When Kim Clayton drives into the parking lot each morning, she pauses to offer a quiet "thank you" before walking into JAMP Special Education's stunning new facility in Ullin, Illinois. After four years of relentless advocacy and what many called an impossible dream, Clayton and her team have transformed not just their physical space, but the entire culture of serving the region's most vulnerable students.

JAMP—a Special Education Cooperative, its namesake derived for the service it provides to Johnson, Alexander, Massac, and Pulaski counties—provides specialized education services to 11 school districts across southern Illinois. From school psychologists and speech therapists to occupational therapy and early childhood programs, their 37 staff members support students with the most complex needs. But it's their on-site program for students who need a more intensive, structured, therapeutic support program that has undergone the most dramatic transformation.

For 17 years, JAMP operated from a rented building which meant that making permanent changes was not an option. The facility had a separate portable unit which housed therapeutic spaces. This meant that during crisis moments, dysregulated students had to be taken outside to access therapeutic spaces—a barrier that sometimes made difficult situations worse. Additionally, some staff offices were located 10 minutes away on Shawnee College’s campus. Their search for a new facility went from one disappointment to another.

Everything changed when bookkeeper Tammy St.Arbor spotted an empty assisted living facility. Clayton and St. Arbor literally peeked through windows, envisioning classrooms where apartments once stood. The building sat like a gem in a park-like setting, with a quarter-mile walking path circling the property and a town gym next door.

For four years, Clayton navigated bureaucratic mazes, gathered community support letters from mayors and students, as well as working with board members and political advocates. The persistence paid off when the Illinois Housing Development Authority forgave the  loan held by the previous owners, making the purchase financially feasible.

The transformation took another year of retrofitting. But the wait was worth it. Today, JAMP's facility houses administrative offices, a complete classroom wing, and therapeutic spaces all under one roof.

The impact has been profound. Now students feel supported. Sensory rooms with weighted blankets and bean bags are steps away from classrooms, not a risky outdoor journey to a portable unit. Staff trained in crisis prevention and Conscious Discipline can access immediate backup through radios and proximity rather than 10-minute drives between locations.

Programs Coordinator Angela Alexander, a social work administrator who helps create the therapeutic environment explains, "We’re continuously working to make things better for our students and ensuring that they have a shot at graduating and being successful going forward."

The facility now serves students from all eleven member districts in the special education program, plus a partnership with ROE 30 for a truancy intervention program. In this welcoming space, students have found both social and academic success in JAMP's family-like atmosphere.

For staff, the change has been equally transformative. The family atmosphere Clayton worked to cultivate now has a physical space worthy of the vision. Recruitment has improved, and veteran employees celebrate working in an environment that matches their dedication.

"It's like a dream come true," Clayton reflects. "This building makes coming to work and to school so much better. It's a huge blessing."

The new facility represents more than upgraded infrastructure—it's a complete reimagining of what special education support can look like. Students who arrive feeling broken leave with skills, dignity, and hope. The transformation proves that with enough heart and persistence, even the most challenging dreams can become reality.

As students walk the quarter-mile path around their school or watch helicopters land on the neighboring baseball field for career day demonstrations, they're experiencing education as possibility rather than punishment. That shift in perspective—from a place that didn’t function well to a campus that feels like home—captures the essence of building with heart.