SAN ANTONIO – A downtown business owner who has dedicated her life to serving adults with developmental and intellectual disabilities is raising money to provide services to more families who can’t afford long-term care.
Edith Rockett is the founder and director of Live Laugh Love Club, located at 1202 N. Flores, Suite 101. She received her official license to operate in September.
“We are a day program for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities,” Rockett said. “What that means is that they come to us, and they spend the day with us. We have them explore their hobbies, explore volunteering opportunities, and we go out into the community and engage with San Antonio because this is their city.”
Rockett said having programs like hers, which specializes as an ISS (Individualized Skills and Socialization) provider, helps take a weight off parents.
“There are plenty of programs in the school system when they are underage, but once they turn 18, their resources are limited, and that makes it a little bit more difficult for families that still need to continue working but no longer have the school system to fall back on,” she said.
Rockett started this organization out of her passion to help the most vulnerable during her career.
“I was a special education educator and specialist for 20-plus years,” she said. “And as I went through many years trying to reiterate to parents and making sure teachers were reiterating to parents to get on that Medicaid waiver list, I just started to see the need that there wasn’t enough places for the families to be able to take their kids. There are wait lists for them at various locations and so we just needed more places like this.”
She stressed that parents need to understand why it’s important to get into a Medicaid waiver program.
“A lot of times, there’s confusion between just having Medicaid and a Medicaid waiver. Medicaid is a health insurance. A Medicaid waiver is long-term care,” Rockett said. “When we are pregnant, we plan for daycare, right? But they’ve been in the school system for so long that now, when they turn 18, it’s like, ‘What happens?’”
“They end up either staying home or finding long-term care. Long-term care includes places like ours. There’s ISS, there are group homes, and more. There’s supported living, and there are different options, but a Medicaid waiver is key to helping fund that and assisting parents financially to cover that cost. You never know what’s going to happen, right? In the future, if the parent will still be there to support that individual or if there’s going to be family that can support that individual, so making sure that they are tied with those resources is essential so that if anything were to happen, someone can be sure to take care of that individual.”
It’s called Live Laugh Love Club for a reason.
“I wanted it to be a place where they can come and enjoy, but know we can enjoy life together,” Rockett said. “So we go out into San Antonio and enjoy all of the events, like the Rodeo and Fiesta. We go explore and be tourists because I want to make sure they have been there to experience what we all can experience every day. So we are living life, we are laughing because there are a lot of things we can enjoy, and we are loving each other and accepting one another and making sure that the community knows that they accept the community, so the community can accept us as well.”
A specific success story comes from the Cedillo family.
“I was doing researching and going to many places,” said Angel Cedillo, mother of Abraham Cedillo. He’s 22 years old and suffers from a very rare disorder called Kleefstra Syndrome. “Some places weren’t friendly, but then when I came here, and I spoke with Edith about Abraham’s health situation, she was so warm and welcoming. She didn’t see him as a challenge at all.”
Cedillo says less than 100 people in America has the disorder. Some of Abraham’s challenges due to this disorder is being nonverbal, having aggressive behaviors at times due to frustrations of not being able to communicate, and, in the past, he had very bad anxiety and would run away at times.
“We would have to keep him in a wheelchair for his safety to get him from place to place, but since we’ve been coming here, he hasn’t needed his wheelchair,” Angel Cedillo said. “I have a different son. He is thriving and doing things I had no idea he would ever do. Every day is an adventure. And he rode a horse!”
Because the business just started, there are growing pains dealing with the financial aspect of getting more clients.
“The biggest challenge is financially for families being able to afford our services if they are not on that long-term waiver list,” Rockett said. “I look at it like day care. I spent about $1,200 a month for my son, so about $45 a day, and that is for someone who is more independent. But if you have to do things like diaper changes and stuff like that, then it is more expensive because it requires more resources and more staff.”
Rockett hopes to help more people through a fundraiser they’re planning April 26 at their location.
“We have a GoFundMe page,” she said. “We also will have a pop-up shop for vendors. We have a rummage sale happening. We have a snack sale happening. We are also going to do a silent auction we are going to start on Facebook this Friday and then going to continue it through the day of the event live on Facebook. This fundraiser will help subsidize four to five families for two to three months to get them that relief if they are needing our services.”
Rockett said the ultimate goal is to become a nonprofit organization, but for now, she’s keeping things afloat through her own means. If you are interested in their services, you can visit their location Monday through Friday from 8-9 a.m. and from 2:30-5 p.m.
You can also fill out a form of interest on their website at www.livelaughloveclub.org.
“I know Mrs. Rockett has a special calling from God,” said Cedillo. “Her heart is in it. She is not like some places that are just looking for a check. She has a pure and good heart for the kids to provide a safe place for them to thrive. There are no words for what she has done for Abraham and the love she has shown. Everyone in my family has seen his growth, and I am just overwhelmed with joy and appreciation for what she has done for my son.”
