Austin Pridey is a local seventeen-year-old with Aspergers. Because of his condition, Austin had a hard time making friends and keeping up in school. His parents tried different schools and finally settled on homeschooling. After his mother left unexpectedly, Austin had no schooling at all between the ages of eight and twelve. His family finally found a local private school for him, where he met Richard Kelly.

Richard saw potential in Austin that nobody had noticed before. Once he figured out that Austin was a fan of music, Richard began to give him guitar lessons. These lessons (and the positive attention) motivated Austin to move past his depression. Today Austin plays bass guitar in the band at Living Stone Church. After Austin’s father passed away in 2011, Richard stepped up as guardian. Austin has been living with Richard, his wife Felicity, and their son Alex ever since. When Richard Kelly and Lisha Vanar started Amazing Grass and Launch Academy, Austin was one of their first students and workers!

Richard and Lisha started Amazing Grass to help people with educational differences reach their full potential through a trade. As seen on the Fox news segment on Amazing Grass, these students really do “Learn to Work, Work to Learn!” “On the first day at Amazing Grass,” says Richard, “someone with autism may only work twenty minutes…but the incentive of getting paid and the positive social pressure from the rest of the team makes a difference. Our basic lawn package is a mow, cut, edge, and blow, but we’ve done pool landscaping and do really well on commercial properties like churches. The only things we don’t do are bulldozers and sprinklers!”

Amazing Grass and Launch Academy––a private school designed solely for kids (ages 12-19) with developmental challenges––have turned Austin’s life around. He says, “My father had Dyslexia and couldn’t read well. The only job he was able to do was sales, but he worked in sales until he died. He taught me that being disabled doesn’t have to hold you back. I’m going to overcome…no matter what!”