Michelle spent more than 4 hours on Saturday, June 28th meeting dozens of really wonderful people at the annual Woodgate neighborhood celebration.  It's clear the people of this neighborhood really care about each other. Residents here have started a Neighbor Helping Neighbor program and Michelle saw it in action as one of the people at breakfast needed help getting home. Breakfast and the burgers were delicious.

Sheriff Larry Campbell's deputies put on a demonstration of K9 Officer Casey's skills that the crowd really enjoyed, including Michelle. Casey is not only beautiful, but we can all feel safer that he is on the force: He really knows his stuff! Donna Walker from the City's Parks and Recreation Department had a table showing off children's and adult's art work created at the Lafayette Arts and Crafts Center. Donna says "come by and join in and let us help you discover your art".

One resident asked Michelle for more information about the recently passed Autism legislation. Michelle didn't have it at the tip of her fingers, but promised an answer. Here's that answer:

The Autism Bill (Senate Bill 2654) requires insurance companies to provide coverage for advanced therapies. It limits the annual benefits to $36,000 dollars a year and sets a life time maximum of $200,000 in benefits. The good news about this legislation is that it allows parents to seek therapy. The legislation applies to all health insurance policies written or renewed after April 1, 2009. Therapies covered include: speech therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy, and applied behavior analysis. The legislation also prohibits insurers from denying coverage based on developmental disabilities.

See you next year!