Nestled right in the heart of downtown Maynardville, you will find a new business, Mission Hope Pediatric Therapy, LLC. Back in September, founder and owner, Brittany Buckner, opened the doors to her dream business, doing exactly what she loves - helping others.

Brittany is from just up the road in Claiborne County but is now a local to Maynardville, moving to the county when she married her husband, Chase Buckner. The two met while attending the University of Tennessee where Brittany earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Special Education quickly following with her Masters Degree in Speech Language Pathology from East Tennessee State University. She brings plenty of knowledge with her from the seven years of education but also, four years of practice as a Speech Language Pathologist and Early Intervention/Elementary School Therapist.

Mission Hope was founded in honor of Brittany’s late cousins, Jordyn Hope and Jared Parker. They were her inspiration to become a speech therapist and Mission Hope was created to carry on their legacy.

When Brittany was starting college, she knew she wanted a career helping children and in the medical field, but she just wasn’t sure where she wanted to end up. At that time, Jordyn and Jared were in a tragic accident. Afterwards, they both participated in therapy day in and day out meeting goals and showing progress regularly.

Brittany shares, “I watched Jordyn find her voice with her therapist, and something about helping someone find that after such a tragic loss was so inspiring to me. I wanted to be that HOPE, I remember her therapist instilled in our family.” Their battles, hard work, and progress is what motivated her to follow her heart into the therapy career path. She knew that opening a practice would be the way for their light to shine on, hence, Mission Hope.

At Mission Hope, a wide variety of disorders are seen. Some areas of treatment include articulation and phonological disorders, receptive and expressive language disorders, feeding skills, social communications, and fluency/stuttering. There are speech, language, and feeding evaluations and therapies provided for youths in Union County and the surrounding areas. She would love to someday become a multidisciplinary practice with physical and occupational therapy as well. Most insurances and TennCare are accepted.

“Communication is an aspect in each of our lives, and I am thankful to have a career helping others find their voice,” Brittany says. She is a genuine person and tender by nature. She has a strong passion for her career, patients, and community. In the future she looks forward to planning some community fun days for children. While communication interventions are the main focus, Brittany also realizes the importance of balance and fun.

With the perfect middle ground for folks traveling from Claiborne, Union, and even Knox Counties, the office is located at 3925 Maynardville Highway, right beside the UT Extension office. Brittany always offers a free screening for new patients to help identify any needs for therapy. Office hours are Monday thru Friday, 10:00am to 5:30pm with lunch from *12:00 to 1:00pm.

If you, as a parent or guardian, are looking for a shoulder to lean on, reach out to Mission Hope. Brittany is a wonderful resource added to the community for our kids and parents. She knows that seeking therapy can seem scary, but her passion is deep and her drive to help as many families as she can is strong.