Educational group finds home in Wilton | Wilton Bulletin

Gloria Bass, seated, and her daughter Faith Filiault, at the new office of Advocate with Faith on Danbury Road. Jeannette Ross photo

Wilton-based Advocate with Faith LLC, a consulting group for students with special needs, recently opened its offices at 379 Danbury Road (just above Wilton Deli), and Faith Filiault, founder and partner of the group, said there are ambitious plans in store for 2013.

Although the company, officially established on Jan. 1 of this year, has been available for in-home appointments, the new space will be used as a private office for clients to meet for workshops and conferences in a greater effort to meet the firm?s objective to create healthy learning environments and lifestyles for students with special needs.

Ms. Filiault ? who has about 15 years of advocacy experience running classes and workshops that offer tools for dealing with anxiety, stress, and handling difficult situations ? has until recently been the sole child advocate and business operator for Advocate with Faith. She has since partnered with her mother, Gloria Bass, a? community organizer.

Two outside consultants, Karin Guariglia and Erika Friedman ? although not employed by the company ? were interviewed and are also now on hand as resources for students and families seeking private evaluations.

?Families can go to an outside consultant to get an evaluation of their child,? Ms. Filiault said. ?They do not have to go to someone within their district. Parents may want to talk to someone who is not involved in the school system.?

Ms. Filiault?s caseload ? which is generally families with children in elementary or middle school (although she will work with students up to 21 years old) ? sometimes includes clients outside of Connecticut.

?Although I take clients from all over Fairfield County and New York, my focus as an advocate is to empower Wilton families,? she said. ?I talk to people for over-the-phone consultation, but ideally I would like to stay within the Fairfield County area.?

Ms. Filiault?s clients now have access to the company?s office space on Danbury Road.

?The new office gives me a place to have workshops and confidential conferences with families,? she said,

Advocate with Faith is set to grow this year, as the company moves ahead in two directions: the school advocacy program headed by Ms. Filiault, and a nonprofit foundation element led by Ms. Bass.

?On the advocacy side, I work with families in the school system to help students with special needs. My mother will mostly be handling the foundation side.?

Foundation

The launch of the group?s nonprofit Advocate with Faith Foundation is already in the final stages of paperwork.

?This will be a 501(c)(3); the focus will be to support all ages of the special needs community in Wilton through various programs, events, activities, and support programs,? Ms. Filiault said. The foundation?s website is awffoundation.org.

Ms. Bass, who has more than 20 years of experience working with children and educators, most recently served as the special needs coordinator and outreach director for the Wilton Family YMCA, a role she held for six years. In that position, as well as working with various educational and community programs, Ms. Bass helped ensured the YMCA met ADA (Americans with Disabilities) regulations for all participants.

She has also served on the executive board of Best Buddies, as a member of the Wilton Youth Council and Parent Advisory Board, and as a local coordinator for the state?s Special Olympics.

Ms. Bass said she also is ambitious to help get jobs for young people struggling to find work.

?One of my ultimate goals is to open an ice cream business to help employ our youth in Wilton,? she said.

Ms. Filiault is also specially trained to conduct workshops based on ?Wrightslaw,? a strategy designed by renowned special-needs advocates Pamela and Peter Wright, both of whom Ms. Filiault said are role models in Connecticut for student advocacy.

Ms. Filiault also said she is excited that Mr. Wright has been invited to speak in Wilton regarding his teachings and methods of working with children with special needs. Mr. Wright is expected to be in Wilton to speak on these issues this October, Ms. Filiault said.

?His conferences are always a sell-out,? she said. ?It?s a huge thing to have him coming to Wilton.?

Advocate with Faith office hours are Monday to Friday, 8:30 to 2:30, with additional hours available by appointment. Information: 203-493-4237 or advocatewithfaith.com.

Source: http://www.wiltonbulletin.com/4856/educational-group-finds-home-in-wilton/

pirate bay Psalms 91 once upon a time once upon a time RG3 Monsters University nfl playoff schedule