Speaker 1: Good morning, good morning, good morning, and welcome, welcome, welcome.
Speaker 1: It is time now for our community connection right here
Speaker 1: on K one, the one you trust, and today we
Speaker 1: have miss Claire Bartley in here and she's the executive
Speaker 1: director of PADS the Independent. It's always great to have
Speaker 1: you on board. How you doing today?
Speaker 2: I'm doing great, Tom, thanks for having me.
Speaker 1: Well, it's great. We're gonna light it up. How are
Speaker 1: we show people that sign? We gotol visual aids there.
Speaker 1: We're going to light it up blue. That's right. What
Speaker 1: are we doing this?
Speaker 3: On April twenty six? We have our five K and
Speaker 3: our friend runs starting at eight a m.
Speaker 1: It's that timing year already.
Speaker 3: It's April Autism Aware. This month starts next week.
Speaker 1: There you go. You got to get your blue light bulb.
Speaker 2: But your blue light bulb.
Speaker 1: We've had ours for a couple you probably do for
Speaker 1: another one. Here it's a wall hit champion.
Speaker 2: You just come by if you want to. If you
Speaker 2: need a blue light bulb, then you don't have one,
Speaker 2: come by the office.
Speaker 1: Yeah, they'll just take a little walk right there.
Speaker 2: Yeah.
Speaker 1: So now how do we get ready for the big
Speaker 1: fun run? Here? Everybody knows where they're gonna get the light.
Speaker 2: Bulbs, right, get the light bulbs.
Speaker 3: You can register online on our website www dot.
Speaker 2: Path Independence dot org.
Speaker 3: Okay, so if you want a T shirt guaranteed registered
Speaker 3: by the fourth of April so that we don't run out.
Speaker 1: This is pretty popular and everybody loves the T shirt
Speaker 1: and we have.
Speaker 3: To guess how many T shirts, so it'd be nice
Speaker 3: not to guess yours.
Speaker 2: So you want one, yeah, make sure you ask ahead
Speaker 2: of time.
Speaker 1: Sure it looks good on you.
Speaker 3: Right, this is our T shirt designed too this year,
Speaker 3: so it's gonna be like this.
Speaker 2: It'll be our One of our.
Speaker 3: Teachers, Susanne Jones, designed it and so we're pretty pretty
Speaker 3: happy with it.
Speaker 1: My goodness takes Now where does the path takes? On
Speaker 1: our run?
Speaker 2: You will if you go on the five K, you'll
Speaker 2: start at PTI and you will run all the way
Speaker 2: down the.
Speaker 3: Pathfinder through Sooner Park, It goes a little bit into
Speaker 3: the neighborhood and then comes back to PTI. If you
Speaker 3: go on the fun Run, you'll run, you'll walk back
Speaker 3: behind p and down Brookline and around through Poredom and
Speaker 3: come back on Fortum.
Speaker 1: Well, okay, there you go. It's very easy and it's
Speaker 1: very seeny too. It's so green when we do.
Speaker 2: This, I know, and the weather's usually perfect.
Speaker 3: So that's let's keep our fingers crossed that stays that way.
Speaker 1: It's got just enough cool and just enough warmth that
Speaker 1: nobody's gonna pull a muscle, and you're gonna enjoy it.
Speaker 2: It'll be nice and cool when you get there. It'll
Speaker 2: be nice and warm when you go home.
Speaker 1: Perfect. Welcome to Oklahoma, Claire. How long have we been
Speaker 1: doing this?
Speaker 2: Oh goodness, well, that is a hard question. I think
Speaker 2: we've been probably at least ten years. Uh huh, because
Speaker 2: we started the five K.
Speaker 3: We first started running the Central route, you know, the
Speaker 3: Central has that the five K there before we moved
Speaker 3: over here to it's our school.
Speaker 1: Now. Tell us a bit a bit about the school.
Speaker 1: Because this school is highly sought after for parents and
Speaker 1: for their children. They'll move here from distances to just
Speaker 1: to attend PATS.
Speaker 2: That's right.
Speaker 3: So Fast Independent serves individuals with autism. We're unique in
Speaker 3: the state and really this whole area because we serve
Speaker 3: the entire spectrum.
Speaker 2: So we'll serve children right now.
Speaker 3: When children I diagnosed are diagnosed at level one, two
Speaker 3: or three, based on their needs. So currently, I mean,
Speaker 3: we're the only school.
Speaker 2: That will take children at any level.
Speaker 3: We do manage behavior problems, which is unique to the
Speaker 3: state too. And we get children traveling from the Tulsa
Speaker 3: area all over northeast Oklahoma.
Speaker 1: Wow, and people actually move to town.
Speaker 3: Yes, we've had lots of families go ahead and just
Speaker 3: move because it's easier than trying to drive every day.
Speaker 1: Indeed, and once you get back is a child that
Speaker 1: feels more integrated into society.
Speaker 3: I mean, PTI, we're pretty we're pretty proud of the
Speaker 3: fact that it's a nice community. It's a good community
Speaker 3: environment for children with autism and their families.
Speaker 2: They don't feel that they're different, they're not left out.
Speaker 2: They're a big part of everything.
Speaker 1: Oh.
Speaker 2: Yes, that's what our school is about.
Speaker 3: So it gives them a chance to have leadership opportunities,
Speaker 3: learn whatever they want to learn.
Speaker 2: We have kids that go.
Speaker 3: To Tri County Tech and work at the creamery downtown
Speaker 3: and then just get out in the community.
Speaker 2: A great deal and.
Speaker 1: Many communities don't have this, and it's an opportunity lost
Speaker 1: in a lot of cases. What drove you to start
Speaker 1: a school like Past Independence.
Speaker 2: Well, Jean Jensen and I.
Speaker 3: Jean Jensen has a son named Keefer, who is, by
Speaker 3: the way, graduating this year.
Speaker 2: Hard to believe.
Speaker 3: When he was in third grade he started struggling in
Speaker 3: public school setting, and so Gene and I just decided
Speaker 3: we set up a school for Keifer. And we've gone
Speaker 3: from just one Keifer from twenty twelve.
Speaker 2: To we have eighty two students currently.
Speaker 1: Wow. You know, I heard you tell the story once
Speaker 1: that you two really didn't know how to get this done.
Speaker 1: You just knew that you had to get it done.
Speaker 2: Yeah, we didn't.
Speaker 3: I mean Jane was worked with the cardiology at the hospital.
Speaker 3: She was a what do you call it, the program
Speaker 3: manager or the practice manager, and then I was a
Speaker 3: teacher at Central, So we kind of had a little
Speaker 3: bit of what we needed, like business plus education, but
Speaker 3: of course starting a school is a whole different.
Speaker 2: But it has been very successful and we're very pleased.
Speaker 1: It has in Folks, don't know where you are. You're
Speaker 1: at the old Will Rogers. Little bits and some changes.
Speaker 2: Oh it's beautiful.
Speaker 3: We've had so much community support when we did our
Speaker 3: capital campaign and we have new windows and floors, we
Speaker 3: have a brand new cafeteria, that's gorgeous a kitchen that
Speaker 3: I'm trying to recruit, you know, chefs from around the
Speaker 3: city that might want to just come on in and
Speaker 3: cook in our kitchen because it's that nice.
Speaker 2: We'll have an open house. We're playing at open house.
Speaker 3: In August except for the community, so we'd love for
Speaker 3: people to come out and see how beautiful the building is.
Speaker 1: You know, some of those chefs. I've already got a
Speaker 1: little sample of the kids because we do that big
Speaker 1: a world renowned grilled cheese cookoff.
Speaker 2: Exactly exactly.
Speaker 3: I did send a picture to Andy Saltzman and told
Speaker 3: her that I built the kitchen for Marjorie, trying to see.
Speaker 2: If I could just hook myself up. But I haven't
Speaker 2: worked yet, but I haven't given up.
Speaker 1: Oh my goodness, this is a great school. Once again,
Speaker 1: it's because people participate people. We live in a very
Speaker 1: giving town, yes, and we don't take that for granted.
Speaker 1: And we also live in a town where people like
Speaker 1: to walk and run and have a good time and
Speaker 1: breathe fresh air. And with this big event coming up,
Speaker 1: our five k run, let's get her done. How can
Speaker 1: we sign up again?
Speaker 3: Go to the website www dot past Independence dot org
Speaker 3: and sign up and get your T shirts.
Speaker 2: Or you can either run.
Speaker 3: You can do the Fun Run, or you can buy
Speaker 3: a T shirt just for fun and not have to
Speaker 3: get up in the morning.
Speaker 2: Or you can donate. We always love donat Alright.
Speaker 1: Next thing you know, people will be dancing. That's right,
Speaker 1: I'm funny looking. But anyway, I want to thank you
Speaker 1: for coming in and reminding us about our great treasure
Speaker 1: here with Pats and the independence and the wonderful opportunity
Speaker 1: we have to help