Haley: I am a mom to a beautiful 3-year-old little girl (Charlie) and a wife to Cody Kemp. God is at the center of all of the things I do. He has blessed me abundantly with an amazing family, friend group, and career that I love. My husband and I are both LaGrange natives and high school sweethearts. We have really loved seeing LaGrange evolve over the years and become a great place to raise children. In my free time I enjoy reading books, spending time outdoors, hiking and exploring.
Paulette: I grew up in Notasulga, Alabama with my loving parents, Charles and Jeanelle Sargent, who continue to reside in Notasulga. I have one sister, and I also grew up in the household with my paternal grandmother. Needless to say, my dad was surrounded by girls! Today, I am a wife, mother, and grandmother, and I love each of these roles. I am a Speech-Language Pathologist, and 5 years ago became the business owner of Building Blocks Behavioral Center. I love God, my family, and friends. I would have to say that these are the things that define who I am.
About Haley Kemp and Paulette Dukes
Q: Please tell us a little bit about your family.
Haley: We are a mother/daughter team. We have very different personalities, but I think this is what makes our business and personal relationship thrive. We see each other’s strengths and weaknesses and pick up where the other needs them. Being a close-knit family is something very important to us, I love that my daughter (Charlie), Paulette’s granddaughter can spend so much time with her grandparents and see a healthy and strong mother daughter bond. / Paulette: I have one lovely daughter, Haley Kemp (also my business partner). She and I moved to Lagrange 27 years ago when I married my amazing husband Donny Dukes, a native of Lagrange. I was blessed to add to our family his two sons Johnathan and Matthew Hulsey to make us a family of 5. All our kids are married with spouses that I couldn’t have hand-picked any better. We now have 6 beautiful grandchildren (and they are definitely grand).
Q: Please tell us about your current, past, or future career. What do you love most about what you do?
Haley: I am a Board-Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA), I have 10 years of experience in the field working with families and their children who are diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. My mother (Paulette) and I opened Building Blocks Behavioral Center in 2019 to service families in our community as we saw a huge lack of resources for those on the autism spectrum. Every day in this Job is different and brings new challenges. This pushes me to continue learning and building my skill set to best serve our clients. My favorite thing about this career is seeing the development in our children as they learn to advocate for themselves through communication and develop independence. I also love empowering families to feel confident in dealing with challenging behaviors or teaching their children through a different lens. / Paulette: I graduated from Auburn University in 1990 with a Master’s in Communication Disorders, so in today’s terminology, I am a Speech Language Pathologist. For the past 27 years my career has focused on working with Pediatrics, primarily as a private Speech Pathologist. I have been overwhelmed with the rise in children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder; especially in the past 10-15 years. I recall having one child on my caseload with ASD 25 years ago. Today, the majority of our caseload is filled with children diagnosed with ASD. Even though I have worked independently, I have always had a fellow SLP, Marcia Brock, that has worked along side me. We have never shared financial ties, but we have certainly shared the ties of friendship and hard work. Our concerns over lack of services in Lagrange for children with ASD was a constant topic of conversation. Most conversations ended with “somebody should open an ABA clinic in Lagrange”. Little did I know that God would lead that “somebody” to be me and my daughter, Haley Kemp. We opened Building Blocks Behavioral Center in January of 2019, and we have been steadily growing (in spite of Covid) ever since. Thankfully, the other independent therapists I was working with prior to starting Building Blocks have joined us as independent therapists in our current location. This has allowed us to provide all therapy services for a child in one location. Building Blocks currently employs 21 staff members including BCBAs ( Board Certified Behavior Analysts), RBTs (Registered Behavior Technicians), Speech Language Pathologists and office admin. Our complete rehab team includes ABA (Applied Behavior Analysis), Speech Pathology, Occupational Therapy and Physical Therapy. I typically refer to them as The Dream Team; due to their level of expertise and because having all disciplines under one roof is a dream. This is rarely achievable, even in a larger city; therefore, we are thankful for this group that only God could bring together in LaGrange.
Q: What advice would you give to people?
Haley: Be kind. It is not always the easiest thing to do, but it is the single most important thing. In a world with so many different loud opinions and divided groups, showing love and kindness can break barriers./ Paulette: Make every effort to make others smile, and leave people feeling better as you walk away, than when you approached them.
Q: Where do you see yourself in 5 to 10 years?
Haley: In 5-10 years I hope to continue being a better version of myself. I love my life right now, and I just hope that I can continue pushing myself to be better personally and professionally. I see Building Blocks growing and continuing to service families all across the county. / Paulette: I see myself semi to fully retired, however, always invested in the growth of Building Blocks in some capacity. I plan to spend more time with family, friends, and God. You will probably also see Donny and I on a boat somewhere fishing until sunset!
Haley Kemp and Paulette Dukes & Our Community
Q: What are a couple of your favorite restaurants in our community?
Haley: Beacon, Vennucis, Karvelas, Taste of Lemon, Oink Joint, and Rock salt for dessert / Paulette: Taste of Lemon, Country’s Barbque, Mare Sol, Venucci’s, Nutwood, Beacon
Q: How long have you lived or worked in our community?
Haley: We have lived in LaGrange since I was 4 years old. My husband and I moved away for college and returned a few years into our marriage in anticipation of starting a family and opening Building Blocks Behavioral Center. I have now worked in LaGrange for 5 years./ Paulette: I have worked in Lagrange for 27 years,
Q: Who is the most interesting person you’ve met here in our community?
Haley: I am blessed to have married into an amazing family. So for this question I am going to say Gurald Kemp. He is my Husbands Grandfather and anyone who knows him will only say kind words about him. I love how invested he has been in his family and how well he continues to support everyone and stay involved. He is truly one of a kind./ Paulette: This is such a hard question! I honestly must refer to my friend and colleague, Marcia Brock. She has integrity, serves in our community, gives to others freely, encourages others, and is one of the funniest people I know! She has also been my rock and encourager through some tough business days!
Q: What current or former local business makes you the most nostalgic about our community?
Haley: Charlie Josephs- I spent many days there after high school with my now husband, Cody. It holds so many sweet memories and of course the food is delicious! We love taking our daughter, Charlie there and sharing these memories with her./ Paulette: Taste of Lemon has always been one of my favorite restaurants, and the food reminds me of homecooked meals from my childhood.
Q: What is your favorite thing or something unique about our community?
Haley: My favorite thing about our community is the addition of the Thread. I love that it gives everyone an easy, safe, and accessible way to stay healthy and access local businesses. We have spent many mornings and afternoons walking the thread, going to the playground, and stopping at a local coffee shop for a treat and coffee. / Paulette: I love downtown Lagrange. I love the shops, restaurants, lights, parades, special events and running into your friends and neighbors at every turn.
Q: If you could choose anyone that is alive today and not a relative; with whom would you love to have lunch? Why? And where locally would y’all meet for this lunch?
Haley: I would choose Greg Hanley. This is not going to be a common household name for anyone unless you are in the field of ABA. All of my coworkers will hopefully appreciate this answer as we base many of our clinical decisions on his research and development in our field. Greg Hanley is really changing the ABA field for the better, and I would highly encourage anyone to research the work he has done to better the lives of those with challenging and severe behavior and their families. If I had to take him anywhere in LaGrange for lunch I would probably choose Taste of Lemon, you can’t beat the southern, homecooked food and atmosphere. / Paulette: It would have to be Priscilla Shirer. It is a running joke that she and I are secretly “besties”. I have participated in so many of her Bible Studies that I feel like I know her, so surely, she knows me! I would take her to Venucci’s for an excellent lunch. She is knowledgeable, relatable, and extremely funny.
For Fun
Q: What is one of your favorite movies? TV shows?
Haley: This is a hard one for me because I think my answer is always changing, but I would probably say “Friends”! It always makes me laugh no matter how many times I have seen the episodes. I also remember watching episodes with my mom as I got older, so it feels like comfort./ Paulette: One of my all-time favorite TV Shows is Parenthood. I love the family dynamics and the raw sense that families can love each other, and it isn’t always perfect. I also feel that the portrayal of their high functioning son with ASD is enlightening. While every child with ASD is different, this show highlights some of the struggles and sometimes “you have to laugh so you don’t cry kind of days” that the parents of a child with ASD encounter on a daily basis.
Q: What would you rate a 10 out of 10?
Haley: One of my favorite places to stop by when I have a minute is Circa Antiques. Their coffee is amazing. and the shop has so many great finds that are unique and beautiful. I would say this is 10 out of 10 spot to check out in LaGrange. / Paulette: Haley Sears Kemp, you stole my answer. I am a huge fan of Circa! Makes me happy to walk in the door, smell the coffee, and look at all the pretties!
Q: Who inspires you to be better?
Haley: So many people in my life stick out for this question, but I think my husband, Cody inspires me the most. He is always reaching for new goals to better himself and supports our family so well. He is patient, kind, and loving and he makes me want to do better and be better for those around me. I am lucky to have him. / Paulette: My mom is the most giving person I know. She loves God and others above herself. It is obvious in her actions and her words. I have never met anyone that doesn’t love her. I joke that this has skipped a generation; however, I continue to be inspired by her loving, kind demeaner.
Q: Finally, what 3 words or phrases come to mind when you think of the word HOME?
Haley: Safe, family, and comfortable / Paulette: Comfortable, loving, secure