HOC, a 501(c)3 nonprofit corporation, was founded in 2004 by Martha Houck, a Licensed Professional Counselor (“LPC”) (retired) and Carrington Connelly, a fifth-grade teacher. The founders noted that children in their respective fields were lacking the support they needed, and that there were gaps in educational services for children with special needs. HOC seeks to empower children and families to realize personal dignity by working to eliminate obstacles that impede the realization of one’s full potential.
DOF provided a $300,000 loan to the Harvest Outreach Center. The loan will fund start-up costs and provide initial operating cash flow related to the creation of a new K-12 private school, Beacon Academy. Beacon Academy is a private day school designated for students whose needs cannot be met in the traditional public-school system. It will support students with specific learning disabilities, psychiatric impairment, emotional dysregulation or behavioral disturbances.