Contact: Dolores (Mohr) Kenyon
E-mail: dolores@wiclarkcountyhistory.org
Surnames: Morrow, Curtis, Laschen
----Source: Clark County Press (Neillsville, Clark Co., WI) 8/17/2022
Tractors For Autism and Disabilities Finds a Home (2022)
Tractors for Autism and Disabilities (TFAD) board members (l-r) Laurie Curtis, Mary Laschen and Judy Morrow pose outside of the former nuns’ residence at 212 W. Spring St., Loyal, which will be TFAD’s new home.
Valorie Brecht/Clark County Press photos
By Valorie Brecht
After six years, a local organization that helps people with disabilities will finally have a space to call its own. Tractors for Autism and Disabilities (TFAD) is in the process of moving into the former nuns’ residence next to St. Anthony’s Catholic School in Loyal.
“It was always our dream to have a tutoring center because we saw so many kids that needed it,” said TFAD member Mary Laschen.
TFAD started in the spring of 2016 with Mike Collins and his son, Brenden. Collins was working as a special education teaching assistant at the Loyal School District at the time, and had the idea of buying old tractors, fixing them up and selling them, with the proceeds going to support people with autism or other disabilities. He started meeting with other special education staff in one of the classrooms at school. Members were Laschen, Laurie Curtis, Esther Hopfensperger, Junitta Nikolai, Angela Bohlinger, Justina Nikolai and Mike, Becky and Brenden Collins.
Initially, the group focused a lot on raising awareness of the needs in the community. In the summer of 2016, Frank Klimek donated a tractor to the group to drive in parades and use to raise awareness that autism is out there and affects a lot of people. TFAD has participated in a number of parades and events since then.
In December 2016, TFAD became a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Over the years, the organization has donated to help families with children with disabilities. For example, a local family with kids with disabilities had their trailer destroyed in a fire and TFAD gave a donation towards a new home. TFAD also donated a bike for some boys who were autistic in Loyal and donated to the school’s special education program.
“We find groups or individuals that have needs for equipment and/or supplies that are not covered fully by insurance or their own pocketbooks. We assist them in paying for these needs,” Laschen wrote in a summary of the group’s activities.
“We have also started a Blanket of Thanks program for the veterans in the area and are giving each a red, white and blue blanket from our group. We realize that many of their health problems have stemmed from them fighting for our rights and our right to have this organization. This is how our group is saying ‘thank you’ to be the free group that we are able to be,” she added.
TFAD has also helped connect individuals with resources they need. For example, a lady from Arpin contacted the group about getting an outdoor play set for her autistic daughter. TFAD was able to connect the lady to an Arpin organization willing to help. TFAD also helped coordinate a Neillsville Kiwanis Club donation of an electronic tablet to a Loyal student with a speech disorder. The organization also gives out the “You Inspire Us!” award each year to someone who inspires the group to do more to help people with disabilities.
In November 2018, the group started and sponsored an afterschool program for students struggling with their schoolwork.
“The goal is to give more time for the kids to work on their homework and to assist the teachers, because they already have a lot on their plates… If kids struggle in certain areas, if we can catch them up and help now, that will help them further down the road,” said Laschen.
That program was held at the Loyal Recreation Center for two years, put on hold during COVID and then held at the Trinity Lutheran Church basement last year, with 10 to 12 students coming consistently.
TFAD members had always wanted to have a building of their own to house the afterschool program. An opportunity opened up last year.
TFAD had been looking at buildings and one that came to mind was the old convent building. The last time nuns lived there was around 1990, St. Anthony’s groundskeeper Chuck Rueth estimated. After that, it was used for Confraternity of Christian Doctrine (CCD) classes and Father Roman Kaiser used it for Bible study. The Holy Name Society, the church’s men’s group, also met there for a time. Most recently, it has been used to store donations for the Second Chances thrift store in Loyal, which supports the House of Mercy women and children’s shelter. Judy Morrow, TFAD president, is familiar with the building because she is also the director of the House of Mercy.
Morrow and the other TFAD members decided to apply for a Main Street Bounceback Grant through the Wisconsin Economic Corporation for $10,000. In order to apply for the grant, TFAD had to provide proof of a one-year lease. So, they went through steps of getting approval from the parish and the Diocese of La Crosse to use the building, and submitted a grant application. Unfortunately, TFAD was not approved to get a Bounceback Grant. However, last November, the organization received an unexpected gift. The Loyal Economic Development Corporation donated $10,000 to TFAD, as the corporation will be disbanding in the next few years and was looking to distribute its funds.
“With that, we were able to put a new furnace in, and we’ve been saving money right along so we will have enough to pay the monthly rent and continue operating,” said Morrow.
The group has been hard at work the last few weeks cleaning, painting and doing handyman projects around the building to get it ready for kids to use in the fall.
“St. Anthony’s and Chuck Rueth have been awesome, so we’re really grateful for them,” said Morrow.
Volunteers have deep cleaned and repainted areas of the former St. Anthony’s convent in preparation for it serving as an afterschool tutoring and resource center for Tractors for Autism and Disabilities (TFAD).
The building will serve as a space for the afterschool tutoring program, which will start back up in October and run Mondays and Thursdays from 3:15 to 5:30 p.m. The plan is to have three certified teachers to work with students, plus assistants. All the afterschool program staff are volunteers.
Laschen said it will be nice to have storage space for the group’s school supplies and computers, as well as a kitchen, because they always give the students a snack. Having separate rooms will also make it easier for one-on-one tutoring with minimal distractions.
TFAD members have future plans to implement a summer program as well. It would run for a week or more in August and provide a chance for kids to get a jumpstart on learning.
“Our thought is to start before school and review some of those academic skills, so they are more prepared when they return to school,” said TFAD member Peggy Brandt.
The organization has additional goals as part of its five-year plan, including expanding the afterschool program to three nights a week and communicating with schools within a 30-mile radius of Loyal.
Laschen said that parents have been appreciative of the afterschool program.
“After we were closed for COVID and started back up again, I got a few texts saying, ‘Thank you so much for being open again,’” she said. “I got a few texts at the end of this year too from parents saying how grateful they were for the afterschool program and that it really helped their kids out.”
TFAD is always looking for more volunteers, whether it’s cleaning and maintaining the building, tutoring students after school or running a fundraiser. Anyone interested in helping should contact Morrow at 715-743-2885.
Donations are also welcome. Immediate needs include purchasing tablets for the afterschool program for kids to use to play educational games.
TFAD hosts regular meetings the third Saturday of the month at 8 a.m. in the House of Mercy Community Room. The next meeting will be Sept. 17. People are invited to attend a meeting and see if they would like to join. For more information, call 715-743-2885.
Board members include Morrow, Laschen, Curtis, Craig and Peggy Brandt, Kevin Klimpke, David Williams, Elizabeth Nikolai and Hopfensperger, member emeritus.
There will be a ribbon cutting to celebrate the opening of the afterschool tutoring center, which will be Sept. 15 at 5 p.m. at 212 W. Spring St., Loyal. The public is invited.
