A Letter from my Father in Law

Dear Friend:

Our youngest daughter Britney and her husband Tom, have been blessed with two wonderful boys. The oldest, Jacob, was diagnosed with autism three years ago, when he was just four years old. If you are familiar at all with the disease, you know it comes in many varieties and accompanying side effects. The public school system is ill-equipped to deal with these kids and after a brief experience in the public schools, our Jacob was essentially “spit out” as uncontrollable, and labeled a disruption to the rest of the class.
Our daughter would not accept this situation and went looking for a solution. She found it in the form of a private school committed to giving “every” child the opportunity to receive an education. Laurens Institute For Education (L.I.F.E.) specializes in teaching children with autism … and is part of the Tuition Organization for Private Schools (aka: “TOPS”) program. It is partially funded with Arizona state tax credit dollars, which is the only way Jacob would be able to attend this school.
Jacob has progressed so well at L.I.F.E. but it costs $26,000 per year for tuition due to the specialized training required, and without help from generous friends and family, Jacob would just never have a chance for an education.
My wife and I have donated to this program for years, supporting family and friends. If you anticipate owing state and federal tax for the year 2009, we would appreciate your support in the form of a contribution to TOPS to benefit Jacob Priestley, our grandson. Please recommend Laurens Institute For Education for the school.
At this late date, I am attaching a link (https://www.topsforkids.com/index.aspx?c=57) that will take you right to the contribution form. You will need to mail the form directly to TOPS, postmarked before January 2010. For every dollar donated, you will receive a “dollar for dollar” credit against state tax owed, up to $500 for singles and $1,000 for those filing jointly.
If the link does not work, please go to http://www.topsforkids.com/ or call (480) 414-8677 if you have questions regarding this program.
Thank you again for your generosity and support for the Priestley family, and Jacob Priestley in particular.

Chuck & Linda Malone