LIFE Village hopes to bring independent living to Boone

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LIFE Village hopes to bring independent living to Boone
By Abby Whitt abbywhitt@mountaintimes.com Aug 1, 2019 0

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LIFE Village holds a ribbon-cutting ceremony in August 2018 for the tiny house built by the Construction and Design class at Appalachian State University.

Landon Miller at Coffee for a Cause on July 26.

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LIFE Village is a local organization that hosts Coffee for a Cause as a weekly event that takes place at Rev5 Fitness on Greenway Road from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. on Fridays. LIFE stands for “Living Innovation for the Exceptional,” and the organization’s mission is to provide a “community where adults with Autism can live, grow and learn,” said Candace Lang, co-founder.
Landon Miller served coffee and lemonade at the Coffee for a Cause event on July 26, but on any given Friday there could be three baristas and two or three greeters who are a part of the LIFE Village program. Miller is especially good at the math that goes along with selling drinks, and Lang said he learned the register program faster than anyone else, herself included.

“The idea is for them to learn skills they can use to live as independently as possible,” Lang said. “We try to keep everything as person-centered as we can, and we always try to cater to the individual needs of each person we’re teaching while also giving them real-world experience.”

According to Lang, Rev5 Fitness has been the perfect place to hold Coffee for a Cause because there are regulars, and traffic is never too overwhelming for the greeters or baristas. Miller even has some regulars’ orders memorized. Rev5 owner, Derek Lale, donates 100 percent of the proceeds that come from Coffee for a Cause to LIFE Village at the end of each Friday.
LIFE Village stemmed from Dr. Jim Taylor’s experience with parents at KAMPN, a weekend camp he and his wife, Sue Taylor, founded in 2011 in Deep Gap for kids with autism and their families. KAMPN (“Kids Making Progress in Nature”) was designed to get kids with autism out of their homes and into nature where they can experience new things and learn new skills.
However, the camp sparked multiple discussions with parents about what it means to lead a full life as an adult with autism.
As a result of these discussions, the Taylors and Lang joined forces as co-founders and began working on LIFE Village in 2014.
KAMPN no longer happens, as LIFE Village requires an immense amount of energy and resources, but Jim Taylor is now on a mission to help adults with autism live full, happy lives.
Now, LIFE Village has partnerships with Watauga Opportunities and Appalachian State University. Students in ASU’s construction and design department used the Individual Design Experience (IDEX) lab to design cottages and duplexes with the needs of independently living adults with autism in mind.

“We have enjoyed a great partnership with Appalachian State and their construction departments who designed one and four bedroom concepts for LIFE Village,” said Lang. She included that these concepts were extremely “person-centered,” meaning that each individual’s needs will be catered to to the best of LIFE Village’s ability.

In August 2018, LIFE Village held a ribbon cutting for a tiny house built by the Construction and Design class at Appalachian State under instructor Chris Schoonover. Without a foundation to access water and electricity, the tiny house is sitting at Cash Custom Homes on the 105 bypass in Boone. This tiny home symbolizes LIFE Village’s independent housing dream becoming reality.
“There’s no blueprint for what we’re doing. However, we’ve contacted similar communities across the nation, such as 29 Acres in Texas, just to get some ideas,” said Lang. “What makes us different is that we want to build smaller homes and duplexes, instead of something like a dorm or apartment-style building, to offer affordable housing to the whole community. Being close to public transit is something else that we’re doing differently because most other communities are within walking distance to their downtown areas.”
Currently, LIFE Village is raising money to take the next step in their organization: buying land for their housing developments. Lang says that LIFE Village would ideally have about 10 acres of land to build on, located close to Boone and on an AppalCart bus route.
The goal for the housing development is to be able to provide affordable housing for anyone who struggles with housing in the High Country, not just adults living with autism. LIFE Village hopes to become a community hub where individuals can come to learn skills, such as cooking, to help them live on their own.

“I take ‘life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness’ very seriously, and we need a community where adults with autism can be happy because most of them won’t be happy in a “normal” community,” Jim Taylor said. “We still have a way to go to get there, but that’s what we’re working toward.”
To learn more, donate or volunteer, visit www.thelifevillage.net.

Copyright © 2019 by Mountain Times Publications. Digital or printed dissemination of this content without prior written consent is a violation of federal law and may be subject to legal action.

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Tournament Scores

1ST ROUND
Final
CBS

7
Louisville
LVILLE
76

10
Minnesota
MINN
86
Final
TruTV

3
LSU
LSU
79

14
Yale
YALE
74
Final
TNT

5
Auburn
Auburn
78

12
New Mexico St.
NMSU
77
Final
TBS

4
Florida St.
Florida St.
76

13
Vermont
VMT
69
1ST ROUND
Final
CBS

2
Michigan St.
Mich. St
76

15
Bradley
BRAD
65
Final
TruTV

6
Maryland
MD
79

11
Belmont
BELMNT
77
Final
TNT

4
Kansas
KANSAS
87

13
Northeastern
N'eastern
53
Final
TBS

5
Marquette
MARQ
64

12
Murray St.
MUR ST
83
1ST ROUND
Final
TNT

7
Nevada
NEV
61

10
Florida
Florida
70
Final
CBS

2
Kentucky
Kentucky
79

15
Abilene
Abilene
44
Final
TruTV

1
Gonzaga
Gonzaga
87

16
Fairleigh Dickinson
F D'son
49
Final
TBS

6
Villanova
VNOVA
61

11
Saint Mary's (Cal)
St. Mary's
57
1ST ROUND
Final
CBS

7
Wofford
WOFF
84

10
Seton Hall
S HALL
68
Final
TNT

2
Michigan
Michigan
74

15
Montana
MONT
55
Final
TruTV

8
Syracuse
CUSE
69

9
Baylor
BAYLOR
78
Final
TBS

3
Purdue
Purdue
61

14
Old Dominion
ODU
48
1ST ROUND
Final
CBS

7
Cincinnati
CINCY
72

10
Iowa
Iowa
79
Final
TruTV

8
Mississippi
Miss.
72

9
Oklahoma
OKLA
95
Final
TNT

3
Texas Tech
Texas Tech
72

14
Northern Kentucky
N Kentucky
57
Final
TBS

4
Kansas St
KANST
64

13
UC Irvine
UCIRV
70
1ST ROUND
Final
CBS

2
Tennessee
Tennessee
77

15
Colgate
Colgate
70
Final
TruTV

1
Virginia
Virginia
71

16
Gardner-Webb
G Webb
56
Final
TNT

6
Buffalo
Buffalo
91

11
Arizona St
ARIZST
74
Final
TBS

5
Wisconsin
WISC
54

12
Oregon
Oregon
72
1ST ROUND
Final
TNT

8
Utah St.
UTAHST
61

9
Washington
WASH
78
Final
CBS

1
Duke
Duke
85

16
N Dakota St
NDSU
62
Final
TBS

3
Houston
Houston
84

14
Georgia St.
Georgia St
55
Final
TruTV

5
Mississippi St
Miss. St
76

12
Liberty
LBRTY
80
1ST ROUND
Final
TNT

1
North Carolina
UNC
88

16
Iona
IONA
73
Final
CBS

8
VCU
VCU
58

9
UCF
UCF
73
Final
TBS

6
Iowa St.
IOWAST
59

11
Ohio St.
OHIOST
62
Final
TruTV

4
Virginia Tech
VA Tech
66

13
Saint Louis
St. Louis
52
2ND ROUND
Final
CBS

3
LSU
LSU
69

6
Maryland
MD
67
Final
CBS

2
Kentucky
Kentucky
62

7
Wofford
WOFF
56
Final
CBS

2
Michigan
Michigan
64

10
Florida
Florida
49
Final
TNT

4
Florida St.
Florida St.
90

12
Murray St.
MUR ST
62
2ND ROUND
Final
TBS

1
Gonzaga
Gonzaga
83

9
Baylor
BAYLOR
71
Final
CBS

2
Michigan St.
Mich. St
70

10
Minnesota
MINN
50
Final
TNT

3
Purdue
Purdue
87

6
Villanova
VNOVA
61
Final
TBS

4
Kansas
KANSAS
75

5
Auburn
Auburn
89
2ND ROUND
Final
CBS

2
Tennessee
Tennessee
83

10
Iowa
Iowa
77
Final
CBS

1
North Carolina
UNC
81

9
Washington
WASH
59
Final
CBS

1
Duke
Duke
77

9
UCF
UCF
76
Final
TNT

3
Texas Tech
Texas Tech
78

6
Buffalo
Buffalo
58
2ND ROUND
Final
TBS

4
Virginia Tech
VA Tech
67

12
Liberty
LBRTY
58
Final
TruTV

1
Virginia
Virginia
63

9
Oklahoma
OKLA
51
Final
TNT

3
Houston
Houston
74

11
Ohio St.
OHIOST
59
Final
TBS

12
Oregon
Oregon
73

13
UC Irvine
UCIRV
54
SWEET 16
Final
CBS

1
Gonzaga
Gonzaga
72

4
Florida St.
Florida St.
58
Final
TBS

2
Tennessee
Tennessee
94

3
Purdue
Purdue
99
Final
CBS

2
Michigan
Michigan
44

3
Texas Tech
Texas Tech
63
Final
TBS

1
Virginia
Virginia
53

12
Oregon
Oregon
49
SWEET 16
Final
CBS

2
Michigan St.
Mich. St
80

3
LSU
LSU
63
Final
TBS

1
North Carolina
UNC
80

5
Auburn
Auburn
97
Final
CBS

1
Duke
Duke
75

4
Virginia Tech
VA Tech
73
Final
TBS

2
Kentucky
Kentucky
62

3
Houston
Houston
58
ELITE 8
Final
TBS

1
Gonzaga
Gonzaga
69

3
Texas Tech
Texas Tech
75
Final
TBS

1
Virginia
Virginia
80

3
Purdue
Purdue
75
Final
CBS

2
Kentucky
Kentucky
71

5
Auburn
Auburn
77
Final
CBS

1
Duke
Duke
67

2
Michigan St.
Mich. St
68
FINAL FOUR
Final
CBS

1
Virginia
Virginia
63

5
Auburn
Auburn
62
Final
CBS

2
Michigan St.
Mich. St
51

3
Texas Tech
Texas Tech
61
CHAMPIONSHIP
Final
CBS

1
Virginia
Virginia
85

3
Texas Tech
Texas Tech
77
View Full Bracket
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Tournament Bracket

```
SCROLL TO SEE MORE

```

FIRST ROUND
EAST
Jacksonville, FL
6
Maryland
79
11
Belmont
77
3
LSU
79
14
Yale
74
EAST
Des Moines, IA
7
Louisville
76
10
Minnesota
86
2
Mich. St
76
15
Bradley
65
EAST
San Jose, CA
5
Miss. St
76
12
Liberty
80
4
VA Tech
66
13
St. Louis
52
EAST
Columbia, SC
8
VCU
58
9
UCF
73
1
Duke
85
16
NDSU
62
WEST
Tulsa, OK
6
Buffalo
91

```
11

```

Arizona St
74
3
Texas Tech
72

```
14

```

N Kentucky
57
WEST
Des Moines, IA
7
Nevada
61

```
10

```

Florida
70
2
Michigan
74

```
15

```

Montana
55
WEST
Hartford, CT
5
Marquette
64

```
12

```

Murray St.
83
4
Florida St.
76

```
13

```

Vermont
69
WEST
Salt Lake City, UT
8
Syracuse
69

```
9

```

Baylor
78
1
Gonzaga
87

```
16

```

F D'son
49
SOUTH
Hartford, CT

```
6

```

Villanova
61

```
11

```

St. Mary's
57

```
3

```

Purdue
61

```
14

```

ODU
48
SOUTH
Columbus, OH

```
7

```

Cincinnati
72

```
10

```

Iowa
79

```
2

```

Tennessee
77

```
15

```

Colgate
70
SOUTH
San Jose, CA

```
4

```

Kansas St
64

```
13

```

UC Irvine
70

```
5

```

Wisconsin
54

```
12

```

Oregon
72
SOUTH
Columbia, SC

```
8

```

Miss.
72

```
9

```

Oklahoma
95

```
1

```

Virginia
71

```
16

```

G Webb
56
MIDWEST
Salt Lake City, UT

```
5

```

Auburn
78

```
12

```

NMSU
77

```
4

```

Kansas
87

```
13

```

N'eastern
53
MIDWEST
Columbus, OH

```
8

```

Utah St.
61

```
9

```

Washington
78

```
1

```

UNC
88

```
16

```

Iona
73
MIDWEST
Tulsa, OK

```
6

```

Iowa St.
59

```
11

```

Ohio St.
62

```
3

```

Houston
84

```
14

```

Georgia St
55
MIDWEST
Jacksonville, FL

```
7

```

Wofford
84

```
10

```

Seton Hall
68

```
2

```

Kentucky
79

```
15

```

Abilene
44
SECOND ROUND
EAST
Jacksonville, FL

```
6

```

Maryland
67

```
3

```

LSU
69
EAST
Des Moines, IA

```
10

```

Minnesota
50

```
2

```

Mich. St
70
EAST
San Jose, CA

```
12

```

Liberty
58

```
4

```

VA Tech
67
EAST
Columbia, SC

```
9

```

UCF
76

```
1

```

Duke
77
WEST
Tulsa, OK

```
6

```

Buffalo
58

```
3

```

Texas Tech
78
WEST
Des Moines, IA

```
10

```

Florida
49

```
2

```

Michigan
64
WEST
Hartford, CT

```
12

```

Murray St.
62

```
4

```

Florida St.
90
WEST
Salt Lake City, UT

```
9

```

Baylor
71

```
1

```

Gonzaga
83
SOUTH
Hartford, CT

```
6

```

Villanova
61

```
3

```

Purdue
87
SOUTH
Columbus, OH

```
10

```

Iowa
77

```
2

```

Tennessee
83
SOUTH
San Jose, CA

```
13

```

UC Irvine
54

```
12

```

Oregon
73
SOUTH
Columbia, SC

```
9

```

Oklahoma
51

```
1

```

Virginia
63
MIDWEST
Salt Lake City, UT
5
Auburn
89
4
Kansas
75
MIDWEST
Columbus, OH
9
Washington
59
1
UNC
81
MIDWEST
Tulsa, OK
11
Ohio St.
59
3
Houston
74
MIDWEST
Jacksonville, FL
7
Wofford
56
2
Kentucky
62
SWEET 16
EAST
Washington, DC
3
LSU
63
2
Mich. St
80
EAST
Washington, DC
4
VA Tech
73
1
Duke
75
WEST
Anaheim, CA
3
Texas Tech
63
2
Michigan
44
WEST
Anaheim, CA
4
Florida St.
58
1
Gonzaga
72
SOUTH
Louisville, KY
3
Purdue
99
2
Tennessee
94
SOUTH
Louisville, KY
12
Oregon
49
1
Virginia
53
MIDWEST
Kansas City, MO
5
Auburn
97
1
UNC
80
MIDWEST
Kansas City, MO
3
Houston
58
2
Kentucky
62
ELITE EIGHT
EAST
Washington, DC
2
Mich. St
68
1
Duke
67
WEST
Anaheim, CA
3
Texas Tech
75
1
Gonzaga
69
SOUTH
Louisville, KY
3
Purdue
75
1
Virginia
80
MIDWEST
Kansas City, MO
5
Auburn
77
2
Kentucky
71
FINAL FOUR
Apr, 06
Minneapolis, MN
2
Mich. St
51
3
Texas Tech
61
Apr, 06
Minneapolis, MN
1
Virginia
63
5
Auburn
62
Championship
Apr, 08
Minneapolis, MN
1
Virginia
85
3
Texas Tech
77
View Full Bracket
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