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The Little Tree Learning Center is a very unique preschool. While priding itself on "just being a preschool", it is like no other in Alabama. With two sites in Alabama, The Little Tree serves an equal number of children with autism and "typical" children in a totally inclusive educational setting. Established in Auburn in 2005 in collaboration with the Auburn University Dept. of Psychology, and replicated in Mobile in 2007 in collaboration with the Mobile County Public Schools; The Little Tree provides a quality preschool education based on a specialized instructional methodology called "applied behavior analysis", or ABA. It is this expertise that allows the preschool to serve the children with autism along side the typical children. In this model the school focuses on the development of social skills and communication for the children with autism while they are engaged in play and other activities with the other children. The typical children serve as "peer mentors" for the children with autism. A project of The Learning Tree, Inc., a non-profit residential school for children with developmental challenges, The Little Tree has rapidly built a reputation across the state among parents and educators as a model of innovation. Jerre Brimer, Director of The Learning Tree, Inc. has ridden his bike the past two years to raise funds for The Little Tree. Two years ago he rode 525 miles from Auburn to Panama City, FL via Dothan, and then back via U.S. 331 to Montgomery and then over to Auburn, in six days. Having raised over $4,000 for the preschool in 2006’s ride, he decided to lengthen the ride and try a different route in 2007. This time taking U.S. 280 thru Columbus, GA and then over to McRae, GA; he then followed GA 341 to Brunswick and then GA 17 down to Jacksonville, FL. In Jacksonville he took U.S. 90 and followed it all the way across Florida to Mobile. This 865 mile ride in nine days raised a bit over $8,000 for The Little Tree. Riding a Fuji Touring bike, the first year he rode without a support vehicle, carrying one change of clothes, toiletries and equipment in his bags on the bike. Last year he was joined by two others, Pat Murphy and Jamie Logan, from The Learning Tree’s school in Jacksonville, AL. Pat and Jamie split the day with one driving the support car while the other rode half a day, and then switching for the remainder of the day. Jerre averaged 96 miles a day for the ride with Pat and Jamie an average of 48 each day in their rotations. Jerre initially started the ride last April and after only 30 miles was struck by a SUV being driven at high speed on U.S. 280. He said that he looked in his mirror on his helmet and saw the vehicle approaching recklessly. He moved over more on the shoulder of the road, but just as the SUV was beside him it swerved off the road and sideswiped him, knocking him about 100 feet. Fortunately he only suffered a separated shoulder, torn rib cartilage, deep bruising all over his body, and road rash. And, as his left leg took the brunt of the blow from the tire of the SUV, his beloved Fuji suffered only minor damage and was repaired while he recovered. By July he was back on the bike and completed a MS 150 ride in Pennsylvania the last week of July. In August he went to Ohio for another MS 150, and then followed that in the last week of August by starting his 865 mile ride for The Little Tree again, and this time he finished with no problems. This year, Jerre is extending an invitation for others to join him as he is adding another 135 miles to the ride to make it a 1,000 mile ride by going across Georgia on U.S. 80 to Savannah, then down the coast to Jacksonville, FL and across Florida on U.S. 90 to Mobile. Starting on April 19 at The Little Tree in Auburn, the ride will end at The Little Tree in Mobile on the 27th. This should be an average of about 111 miles each day. For more information, one may view the invitation to join him at The Little Tree’s link at The Learning Tree, Inc.’s website, www.learning-tree.org . Or, Jerre can be contacted at 251-331-8199 or jbrimer@bellsouth.net. See Flier.
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