The Misty Carol Project — a special needs-focused, nonprofit organization — held a ribbon cutting earlier this month, celebrating in partnership with the Wimberley Valley Chamber of Commerce.
“The sole purpose of the Misty Carol Project is to strengthen the special needs community as a non-profit by hosting free educational events, getting families together to build relationships and by providing assistance in the community by helping families acquire the services needed by granting scholarships or connections with key individuals who provide those services necessary to families with special needs individuals,” according to the organization’s website: themistycarolproject. org.
“We are partnering with other same minded nonprofit organizations in the area to strengthen the community through combined services and education as well as providing a family atmosphere to build the community and support them in any way possible,” an representative for the organization explained. “We have currently partnered up with Schoolyard Dogs, Schoolyard Farms, and Mini Equine 2U. This allows us to include other nonprofits in fundraising and educational events and get the families together for fun events for the whole family.”
“I’ve been building relationships in the community to provide event spaces and help with fundraising,” they continued. “We are working on putting together some ‘Parent Night Out’ events so that the families can get together and communicate their struggles and victories and help each other through the many different hurdles they will face. We’ll provide the children and young adults with fun events and projects while the parents get a “break” to visit with other families which hopefully will help them share and strengthen the community through communication between families with all ages of special needs individuals.”
The Misty Carol Project also puts together free, educational workshops for the special needs families in the area to help them understand the programs available and the things they will need in order to properly take care of their special needs children/ adults. They also provide teachers and assistants from special needs programs to hang out with and watch the kids during presentations so the parents can focus their attention on the information being presented.
The organization’s first workshop was last year, focusing on Special Needs Trusts, what they are, why they are needed and what has to be included in them. Its second workshop was on Feb. 18 at the Mini Equine, which discussed transitioning and SSDI for special needs individuals.
The inspiration behind the Misty Carol Project comes from the Chairman of the Board of Directors Mike Levingston. His mother and father were young when his father returned from fighting in the Vietnam war, and they were blessed with a baby girl, Misty Carol Levingston. Misty Carol was born July 2, 1973, with down syndrome and with heart issues that required multiple surgeries. She was the light that brightened the lives of everyone around her. At the age of three, it was determined that she needed another surgery that sadly she did not survive.
Mike never met his sister, and she passed away on July 16th, 1976, about a year before he was born. But Mike already had the desire to help. Adding to this desire is his wife’s work with the special needs children at Wimberley ISD. She has a passion for special needs students that only a few people can understand.
Mike has known for the past several years that he wanted to do something in this world to help the special needs families in any way possible. In the beginning of 2022, Mike’s sister, Misty Carol, whom he has never met before came to me in a dream and simply told him, “Little brother, it’s time to go to work”. Mike woke up and before saying anything else to his wife, he told her “It will be called The Misty Carol Project, Inc. and it’s time to go work.”
