Lily Pad {Life Story}

EMPLOYING & TRAINING YOUNG ADULTS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS

 
     Immediately after welcoming their baby girl Lily into the world, Kristen and Brent Lape noticed a lack of awareness in our community. Lily was born with Downs Syndrome, a genetic disorder that affects around one out of every 700 babies born in the United States. “After Lily was born, it became very clear to my wife and I that there was an extreme lack of understanding and knowledge about Down syndrome and disabilities in our community,” says Brent. It was this absence of awareness that inspired Kristen and Brent Lape to begin their journey of increasing awareness of Down syndrome, celebrating those who have Down syndrome, and ultimately creating opportunities for individuals affected by Downs syndrome and their families.
     The Lape’s journey began almost eight years ago with the first Run Up for Downs event. Run Up for Downs is an annual fun-filled event held in Madison, Mississippi that is designed to celebrate those who have Downs syndrome and spread awareness of the condition throughout the community. Run Up for Downs consists of a fun run followed by a 5k, live music, local food vendors, and activities for the entire family. For the first few years, all proceeds from the event went to organizations that benefitted families that had children with Down syndrome. Over the years, the Lapes were able to connect with other families who also had children with Down syndrome. These connections lead to strong friendships and conversations about what the future for children with Down syndrome looks like in our community. As a result of these conversations, the Lapes recognized that there was a lack of opportunity for older children with Down syndrome. Once again, the Lapes set out to do something about this problem, the solution- The Lily Pad café.
      The purpose of The Lily Pad is to provide a solution to a specific problem the Down syndrome community faces. “After talking to other parents who had older children with Down syndrome, we noticed a common trend; after high school there were essentially no activities or programs for their children to participate in. All of the skills they had learned over the years began to regress,” says Brent. Thinking about their own child’s future and the future of all of the other children with Down syndrome in the community, the Lapes teamed up with the Elliot Family, whose son Hayden also has Down syndrome, to research a solution.
     While researching a variety of programs and opportunities that exist throughout the country, the families noticed that cafes and coffee shops that employed individuals with disabilities were successful in helping families achieve the same goals that Mississippi families had for their children. This was the spark for the creation of The Lily Pad.
     The vision for The Lily Pad café is a place where individuals with disabilities can learn the skills that will allow them to be employable throughout the community. The naming of the project was deliberate. Brent Lape adds, “The name The Lily Pad is not a namesake for our daughter. In fact, the name is a metaphor for the purpose of the project. Just as a frog hops from one lily pad to the next in order to get to its final destination, The Lily Pad café is a stepping-stone to the next opportunity, not the final destination. The ultimate goal is for The Lily Pad to provide a setting where individuals with disabilities can master skills that are transferable to other businesses in the community through working in the food service industry,” smiles Brent Lape. At the same time, The Lily Pad will continue the Lape family’s original goal of increasing awareness of Down syndrome within the community. “We want our community to reach the point where it is not surprising to see a differently abled individual working at a business. Essentially, we want to change the norm,” says Brent.

     The Lily Pad is quickly morphing from a dream into a reality. The Lape family and the entire community of families with children who have Down syndrome and other disabilities have rallied around bringing this opportunity into existence. “There is such a strong community of families who support each other. We’ve learned so much more from parents who have older children with Down syndrome than we could have learned from any online article. Those friends have quickly become to feel like family, and we all have the same goal for our children,” adds Brent.
     Currently, The Lily Pad café is looking for a permanent home. “It is important that the location of the café be central. We want this opportunity to be accessible for as many people as possible. We’re hoping to locate somewhere between the major metro areas for that reason,” adds Brent. Additionally, The Lily Pad has the goal of being ADA complaint, meaning it would be accessible for individuals with physical disabilities. Once a location is decided on, the capital fundraising campaign will begin to get The Lily Pad open for business!
     To get updates on and to learn more about The Lily Pad please visit the website at www.thelilypadms.com.

WRITTEN BY CAROLINE JAQUES
​PHOTOS BY HULL PORTRAITS AND J.ROD PHOTOGRAPHY