With an open house just days away, residents are invited to make their voices heard on creations made to support the Kids Like Us Community Learning Center.

Lisa Lyons, founder of the organization geared to assist with special needs children, recently told the Elizabethton Star that the public is invited to vote on different rock gardens that were created from students from the surrounding school systems.

Gardens were broken up into three categories: general education, special needs and teacher.

“We let our kids do a contest to create a rock friendship garden,” Lyons said. “It really just took off from there.”

Rocks are on display now inside the Elizabethton/Carter County Public Library. Citizens can stop by the facility and cast their votes on their favorite rocks. An announcement on winners is tentatively scheduled for the middle of the month, according to Lyons.

Staff at the library added their looking to do their part to support the new nonprofit organization. Throughout the month of December, library patrons can purchase a raffle ticket for a homemade quilt. All proceeds from the raffle will go to benefit Kids Like Us.

Citizens are invited to attend the Kids Like Us Community Learning Center open house on Saturday, Dec. 9. The event is scheduled to take place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 106 Rogosin Drive in Elizabethton.

Dr. Josh Wandell will serve as the open house’s special guest speaker. Registration for classes and volunteer opportunities will be available throughout the event

The weekend’s festivities is the culmination of five years of hard work, according to Lyons. While the doors will be officially open, a lot of hard work continues, according to the founder.

Kids Like Us is also accepting donations for further improvements at the facility. Citizens are encouraged to attend Saturday’s open house and can learn more by visiting the Kids Like Us Community Learning Center Facebook page online.