Finding a home away from home at Drake’s Place
EDMOND, Okla. (KFOR) — As many high school seniors prepare for graduation, there are some students and parents who are not sure what is next for their families. Tracy Leady-Spencer found herself in that very situation until she discovered a loving solution.
Everybody needs a friend. To laugh. To play. To be included.
“When my daughter graduated high school, I remember just sitting at home just stewing, ‘What am I going to do? What is the aftermath? Chloe is not going to be able to go to college. She’s not going to be able to attend trade school. What are we going to do? I have a job. I have to work and to provide for my child,'” Tracy Leady-Spencer said.
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Tracy’s daughter, Chole, has Autism, and like many parents of children with special needs, she realized finding care for her daughter after high school would be a challenge. About a year before Chloe was set to graduate, Tracy began searching for a daycare for young adults, and that is when Tracy stumbled upon a flyer for Drake’s Place and the woman behind it. Her name is Vonda McCoy.
“I fell in love with her and her vision of this place,” Tracy said.
Tracy nominated Vonda for Pay It Forward.
“We’re pleased to present this $400 award to Drake’s Place, a school that provides wonderful and caring services for special needs students and their families,” Erin Monroe of First Fidelity Bank said.
We surprise Vonda at the front door and learn the reason she traded a life of retirement and golf for a quaint little house in Edmond with a big backyard full of animals. For years, she has helped care for her nephew, Drake.
“So, I have Drake. He has Autism, and he is nonverbal. Years ago, my biological children are older, and they had every opportunity and tons of friends,” Vonda said. “As my youngest graduated high school I thought, “Oh, no. Now what? All Drake’s friends are gone.’”
In 2020, Drake’s Place was born.
“It’s really a great special place, not because of me, and not because of this tiny house with the huge yard, but because of the people who are here,” Vonda said.
Drake is now 14. The ages of the other children and young adults at Drake’s Place range in age from 12 to 21 years, and just like Drake, they, too, have a place – a home away from home surrounded by love, acceptance, and lots of friends.
“What became a need has turned into a passion serving this wonderful community,” Vonda said.
For more information about Drake’s Place, you can visit their Facebook page by clicking here.
If you know someone deserving of a Pay It 4Ward award, you can nominate them here.
Pay It 4Ward is sponsored by First Fidelity Bank.
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