Gift for organization advocating for non-public school students with special needs
Kaitlin McGraw May cultivated a love of learning at the University of Notre Dame. She followed her desire to help children with learning challenges to fall in love with learning as she developed her teaching career in her native Minnesota. Two years ago, an undiagnosed heart ailment took Kaitlin’s life at age 36, tragically leaving her nine-week-old daughter Callier, two-and-a-half-year-old son Joey and her husband of ten years, Michael. Now her family members are honoring her commitment to the dignity of each student with a generous donation to a nonprofit called ADAC Advocacy, which helps students with special needs access services in non-public schools.
“Katilin was an amazing teacher,” said Sean McGraw, a board member of ADAC Advocacy, who with his wife, Kristine Trustey, have thought deeply about how best to honor Kaitlin’s legacy as a dedicated special education teacher. “It was inspiring,” McGraw said, “to watch her earn extra certifications for specific needs including for those with learning disabilities, Autism Spectrum Disorder, and other health disabilities. She earned every single certification she could so that she could become a better teacher for her students, unlocking their potential. That’s the impetus for our gift — each child deserves someone like Kaitlin in their life.”
McGraw and Trustey decided that a philanthropic partnership with ADAC Advocacy was the perfect fit. ADAC Advocacy helps students in non-public schools obtain legally mandated services under federal educational law.
The Trustey-McGraw family hopes that their donation in honor of Kaitlin, McGraw’s niece, will help students with special needs find teachers who foster better outcomes for both the students and their communities. “We think about it as individual kids having someone who believes in them, understands them, and puts them on their path and their journey,” McGraw said.
Steve Perla, president of ADAC, said, “I am deeply grateful to Sean and Kris for their generous gift to ADAC Advocacy. Their generosity will provide valuable support, allowing ADAC Advocacy to secure additional resources that will help hundreds of private school leaders across the nation access their school’s equitable share of IDEA-funded services. I am truly grateful for their support and commitment.”
Inaugural Executive Director of ADAC Advocacy John Elcesser applauded the gift and its potential. “I am truly excited to be joining ADAC Advocacy as its inaugural Executive Director. My personal experience in Indiana seeing the impact of efforts by Steve and the ADAC Advocacy team have affirmed my hopes for what this generous gift by Sean and Kris can help us accomplish. With their support and hopefully the support of others, the impact we witnessed in Indiana can now be experienced by even more non-public school students across the country.”
McGraw said he and his wife see their gift as a beginning for many students. “It’s like planting a seed. As educators, you’re always planting seeds, another quality Kaitlin practiced really well.” The hope is that the work of ADAC Advocacy helps many students and those who are ensuring that they get the attention they need for years to come.
“Our hope is that this seed grant in honor of Kaitlin will inspire others to financially support ADAC Advocacy’s vital work. All kids, no matter how they learn or where they live, deserve an education that respects who they are and what they can become,” McGraw said.
About ADAC Advocacy
ADAC Advocacy ensures that private school leaders access their schools’ equitable share of both the Individual with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and the Every Students Succeeds Act (ESSA) funded services. During the past five years, ADAC Advocacy has secured over $100 million of new funding for services.