Cary, N.C. (December 30, 2008) The board of directors of the Mariposa School for Children with Autism is honored to announce the successful completion of its Take Flight Campaign which raised more than $107,000 to support a much needed expansion of student programs including early intervention programs that are so vital for youngsters challenged by autism.

In June, when The Sunshine Lady Foundation challenged The Mariposa School to raise $100,000 by December the school’s leaders were not sure they could reach that mark. After all, it would be the largest figure the school has raised in a single year, let alone in just a few short months. But The Sunshine Lady sweetened the offer, pledging to donate an additional $50,000 to sustain and expand the school’s programs serving children with autism and other disabilities if the school was successful.

“The goal represented a big stretch for us,” recalls Jacqueline Gottlieb, Mariposa’s Head of School, “a true challenge and a great opportunity at the same time. We had to give it our best effort. We are truly grateful to the many friends both new and old whose support helped us achieve this success.”

“This whirlwind of a campaign involved the effort and philanthropy of hundreds of donors and volunteers who are part of The Mariposa School family,” said Stephen Peacock, chair of the fundraising committee. “Moving forward Mariposa will continue to attain distinction for the quality of its programs—this campaign demonstrated our commitment to both excellence in serving our students and serving our community.”

The Mariposa School was founded in 2000 by a parent of a child with autism. It is a private non-profit school where all students receive one-on-one instruction based on the principles of verbal behavior. The mission of the school is to provide intensive instruction in a supportive environment designed to improve communication skills and therefore quality of life for children with autism and other developmental disabilities and their families. The Mariposa School is a regional leader in providing early intervention services and education to children with autism and other developmental disabilities. The school strives to build positive relationships among families, staff and the greater community to help each child achieve his/her maximum potential.

Check out what our students had to say about the success of the campaign.