Thanks to Empress for all here awareness..April is Autism

[Jonathan]

Just wanted to say Thank You to Gwen for all you do for the awareness and dedication for those with Autism. April is National Autism Month so I wanted to say keep on going strong and keep the haunt going for such a great cause.

I will see you at HAuNTcon and I have more pix of Ally as well.

Keep up the great work for your cause, it is appreciated by many who have children, have it, or know others with Autism.

[xxxdirk]

My niece is an 20 something with pretty severe autism. It really takes a very special person to raise a child with it. Thank God for parents like Gwen and my Bro.


Looking forward to seeing you Gwen!

[MDKing]

Definitely, it's a really good thing you're doing and I'm sure it makes a huge difference to those you mean to support!

Keep up the great work....

Allan

[Empressnightshade]

I must say that this thread TOTALLY surprised me! I have so much info and things to say about Autism. But, I never do here because I figured no one was interested. I now see that I was wrong and I apologize.

Yes! April IS Autism Awareness Month, so I'll leave you all with two fact:

Fact #1 - The CDC (Center for Disease Control) now states that their previous finding were incorrect. Autism does not affect 1 in 166 births as what they once thought. They have now discovered it effects 1 in 150 births. That means approximately 1.5 million Americans have some form of Autism.

Fact #2 - Autism is 4 times more prevalent in males than in females

I could go on and on, but I won't. I love to talk about this Spectrum Disorder -- how it has changed my life and how my son and I together have changed many others.

ShadowBox Theatre Company (my nonprofit) became new members of our Chamber of Commerce. Yesterday was their BBQ Luncheon. Each new member was called to the podium to have a few words to say. Keeping it short is hard for me when talking about something I'm so passionate about. So, I quickly mentioned the nonprofit and our work PLUS our haunt. Then it slipped out that our theme this year is "Psycho Killer Klowns." You should have heard the laughter go around the room. It was so funny to them that the main speaker's first comment was about Psycho Killer Klowns, as well, which of course, everyone laughed and looked at me.

If you'd like to know more about Autism, may I suggest these two websites?:

Autism Society of America
http://www.autism-society.org

Center for Disease Control
http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/

Thanks, J for starting this thread and remembering Autism! Thanks to all who remember it, as well. If anyone would like to chat with me concerning Autism, please do not hesitate to send me a PM.

[Rachel]

I must say that this thread TOTALLY surprised me! I have so much info and things to say about Autism. But, I never do here because I figured no one was interested.

Empress - we all have obviously joined this forum for our passion for Halloween. Many times our passions for other things in life cross paths - for instance you use your haunt as a fundraiser to support autism awareness. I hope that no one ever feels like they have to hide other life passions simply because this isn't a board dedicated to autism (or whatever the passion may be). I think part of the haunting community should be that we are supportive of each other in our Halloween hobby and other hobbies or life in general. This is why threads like this or threads asking for thoughts/prayers when one is going through a rough time is perfectly acceptable in my opinion.

That said, I worked for one of the largest national non-profits for three years as a fundraiser. Sponsorships, promoting awareness, education, fundraising, etc etc were all part of my job and if I can ever provide you with advise or if you ever need my help feel free to call on me.

I have to admit I don't know much about autism (I don't have children either) but there is a little boy down the street who has autism. He likes to ride his bike by my house at Halloween and watch all the effects. He is also fascinated by my driveway (he likes to ride up and down it - and that's completely fine). He's very sweet and I'm thankful I've gotten to know him and his family over the years.

Best of luck. Please wish me luck - my passion is animal rescue and I'm bottle feeding 4 kittens right now. I have 3 of the 4 eating solid food and one is holding out on me! I'm tired of being covered in formula! haha. :shock: