With help from the community, Puzzle Pieces has won $25,000 from the State Farm Neighborhood Assist grant program, with the funds going toward the Owen Autism Center.
Out of 2,000 submissions, Puzzle Pieces was selected by the State Farm review committee as one of the Top 200 finalists of the Neighborhood Assist program and then voted on by the public into the top 40.
Local State Farm agents Shane Satterfield and Seth Lawson as well as Agency Sales Leader Tommy Rowland presented Puzzle Pieces Executive Director Amanda Owen with a $25,000 check.
“We couldn’t be more excited about this grant,” Owen said. “We worked hard to get the word out about the voting and are proud that we remained in the top 10 throughout the voting period. Although this process secured Puzzle Pieces $25,000, it also spread our mission and the purpose of our nonprofit to a very large audience.”
The Owen Autism Center is a division of Puzzle Pieces that serves school-aged clients on the autism spectrum from age 5 until they graduate. The Owen Autism Center is the region’s only targeted autism programming. Through early intervention and structured classes, the Owen Autism Center prepares children with autism for the most successful future possible. The program sets them on the path to higher education after graduation or the workforce, whichever they desire.
“This money is extremely important to our clients and we would not have won this grant without our dedicated staff and the friends and family of Puzzle Pieces who voted daily and encouraged others to vote as well,” Owen said. “We have also been incredibly lucky to have the support and encouragement of local State Farm agents who value our nonprofit and the services we provide the community.”
