SA Life Academy
“Doing Life Together” at SA Life Academy
By Elizabeth Bobbitt | Photography by Core Creative
When founders Cindy and Bryan Boynton established SA Life Academy in honor of their son, Drew, in 2017, they aimed to provide continued learning opportunities for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). The program, which started in a single classroom with 22 adults, will serve 160 students per week at Mount Calvary Lutheran Church, with the edition of its seventh class in August.
“After Drew graduated from Alamo Heights, Cindy wanted to find a program that would allow Drew to be active and feel loved. She visited My Possibilities in Plano and was inspired by their robust programming. Cindy decided to bring a similar model to the San Antonio area,” Co-Executive Director Samantha Pety says.
“Cindy was passionate about creating a program with a purposeful curriculum. She would be proud that SA Life Academy has grown while maintaining its exceptional quality,” Co-Executive Director Ellen Shoemaker says of SA Life’s co-founder, who passed away in 2024.
The 78209 Difference
While the Academy now serves families from over 40 zip codes throughout the San Antonio area, Shoemaker and Pety are quick to praise the 78209 community for their foundational support of SA Life Academy.
“Cindy and Bryan were longtime Alamo Heights residents. Our initial supporters were friends of the Boynton family who also had a son or daughter with special needs,” Shoemaker says.
Pety’s passion for working with individuals with IDD began at Alamo Heights Junior School, where she volunteered in the peer tutoring program. It was there that she started working with students who would eventually become SA Life’s “stars.” She continued to work as a peer tutor through her senior year of high school.
“Seeing Drew crowned Homecoming King was a special moment for Drew and his family. It showed the true character of Alamo Heights. That’s something you don’t see in every community,” Pety says.
The program’s ethos is community-based, and students venture out every day to 78209 and beyond for a meal, a movie, or to volunteer. Today, the Academy partners with 20 organizations in San Antonio, including Frost Bank, Nowhere Bookshop, and Meals on Wheels.
“Cindy always wanted to take our adults out into the world while also bringing the world to them,” Shoemaker and Pety say.
Reach for the Stars
With Shoemaker and Pety at the helm of the Academy, SA Life continues to grow according to the Boynton’s original mission.
Through its low teacher-to-student ratio and its year-round curriculum designed by certified special education teachers, SA Life is providing a critical need to the greater San Antonio community.
“Adults with IDD can stay within the public school system until they are 22. After graduation, a lot of families are not familiar with resources available for their 18+ adult, which leads to many staying at home,” Pety says.
SA Life addresses this transition by empowering their students to give back to their neighbors.
“In 2024, the SA Life stars contributed over 8,000 volunteer hours to community partners,” Shoemaker says.
Students also take part in a growing career development program, which focuses on advancing vocational skills.
“Our adults make handmade jewelry and baked goods to sell at farmers markets and their own pop-up sales. Later this summer, stars will work at an on-site coffee truck in collaboration with the church,” Pety says.
“We are also thrilled to announce Cindy’s Cottage. Opening next year, it will be a gift shop, where students will sell their crafts,” Shoemaker adds.
In October, the Academy will hold their annual “Off-Broadway” fundraising gala at the Witte Museum, where the stars and their supporters come together to celebrate their thriving program.
“The opportunity to share our mission with over 500 supporters is truly incredible,” Shoemaker says.
The joy of working with SA Life’s stars is palpable to anyone who walks through the Academy’s hallways.
“My favorite thing about SA Life is my teachers,” Lauren Vogel says of her experience in the program.
“Everyone needs friends or people to do life with, and it’s important that our adults feel part of a bigger network. When they come here, they are home,” Shoemaker says.
Follow SA Life Academy: @salifeacademy or www.salifeacademy.org
