laude in 2010 from North Greenville University with a B.A. in Business Administration. Wooten is married and has a 23-month old daughter.