Pay it Forward: Alyce Hatch Center

The Alyce Hatch Center in Bend has been in operation since the 1970s. You’ve probably seen the building, which sits at the corner of Northwest Juniper Street and Newport Avenue, but many people don’t know what actually happens there.

Every day, about 350 kids with developmental delays, from newborn to age 5, come to learn, in the hope they’ll develop the tools they need to thrive in a traditional classroom.

Five-year-old Lucas has been a student at Alyce Hatch for two years. He has autism.

“The whole idea is to get them so that they can enter kindergarten,” board member Roger Singer said. “And then, at age 5, go integrate with other children.”

Singer, along with a few other board members, nominated the center to be November’s Pay it Forward winner. We surprised them Wednesday with $500, courtesy of Mid Oregon Credit Union and CoEnergy Propane.

“I’m very excited,” occupational therapist Jennifer Faircloth said. “We don’t want them to have any boundaries. We don’t want them to be limited.”

Faircloth said they will use the $500 to buy a second “squeeze machine” for the center’s La Pine location. The machine acts like a massage, with the ultimate goal of making kids who don’t like human touch react more positively to it.

“Kids’ jobs are to play, so we use toys to help them grow and develop,” Faircloth said.

One-third of the kids who leave Alyce Hatch will move forward through school, without needing more services.

Faircloth says they’re working extremely hard, and she’s proud to be a part of such a devoted community.

Learn more at http://www.alycehatchcenter.org — and you can see other past recipients and how you can submit a nomination at http://www.ktvz.com/payitforward.