{"id":6199,"date":"2024-02-14T08:26:20","date_gmt":"2024-02-14T16:26:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chiccompass.com\/?p=6199"},"modified":"2026-08-30T20:50:18","modified_gmt":"2026-08-31T03:50:18","slug":"faith-the-dynamic-duo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chiccompass.com\/wordpress\/faith-the-dynamic-duo\/","title":{"rendered":"Faith - The Dynamic Duo"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Chic<\/span><\/div>
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This article was printed in<\/em>
\nChic Compass Magazine - Issue 17<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>

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\"Grant<\/span><\/div><\/div>

Grant and Lynda Tache<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>

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Faith - The Dynamic Duo<\/h1>\n

Lynda and Grant Tache Offer Hope to Families With Disabilities Thanks to the Collaboration Center Foundation<\/p>\n

BY STACEY GUALANDI \/ PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF COLLABORATION CENTER FOUNDATION<\/p>\n<\/div>

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\u201cThis has been a journey for both of us to get to where we are today.\u201d For Lynda Tache and her son Grant, that journey was a difficult and often painful one, but it\u2019s now making a huge difference for families with disabilities.<\/p>\n

Tache recently announced that the Collaboration Center Foundation she co-founded is \u201cthe largest and most comprehensive scope of one-stop-shop services in Nevada for the special needs community.\u201d<\/p>\n

In just four years, Tache says this community collaboration project has already successfully changed the lives of caregivers, family members, and individuals of all ages with intellectual, developmental, physical, and learning disabilities.<\/p>\n

That welcome news came during the Foundation\u2019s 3rd Annual \u201cNight en Blanc\u201d charity gala at the newly opened 5-acre renovated former horse ranch, now the official home of the Collaboration Center.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is such a huge safety net support network,\u201d said President and CEO Tache. \u201cThere is nothing else like this.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Collaboration Center not only offers hope but also provides treatment and therapy, partner services, recreation and community inclusion, health and wellness, life skills, vocational training, and educational workshops, all under (several) roofs.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe know there\u2019s no cure, but the earlier the intervention, the better the support system, the better the outcomes. Half the battle is knowing you\u2019re not alone.\u201d<\/p>\n

That's something this single mom learned the hard way. Tache says most of her life with her son Grant has been \u201cin survival mode.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>

\"Grant<\/span><\/div><\/div>

Grant Tache<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>

Grant was born with several developmental and learning challenges 22 years ago, which put this mother and son on a tightrope right from the start.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen he was nine months old, I knew something wasn\u2019t right,\u201d said Tache. \u201cMy friends were having babies, and we\u2019d go to lunch, and he would just start screaming his head off. I didn\u2019t know what was going on, so we\u2019d have to leave, or he would play with toys and just spin them.\u201d<\/p>\n

At one point, she and her husband at the time thought Grant had a hearing loss because he wouldn\u2019t respond to his name.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d ask the doctor all the time, \u2018What\u2019s going on?\u2019 but he didn\u2019t know,\u201d said Tache. \u201c[He] would say, \u2018Lynda, that\u2019s just boys, you know, nothing\u2019s wrong; we\u2019ll just keep an eye on it.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

But Grant soon became more aggressive. \u201cHe would just melt down, have these horrible tantrums, and tear the house apart,\u201d said Tache. \u201cIf anyone heard that, they would think that I was murdering him.\u201d<\/p>\n

With no answers and nowhere to turn, the overwhelming stress cut short her financial career and ultimately ended her marriage.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know I had PTSD,\u201d admitted Lynda. \u201cThose were almost hopeless years because I would say, \u2018What\u2019s going to happen?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

It took an agonizing five years for Grant to finally be diagnosed with Autism, ADHD, Dyslexia, and Sensory Integration Disorder, all co-morbidities he still has to this day.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was like, \u2018Okay, what now?\u2019\u201d said Tache. \u201cIt was the perfect storm\u2026and I remember I would just cry like every day. Life became so isolating because we would not be invited back to birthday parties and other events our friends would have.\u201d<\/p>\n

Help eventually arrived via former Nevada First Lady Dawn Gibbons. The two women joined forces with other key stakeholders to craft the first autism funding legislation, the Nevada Commission on Autism Spectrum Disorders, and what is now the Autism Treatment Assistance Program. At eight, Grant entered that breakthrough program, which addressed and changed his behaviors and began to change their world.<\/p>\n

\u201cI then just decided I\u2019m going to throw my life into getting Grant what he needs and then figure out how I take that and help others in the process,\u201d admitted Tache. \u201cEverything I went through was so traumatizing, but if I\u2019m getting answers, I can\u2019t sit back and watch other families struggle.\u201d<\/p>\n

After exploring every nonprofit and state program, Tache was inspired to start Grant A Gift Autism Foundation in 2009. The ability to give families much-needed treatment and resources became her personal cause, while Grant became her \u201cChief Inspiration Officer.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery program we created then and now and continue to do is because we\u2019ve gone through it with Grant,\u201d said Tache.<\/p>\n

She even went on to spearhead the UNLV Medicine Ackerman Autism Center at her alma mater, but by 2017, she opted to transition out of the nonprofit world.<\/p>\n

\u201cI swore up and down I was never going to run another nonprofit. I was done because I was just really burnt out.\u201d<\/p>\n

That is until Cindy Goussak came calling two years later to ask her to create a business plan for a multi-disability inclusive center. Tache couldn\u2019t say no, and the Collaboration Center was born.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve always wanted to do more, so I was already formulating a concept like CCF in my mind,\u201d said Tache. \u201cHealth and wellness is so overlooked\u2026I thought if we could put those together with medical and therapies, it\u2019s a done deal.\u201d<\/p>\n

Since then, the Center has partnered on its 5-acre campus with several organizations like Boy\u2019s Town, Christopher Smith Foundation, Children\u2019s Heart Foundation, Serving Our Communities, Foster Kinship, the Pallares Foundation, Let\u2019s Talk Therapy Center, State Medicaid, Sing Out for Autism and others because Tache says the need is too tremendous.<\/p>\n<\/div>

\"Above:<\/span><\/div><\/div>

Grab and Go Caf\u00e9 inside the Helms Helps Hub at Collaboration Center Foundation<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>

These and many more for-profit businesses rent space and offer extended services, like preschool amenities and a Grab and Go Cafe, inside the Helms Helps Hub.
\n\u201cNot one organization can do it all,\u201d said Tache. \u201cIt was very strategic who would be here and what they were doing. They had to buy into the mission.\u201d<\/p>\n

That mission is to create the largest disability network to help those in need get the best resources available statewide and across the country.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe social workers and case managers in our own Pathways program talk to families\u2014regardless of age\u2014so whatever the need is, we manage that client and then refer or enroll them in our family support groups and inclusion events.\u201d<\/p>\n

While touring the property, you see what an $8.5 million rehab can accomplish. The Center turned former horse stables into a beautiful ADA-approved working campus with a life skills kitchen, a game room, a meditation walk, a hydroponic garden, an art center, a community garden, a recreation area, and areas for special events and wedding ceremonies.<\/p>\n<\/div>

\"Grant<\/span><\/div><\/div>

Grant and Lynda at The Helms Helps Hub Grand Opening and Ribbon Cutting. Photo by Joseph Donato, Cashman Photo<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>

\u201cIt\u2019s a natural environment,\u201d emphasized Tache. \u201cWe\u2019re even going to have a tortoise habitat!\u201d (they were hibernating!)<\/p>\n

Moving forward, much emphasis is on getting all the programs and services up and running to full capacity. The former horse arena will be converted into an adaptive recreation center, and a storage garage will become an adaptive gym.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve already touched over 10,000 family units,\u201d said Tache of their success so far. \u201cSome families, we\u2019ve done 40 different services and referrals on an annual basis!\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>

\"Collaboration<\/span><\/div><\/div>

Collaboration Center entrance.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>

Today, her son Grant is flourishing and is employed by Collaboration Center\u2019s Ambassador program. As a result, he has become the face of the Center.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was quite the kid, and I think Mom can confirm that,\u201d joked Grant.<\/p>\n

He is now dating, assisting the Adventure Scouts on campus, and inspiring young people with similar disabilities.<\/p>\n

\u201cI consider myself very nice and very kind, and I like to help people when I can,\u201d said Grant. \u201c[One friend at the Center] Ian just likes me a whole lot, which feels great\u2014the fact that there are kids out there who look up to me. Overall, I\u2019m content with where my life is right now. I live on my own, and I have some good friends, a dog, and a loving family.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI never in a million years would\u2019ve believed that he would be at this place,\u201d said Tache. \u201cGrant is still growing, maturing, and becoming the best person he can be, so I always love to talk [about him] to young families who are newly diagnosed because there is hope!\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>

\"The<\/span><\/div><\/div>

The Night en Blanc event. Photo by Joseph Donato, Cashman Photo<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>

At the Night en Blanc event, Grant shared with the sold-out crowd that he wished he had had a \u201cCollaboration Center\u201d as a kid.<\/p>\n

\u201cI understand what he\u2019s saying because everything we did, we pioneered,\u201d added Tache. \u201cIt\u2019s a lonely place to be, I have to tell you, especially when people don\u2019t understand what you\u2019re doing or going through.\u201d<\/p>\n

Grant said there are always hurdles, but he takes them all one step at a time, thanks to the support of his devoted mom.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat can I say? I love her,\u201d said Grant. \u201cShe\u2019s part of the reason I am who I am today. She\u2019s very passionate about her work and very busy, and I know why. She has a reason because she\u2019s doing all this, and it\u2019s great.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI just feel in my bones that this is my purpose,\u201d said Tache.<\/p>\n

But now that her son is in a good place, she says it\u2019s time to start thinking about Lynda. \u201cI definitely didn\u2019t take care of myself like I should have. I\u2019m still, to this day, working on that, but I think that\u2019s normal for all of us,\u201d said Tache.<\/p>\n<\/div>

\"Grant<\/span><\/div><\/div>

Grant and Lynda Tache with Commissioner Jim Gibson at the lighting of the iconic Las Vegas sign in orange for Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month. Photo by Stardust Fallout.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>

She admits there have been sacrifices and knows she can\u2019t keep this pace forever, but living with so many challenges all these years has changed her for the better.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you have these special children, regardless of their condition, whether it\u2019s medical, mental health, neurodevelopment, you learn to not take things for granted,\u201d said Tache. \u201cYou almost have this deeper sense of humanity because you\u2019ve had to deal with these things. Everything is a milestone.\u201d<\/p>\n

While this dynamic duo has achieved so much and come so far, Tache says they still have a long way to go.<\/p>\n

The new year is already shaping up to be a busy yet purposeful one for this mother-son team: they\u2019ll be celebrating National Developmental Disability Awareness in March, holding fundraising events (Monday\u2019s Dark on March 18th!), holding the 4th Annual Night en Blanc gala at the ranch on September 26th; completing the Center\u2019s new recreation area, developing a community medical and mental health clinic, and adding more partnerships.<\/p>\n<\/div>

\"Grant<\/span><\/div><\/div>

Grant and Lynda with Governor Lombardo.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>

\u201cWhen everything is done here, we\u2019ll be fully operational and able to serve 20,000 Nevada residents on an annual basis\u2026then I want to start a scholarship program,\u201d said the woman whose work is never done. \u201cAfter that, the world is my oyster. Maybe I\u2019ll buy a place in Baja, California!\u201d<\/p>\n

That will certainly be the end of one journey, and the beginning of another.<\/p>\n

For more information, go to collablv.org<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

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The Collaboration Center not only offers hope but also provides treatment and therapy, partner services, recreation and community inclusion, health and wellness, life skills, vocational training, and educational workshops, all under (several) roofs. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6200,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4522,4075],"tags":[3158,4062,4081,4082,4080,267,4078,2816,4079,3128],"class_list":["post-6199","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arts-and-culture","category-issue-17","tag-charity","tag-collaboration-center-foundation","tag-disabilities","tag-faith","tag-grant-tache","tag-las-vegas","tag-lynda-tache","tag-nevada","tag-night-en-blanc","tag-stacey-gualandi"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chiccompass.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6199","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chiccompass.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chiccompass.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chiccompass.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chiccompass.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6199"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/chiccompass.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6199\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6209,"href":"https:\/\/chiccompass.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6199\/revisions\/6209"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chiccompass.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6200"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chiccompass.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6199"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chiccompass.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6199"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chiccompass.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6199"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}