A dream five years in the making will finally come to fruition for Lisa Lyons.

Lyons, founder of Kids Like Us, and other board members with the nonprofit organization will open their doors to the public on Saturday, Dec. 9, for an open house to showcase their resources to the public. The event is scheduled to take place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 106 Rogosin Drive in Elizabethton.

Lyons and board member Tammy Buchanan recently provided the Elizabethton Star a tour of the facility, which will service the need of special needs children in the Tri-Cities.

“It is very exciting,” Lyons said during the tour. “I’ve been working on this project for five years. This has been a dream of mine to happen. To the see the doors open … it doesn’t seem real yet.”

Saturday’s open house will be open for the public to sign up for volunteer opportunities and have opportunities for children to register for upcoming classes. During the event, Dr. Josh Wandell will serve as the special guest speaker.

“He is such a testimony for the children with what he’s been able to overcome,” Lyons said. “He was very receptive about being the guest speaker. We appreciate his support and his impact that he’s made across the area.”

Classes will be available for children with a disability diagnosis. Area youth are also invited to attend classes for a small fee to cover costs of classes. Classes will be available to anyone from the Tri-Cities, primarily geared toward children.

“Our goal is to help these children have a place to go and fit in, learn skills they need for the future, but at a slower pace and a way they can comprehend,” Lyons said. “Some children have a hard time being in a crowd, being near bright lights and loud noises. This will be a way for us to teach a skill.

“We don’t want the community to know someone with a disability, we want you to come to the center and get to know someone with a disability and learn how to work with them,” Lyons added.

The center has various stations set up to teach various life skills, ranging from cooking, cleaning and utilization of money. The center will also feature rooms geared for music, sensory and art.

Preparing for the open house didn’t come without hard work, according to Lyons. The founder thanked the efforts of Tammy Taylor with the local UPS Store and Big John’s Closeouts for their assistance. Students with special needs from Elizabethton High School have also provided a helping hand by creating different promotional goods that will be available for purchase, with proceeds going toward renovations and continual growth at the facility.

Lyons also shared the story of how Kids Like Us acquired the building during last week’s tour, adding that Denise Sammons provided to be vital in the center’s creation.

“We kept searching for different buildings in towns and we came to this building three times before we even checked on it,” Lyons said. “Denise Sammons, formerly with Sammons, owns the building and we told her what we had planned. She was very excited for the project because she was actually working on a case study with autism through he natural medicine business. We wouldn’t be able to operate how we are without her help, too.”

While five years in the making, Lyons recently told the Elizabethton Star her life change 16 years ago after they adopted their son, Justin, who was diagnosed with different medical problems.

“I realized at that point I was in a world I never knew existed,” she explained about the experience. “We was very blessed with many services on the area and I’m not sure where would be without them. However, I spent countless hours searching for services and educating myself on how to help our son. It was my dream to have a center to make those things easier for the parent and the children and young adults.”

Kids Like Us is also accepting donations for further improvements at the facility. Citizens are encouraged to attend Saturday’s open house and can learn more by visiting the Kids Like Us Community Learning Center Facebook page online.