22/04/2025
We are happy to announce that Luke Fradiska has been named The Children's League Dapper Dan Child of the Year! Congratulations Luke!!
He will be honored at the 76th Dapper Dan Awards Banquet, Sunday, April 27, 2025 at the Ali Ghan Shrine Club. Luke is 12 years old, is the son of Sean & Jill Fradiska, has an older brother (Max) and sister (Emily) and an extended family that loves spending time with him. He is in the sixth grade at Braddock Middle, Cumberland, MD. His Special Education Teacher, Melanie Stevanus, who has known and worked with Luke since he entered Middle school, states, "Luke is an incredibly bright and thoughtful young man who never lets a label define who he is or what he can achieve. He shows up every day ready to give his best and doesn’t give up easily—he keeps working until he feels proud of what he’s done. What stands out most about Luke is his kindness. He always has a smile to share, whether it’s with a teacher or a classmate, and it’s the kind of smile that can truly brighten your day. Luke’s genuine, caring nature makes him a joy to be around and a student who leaves a lasting impact on everyone he meets."
Luke was first seen at The Children’s League in January 2015 when he was just two years old. At that time, he was enrolled in the Allegany County, Infants & Toddlers Program and receiving home-based speech therapy. At that time, he had a history of over 20 ear infections. Ear tubes were placed in February 2014 and ear surgery performed in February 2015.
Knowing that he would eventually age out of the Infants & Toddlers Program, his parents contacted The Children’s League to have Luke evaluated due to Communication concerns. He was evaluated by Dr. Angela Mandell, Speech-Language Pathologist at the Scottish Rite “Rite Care” Speech Clinic in Cumberland, which is operated and managed by The Children’s League. Since that initial evaluation in January 2015 Luke has received weekly speech therapy at The Children’s League. In September 2015, Luke was evaluated at the Klingberg Neurodevelopmental Center of West Virginia University Department of Pediatrics and was given a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder.
Cathy Growden, Executive Director, states “I love to see Luke coming in for his speech therapy – he is always happy, leading the way and his exit is the same, although a little faster! Luke is blessed to have a great and supportive family behind him. His parents were instrumental in the formation of CASL, Children’s Adaptive Sports League, providing a special needs adaptive sports and socialization program not just for Luke but for all special needs children in the Tri-State Area”.
For information regarding The Children’s League and or tickets for the Dapper Dan Awards Banquet call The Children’s League 301-759-5200 or The Sports Shoppe 301-722-5490.
Photo credit: Ed Dewitt
