We interupt your farm plowing to bring you an important announcement about hope!
Posted by SugeyCE on January 20, 2010 under Standard | 
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Vote to help a child with autism
“For hope is but the dream
of those that wake.”
~Matthew Prior, 18th Century Poet
Autism is the #1 Developmental Disability in the country yet it is incredibly underfunded and still poorly understood. While money is going into research to find possible causes, 1 in 110 children in the US and 1 in 70 boys are all waiting for us to understand them and help them and their families in a real way. Right now, you have a chance to spread hope to families in the US by supporting the National Autism Association in the Chase Community Giving Challenge on Facebook (www.voteautismnow.com).
As I stated in a previous blog autism is a politicized topic and the groups that represent our cause are certainly privy to being both revered and hated at the same time based on stances they take. This is not one of the times where our community can afford to be quiet and not help our children. Before you choose to not vote for NAA because you might not agree with a specific stance etc… I want you to know what you’d be choosing not to vote for. The money Chase is giving away would go towards NAA’s three-by-three plan:
- Direct Assistance: Doubling the number of grants we are able to award to families in need of financial assistance for their children’s treatment and therapies. Significantly increasing access to lifesaving equipment for individuals at risk of wandering-related death.
- Education: Production of conference workshops, multiple audio and video PSAs and free toolkits addressing the issues of abuse in schools, wandering, safety and family support. Hosting three national conference events to educate clinicians and families on the latest advances in research, treatment and prevention.
- Advocacy: Successfully advocating for the most relevant scientific research, policies to ensure access to medical care, coverage for medical and safety devices, services and support over the life span, and protection from abuse.
Please take the time to watch this powerful video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EzDQyKgJYeo
Your two second vote can make the difference in a family getting a “helping hand” to get intervention for their children, provide them safety devices, services, and medical care. It can help a family or professional discover the most current information about the condition so that we don’t have to continue to hold off on what this generation of children needs while we wait endlessly for our leaders to argue about the possible causes for it! And perhaps most importantly, your 2 second point and click can make all the difference in a family not losing their child this year for a wandering related death.
Last summer our severely affected child wandered from our home for what was the longest 15 minutes in my husband’s and my life. We ran out of our home barefoot on the hot summer pavement–our hearts racing, tears streaming down our faces as images of his beautiful face and laughter flash before us. The sweet sound of his voice awakened me from the worst nightmare I have ever experienced and as soon as I had him in my arms and held him close we got in the car went to Lowes and turned our home into a fort! We were lucky that years ago we let our neighbors know about our son’s condition and that we live in a quiet-low traffic neighborhood. The number of parents that are losing their children with autism to wandering related deaths is sky-rocketing and you can make a huge difference by a simple vote.
So take a break from Mafia Wars, Cafe World, Sorority Life, Pirates, Farmville and whatever other Zynga addiction you have on Facebook and vote to keep the hope alive in the life of a child with autism!
“Chase the Hope at http://voteautismnow.com
