This year’s Parents for Purple campaign for The Darlington Fund will run until Oct. 27. Learn more about our pre-kindergarten parent representative, Lauren (Muller) Stone ('02).
What is your connection to Darlington?
I attended Darlington as a day student from K-12 (Class of 2002). My husband, Ryals, and I are parents to Jack (third grade) and Harrison (pre-K).
Where are you from and where do you live?
I grew up in Rome. Ryals is from Blakely, a small town in Southwest Georgia. After graduating from the University of Georgia, I moved to Atlanta and Ryals attended the Cumberland School of Law at Samford University. We currently live in Rome near Stonebridge golf course.
What do you do?
I own my own interior design firm, LMS Designs. Ryals is a partner with the Stone Law Group, which has offices in Atlanta, Blakely and Rome.
What was your path to Darlington?
We lived in Atlanta for 10 years prior to moving to Rome. After our first son, Jack, was born, we wanted to move to a small town with a better sense of community and more laid back lifestyle. Ryals was actually the one who wanted to move to Rome despite not having grown up here! We knew we wanted to send our children to Darlington for the top-notch education and experience it would offer them. As an alum myself, it was an obvious choice!
What is your favorite part about Darlington?
The faculty and staff who make every day special for our kids.
How else are you involved at Darlington?
We love supporting our children's classes throughout the year with events such as lunchroom duty and hosting holiday celebrations at our home. Additionally, we always love donating to and attending the Purple Tie auction every year.
Why do you give to The Darlington Fund and why is giving back important to you?
Giving back to Darlington is so important to us because of what a special place it is. We know how lucky we are to be able to send our children here to get the best education around and have lots of fun along the way. We want to keep that legacy going for them and future generations to come.
What advice would you give to families new to Darlington?
Get to know your kids' classmates and their families. Be involved in all the wonderful activities offered throughout the year and you will definitely get the full Darlington experience!
To make a gift to The 2023-2024 Darlington Fund for Parents for Purple, please click here.
