Cunningham Children’s Home celebrates Tanner’s strides

Everything changed when Tanner discovered the CAV Elite basketball team. He found purpose as the team's waterboy and scorekeeper and eventually let go of his physical aggression. In Fall 2024, he expressed interested in taking a class in his home school district. Last month, Tanner officially began taking two classes in his home school district.

By Craig Ondevilla February 18, 2025 3:08 pm

Chambana TodayCanvaProEverything changed when Tanner discovered the CAV Elite basketball team. He found purpose as the team's waterboy and scorekeeper and eventually let go of his physical aggression. In Fall 2024, he expressed interested in taking a class in his home school district. Last month, Tanner officially began taking two classes in his home school district.

URBANA, IL (Chambana Today) – The Cunningham Children’s Home recently celebrated Tanner, who has made strides in his development.

Tanner originally arrived at Cunningham in 2018 as a third grader with Selective Mutism, Expressive Language Disorder, Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder, ASD, and ADHD. He was often overwhelmed, screaming, lashing out, or refusing to leave the room for PE or lunch. With the help of Cunningham’s staff, he made progress by the 2019-2020 school year. Small victories added up, but then COVID hit. He would refuse to be active and had to deal with new struggles virtually.

Everything changed when Tanner discovered the CAV Elite basketball team. He found purpose as the team’s waterboy and scorekeeper and eventually let go of his physical aggression. In Fall 2024, he expressed interested in taking a class in his home school district. Last month, Tanner officially began taking two classes in his home school district. Because of donors and community members, Tanner is thriving.