Education Grant WinnerSarah Lankford

When a student feels upset, or perhaps they’re showing signs of frustration, they don’t always have a place to go to destress. And, sometimes, if a student is emotionally off-kilter, it can have an affect on those around them. That’s where sensory rooms come into the equation—and notably beneficial for students with disabilities.

Sarah Lankford, educator at Vale Middle School, envisioned a safe space for her students to reset themselves, should they be exhibiting erratic behavior that was also interfering with their academic success. Thanks to Power of the Dollar® members, she was awarded a $1,000 grant in December 2025 for her “Sensory Room: Stingray Cove” project idea, which she then used the grant funds to purchase noise-canceling headphones, weighted blankets, fiber optic lights, fidget toys, as well as a variety of soothing sensory items!

“I applied for the grant because, essentially, our school here at Vale did not have a sensory room for kids—a place for them to destress and someplace for them to go when things just get overwhelming,” said Lankford. “I put my heart into it and put what I thought the kids needed for them to have a place to go … so it doesn’t disturb others, they can come in here and it relaxes their system that sometimes they can’t verbalize what they need to have. So, very grateful for you guys for granting us that money that Vale really needed.”

Sensory rooms tend to promote focus, reduce anxiety, and re-regulate students prior to returning to classroom involvement. By opening an area—an all-inclusive one, at that—you’re providing a controlled environment to soothe students’ psyches. And the data proves it. Ms. Lankford has seen first-hand how much of a positive impact the sensory room has had on her students. From and educational standpoint to an emotional angle, her students have shown tremendous improvement. Not only that, but she’s also relaying that over to the parents, illustrating to them how well they’re doing.

“The data we’ve collected from just having the sensory room has been great,” she said. “We can show that data to the parents … and when we bring that student in here, we can see the positive when we take them back to class: they’re re-focused, they’re having better attitudes, better behaviors, they’re not disrupting anyone in the class. Y’all helping us with this grant has helped us see a positive impact on our students and just their everyday life.”