Ikea Names Sabbatical Winner
January 18, 2012
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Home furnishings retailer Ikea has named the grand prize winner of its second Life Improvement Sabbatical Contest as Melissa Matthews of Wake Forest, N.C.
Following a month-long, online public vote, Matthews has won the sabbatical worth $100,000 to improve the lives of others through her Special Technology for Special Kids! program, and over the next year, she will share her experience online. Additionally, Ikea is donating $50,000 to Save the Children’s U.S. Programs.
The contest had more than 1,000 entrants and more than 50,000 votes were cast by the public for the five finalists, including the winning entry. Matthews' Special Technology for Special Kids! program helps children with intellectual disabilities through cutting-edge educational technology.
“As we congratulate Melissa on this exciting new chapter of her life and her cause, we applaud all who participated in this contest,” said Leontyne Green, marketing manager, Ikea North America. “We believe that life improvement starts at home and we look forward to helping Melissa with a project that is so close to home for her, yet will help so many others.”
The mother of a child with Down syndrome, Matthews is planning to expand the work being done at the Frankie Lemmon School in Raleigh, N.C., a school for children with intellectual disabilities. This institution uses technology and cutting-edge therapy to help children with special needs. As winner, Matthews plans to use the resources and her teaching background to infuse technology deeper into the classrooms and create a Web site to facilitate the sharing of these technologies and techniques with other teachers across the country.
“I was given the gift of expectation for my own son when I visited Frankie Lemmon School and saw the effect that new technology and cutting-edge therapies can have on children with special needs,” Matthews said. “This prize and the support from Ikea will help expand the important work that’s being done at the school and allow us to share what we're doing with other educators so that even more kids can benefit. This opportunity is such a dream come true for me and for so many others who love young children with special needs. It is an honor to be trusted with such an awesome responsibility and privilege."
Following a month-long, online public vote, Matthews has won the sabbatical worth $100,000 to improve the lives of others through her Special Technology for Special Kids! program, and over the next year, she will share her experience online. Additionally, Ikea is donating $50,000 to Save the Children’s U.S. Programs.
The contest had more than 1,000 entrants and more than 50,000 votes were cast by the public for the five finalists, including the winning entry. Matthews' Special Technology for Special Kids! program helps children with intellectual disabilities through cutting-edge educational technology.
“As we congratulate Melissa on this exciting new chapter of her life and her cause, we applaud all who participated in this contest,” said Leontyne Green, marketing manager, Ikea North America. “We believe that life improvement starts at home and we look forward to helping Melissa with a project that is so close to home for her, yet will help so many others.”
The mother of a child with Down syndrome, Matthews is planning to expand the work being done at the Frankie Lemmon School in Raleigh, N.C., a school for children with intellectual disabilities. This institution uses technology and cutting-edge therapy to help children with special needs. As winner, Matthews plans to use the resources and her teaching background to infuse technology deeper into the classrooms and create a Web site to facilitate the sharing of these technologies and techniques with other teachers across the country.
“I was given the gift of expectation for my own son when I visited Frankie Lemmon School and saw the effect that new technology and cutting-edge therapies can have on children with special needs,” Matthews said. “This prize and the support from Ikea will help expand the important work that’s being done at the school and allow us to share what we're doing with other educators so that even more kids can benefit. This opportunity is such a dream come true for me and for so many others who love young children with special needs. It is an honor to be trusted with such an awesome responsibility and privilege."
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