A new community in Sedona has opened and aims to help an under-served segment of the population. “Our official name is Sedona Lago Gardens, and our mission is to serve gifted and talented young adults with neurodiversity and on the autism spectrum and other learning differences,” says Gary Wagner, founder and president of Sedona Lago Gardens. This community will help individuals from their early 20s to early 30s. If Gary’s name sounds familiar, it’s probably because Gary was the president and CEO of Camp Verde-based Rainbow Acres for 26 years. Rainbow Acres is a community that empowers people with developmental disabilities. Sedona Largo Gardens is a nonprofit and an affiliate of Rainbow Acres.
Sedona Lago Gardens is the first of its kind in Sedona. After paying a fee, up to 10 adults will live in three donated homes (Gary says it will resemble a college campus) and learn skills to help them become more independent. Sedona Lago Gardens also will offer day programs. “This is going to be an intense learning environment to help people move to their highest levels of independence,” says Gary. He founded the community because there aren’t any disability services in Sedona and because a son of a friend of his lost his job because, in Gary’s words, “he did not have an advocate to help bridge the gap between the university and his career.”
Programming will be tailored to the individual’s skills and desires. “The framework around the classes are going to be individual based, and we’re gonna be driven by their needs,” says Erin Boisrond, a life coach and team leader, who will be developing programming. Residents may work on developing their career or social skills. Many struggle to transition from educational institutions to the professional world. “I have just seen so many young adults graduate and feel that level of success, only to really hit this downward spiral after graduation because everything that they had in place – all those supports and those friends – just wasn’t there. This is why Sedona Lago Gardens is going to be so amazing,” says Erin. Gary has seen first-hand how a community like Lago Gardens can help others. “Many people underestimated what their loved one could do. And when they were out of the protection of mom and dad, and thrown in with their peers in a safe environment, they would blossom,” says Gary. − Teresa K. Traverse
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