Linda Allen honored as parade grand marshal as hundreds line streets in uptown Hillsboro
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Longtime SATH (Supplemental Assistance to the Handicapped) Executive Director and KAMP Dovetail Director Linda Allen served as this year’s grand marshal in the Hillsboro Holiday Parade Saturday afternoon.
Allen, a lifelong Highland County resident, graduated from
Lynchburg-Clay High School. She and her husband of 35 years, Steve, have three daughters and sons-in-law and two grandchildren.
She attends the Hillsboro Church of Christ, where she served as secretary from 1974-82.
Allen has spent many years working with children in several different capacities. She has had training in the areas of early childhood development, sign language, and fundraising. From 1983-88, Allen co-owned and taught at the Care-a-lot Preschool in Lynchburg. She has also worked as a charitable fund-raiser and has directed the Hillsboro Church of Christ’s Cherub Choir for young children for 14 years.
For the past 21 years, Allen has devoted her life to working with children with special needs.
Allen is a member of the Board of Directors for Hills and Dales, a school and training center in Hillsboro for the employment of special needs children and adults. She serves on the Highland County Board of Developmental Disabilities and is currently the board’s president, in addition to her roles as director of SATH and KAMP Dovetail. SATH is a non-profit organization that provides leisure time activities for handicapped children, serving over 7,000 children since its inception
in 1981. During KAMP Dovetail, Allen works with over 350 young people with special needs and over 400 volunteers.
This is the 21st year for the KAMP. When she took over the management of KAMP Dovetail, it was in its beginning stages of development and was held on state park ground at Rocky Fork Lake in Hillsboro in June. In 2002, enough money was raised to purchase land for a permanent camp, complete with buildings for activities.
On a typical day, Allen is working hard to improve the lives of “her kids.” She writes letters of recommendation for scholarships and jobs for her students and rewards their efforts with get-togethers and thank you notes.
Allen has organized and participated in a variety of unique activities to raise money for her students, including breakfast with Santa, lunch with the Easter Bunny, golfing with a Cincinnati
Bengal, and auctions.
“When I am training the hundreds of young people to work at KAMP Dovetail, I always encourage them to look at the abilities of their camper and not their disability,” said Allen. “We all sometimes need a little assistance in life, and that is all these young children are asking for.”
The other half of the children Allen works with are the special needs children who attend KAMP Dovetail and are benefited by her SATH fundraisers. Because of Allen’s efforts, over 250 special needs children from a five-county area, ages 4 through 21 and with an array of disabilities, have the opportunity to participate in a weeklong camp.
“For me, working with special children has been a blessing and a gift from God. These children have touched my heart and have become a very important part of my life. They are family to me,” Allen says.[[In-content Ad]]
Allen, a lifelong Highland County resident, graduated from
Lynchburg-Clay High School. She and her husband of 35 years, Steve, have three daughters and sons-in-law and two grandchildren.
She attends the Hillsboro Church of Christ, where she served as secretary from 1974-82.
Allen has spent many years working with children in several different capacities. She has had training in the areas of early childhood development, sign language, and fundraising. From 1983-88, Allen co-owned and taught at the Care-a-lot Preschool in Lynchburg. She has also worked as a charitable fund-raiser and has directed the Hillsboro Church of Christ’s Cherub Choir for young children for 14 years.
For the past 21 years, Allen has devoted her life to working with children with special needs.
Allen is a member of the Board of Directors for Hills and Dales, a school and training center in Hillsboro for the employment of special needs children and adults. She serves on the Highland County Board of Developmental Disabilities and is currently the board’s president, in addition to her roles as director of SATH and KAMP Dovetail. SATH is a non-profit organization that provides leisure time activities for handicapped children, serving over 7,000 children since its inception
in 1981. During KAMP Dovetail, Allen works with over 350 young people with special needs and over 400 volunteers.
This is the 21st year for the KAMP. When she took over the management of KAMP Dovetail, it was in its beginning stages of development and was held on state park ground at Rocky Fork Lake in Hillsboro in June. In 2002, enough money was raised to purchase land for a permanent camp, complete with buildings for activities.
On a typical day, Allen is working hard to improve the lives of “her kids.” She writes letters of recommendation for scholarships and jobs for her students and rewards their efforts with get-togethers and thank you notes.
Allen has organized and participated in a variety of unique activities to raise money for her students, including breakfast with Santa, lunch with the Easter Bunny, golfing with a Cincinnati
Bengal, and auctions.
“When I am training the hundreds of young people to work at KAMP Dovetail, I always encourage them to look at the abilities of their camper and not their disability,” said Allen. “We all sometimes need a little assistance in life, and that is all these young children are asking for.”
The other half of the children Allen works with are the special needs children who attend KAMP Dovetail and are benefited by her SATH fundraisers. Because of Allen’s efforts, over 250 special needs children from a five-county area, ages 4 through 21 and with an array of disabilities, have the opportunity to participate in a weeklong camp.
“For me, working with special children has been a blessing and a gift from God. These children have touched my heart and have become a very important part of my life. They are family to me,” Allen says.[[In-content Ad]]