The Child Development Center of Natrona County is just a building - although a 2-year-old, snazzy one complete with pint-sized toilets - but still just a building.

The everyday work that takes place there, performed by its 89 staff members, is important.

But the real stories are Emma Leist, 5, and the other 500 students from birth to 5 who learn from those staffers.

Emma has been a student of CDC since birth, first in its outreach program until she was 2, and then at the center. This is her final "age-out" year there.

Next year, she's off to kindergarten at Paradise Valley Elementary School, in a regular classroom.

Emma had a hemispherectomy because of many tumors when she was little and has just one hemisphere of her brain. She has a severe seizure disorder, among other diseases with very long names, and spent quite awhile in a Denver hospital earlier this year.

She had to relearn to walk.

On Tuesday in the Butterfly Room, teacher Tricia Ray sat just behind Emma, while Emma deftly drew goats on squares of construction paper with her left hand. She had already fashioned a bridge out of brown construction paper and the river out of blue.

With teacher's help, she glued the goats onto the bridge, stapled the bridge over the river in an upside-down U sort of way and then glued the troll under the bridge.

Then she scooted off of the chair and, with a friend, went to look at books in the corner.

On Saturday night at CDC's 10th annual Kids Art a la Carte, there are 50 works of art to be sold in a silent auction. There is no live auction. A limited number of tickets at $60 each are available by calling 235-5097.

Half of the art are pottery pieces crafted by CDC students with the assistance of Michele Heaphy at Pottery By You. The Monkey Room is offering a creamer and sugar set with monkeys all over it.

The Fish Room is offering a soap dish and toothbrush holder decorated with - yup - fish.

The other half of the art are paintings crafted solely by the students.

Emma's masterpiece hangs just behind the reception desk in the lobby. It's brilliant orange and yellow at the top and dark watery blue/green at the bottom.

She named it "Malibu Sunset," or at least that's what the interpretation is.

"Every therapist wants this painting," said Christy Garner, resource development coordinator at CDC. "And her parents (Joy and Nathan) will be at a conference in Denver about her disease and unable to be at the event, so they've already got a proxy bidder lined up. It's going to be one of the hottest items."

Garner said Emma has "exceeded every expectation the doctors ever gave. Proof is there that kids learn best from their peers. Inclusion is the way to go."

At the first Art a la Carte, staff and family gathered in a large conference room and bought art the kids had done. They raised $1,100.

Last year, the sell-out crowd raised more than $200,000, all for the operating budget that directly affects the kids.

This year, the crowd will view life-sized cardboard cutouts of students with a tag explaining the specific service they receive and the cost of that service.

When contributors donate toward that service, they will earn a raffle ticket for every $100 they spend. The raffle tickets are good for a chance at a 17-1/2 foot Bayliner boat, an outdoor stone fountain, a television or a treasure chest of loot. Just for attending, everyone is eligible to win a television set.

"The government requires that we find community money. It's not just that we like a good party, but we need community money to make this work," Garner said.

The census of 501 students is the largest ever for CDC.

"We've really taken the federal mandate that says find the children who need services seriously," Garner said. "Yeah, we found them."

All services except preschool for children without special needs are offered absolutely free, including monthly screening. Garner estimates just 10 percent of their students pay.

Services include occupational, physical, speech/language and behavioral/social-emotional therapies. The behavioral therapy is new over the past couple of years, "based on our culture," Garner said.

The preschool is based on an integrated system with those without special needs and those with special needs in the classroom together.

Each special needs child has an Individual Education Plan and a team that implements that. The team may consist of parents, teachers, therapists and any additional outside home help the child may receive.

As Emma's table finished their projects, teacher Tricia said, "She said my name yesterday - for the very first time."

Community News editor Sally Ann Shurmur can be reached at (307) 266-0520 or sallyann.shurmur@trib.com. Read Sal's blog at tribtown.trib.com/Sal/blog

If you go:

*10th annual Kids Art a la Carte "Sea of Possibilities"

*Saturday, 5:30 p.m., Neil's Big Red Hangar, NCIA

*Limited tickets, $60, call 235-5097

*Dinner, silent auction, door prizes, raffles