Favorite Fun Idea

Have fun with setting up a puzzle to put together in the breakroom, but to make it a great fundraising idea - have people pay a penny or other determined amount for each piece they are able to put into the puzzle. The puzzle piece is the symbol for Autism and puzzles can be very addicting when someone wants to see it finished. A five hundred piece puzzle could raise five dollars at a penny a piece.

Maybe make it more challening and charge each time a piece does not go where one thought it would?

Fundraising Ideas for Autism

The easiest way to get new materials for your local library or Autism organization's library would be to contact the authors of new materials and ask them to donate them on behalf of your organization of choice.

In-kind donations for books could also be asked from bookstores, if it is difficult to locate how to contact an author for particular materials.

Maybe you could look into becoming a member, as dues and membership fees often help to support organizations to keep their doors open.

Cash donations in even the smallest of amounts are always welcome by any organization supporting Autism.

NOW FOR THE REALLY FUN AND UNIQUE IDEAS -

Maybe you have co-workers that you could challenge to help with the cause?

Who can collect the most bottles and cans to turn in and donate?

Get your company to support Autism causes by matching your donation. It will feel good and look like you are giving twice as much.

Ask your company to sponsor your Autism organization through United Way.

Have a fundraising bake sale at the office and donate the proceeds.

If you have a birthday coming up - maybe instead of getting gifts that just are not you - ask people to donate to your Autism cause.

Get friends to join together and participate in your local Walk for Autism - getting exercise, having fun and doing it with friends is the way to go.

Find something you enjoy and turn it into a way to help a great cause!

Autism Society of Maine's Library

In my last posting, I mentioned that I am a volunteer fundraiser for the Autism Society of Maine. ASM's program that I enjoy fundraising for is their library.

ASM's library is full of information about Autism, but with the influx of new knowledge and materials that are available today - it is very hard for ASM to keep up with the costs of obtaining new materials.

The Autism Society of Maine is dear to me as that is where I did my internship for my Mental Health and Human Services degree, but I encourage you to find your own local organizations and help them raise funds and helping to spread Autism Awareness.

FEELING GOOD

Doing good for others makes me feel good. I feel great each time I have been able to help even in the smallest of ways.

What have you done recently that has made you feel good right to the center of your being?

I volunteer for the Autism Society of Maine. I am currently a volunteer fundraiser obtaining donations for the upcoming "FAMILY RETREAT."

This retreat is one where families from all over the state of Maine can meet and spend the weekend together.

What does this weekend mean to these families?

It means that no one will look at you and think that your child is spoiled if they have a tantrum.

It means that no one will think twice about your child walking around on their toes.

It means that no one will judge you for letting your child eat the same thing every meal that they are there.

It means that they will be amongst friends that suffer or have suffered from some of the same problems you have faced but in different ways.

I am feeling good trying to put together door prizes for the parents of these children so that they may be able to have another short break from their life of Autism.

DOING GOOD FOR OTHERS - Lesson 2

Lesson #2 - The diagnosis of Autism is now 1 in 110 here in the United States. Here in the state of Maine there is a prevalence rate of 1 in 67.

Now, back to doing good for others -

Where I live in Maine, there is the Autism Society of Maine.

I became aware of this very small nonprofit organization when I was a Certified Nursing Assistant for a family that had nonverbal twin boys, each having a diagnosis of Autism, but both completely different from the other.

Working with these children, I had to become educated on what Autism was and what to expect.

What I learned is that no two people with Autism will ever be the same as it is a "spectrum" disorder. People with Autism are just as unique and individual as you and I are.

"How was learning about Autism doing good for others," you may be asking yourself.

I was able to make myself more educated so that the parents of these boys were more secure in that their children were safe when with me, that I had the knowledge to be patient and to keep the house as calm as possible even in crisis as one child in crisis could set the other off.

I was aware in listening to co-workers that would work with the children as well so that their needs and safety were met as well.

Doing Good for Others - Lesson 1

Do you ever find yourself thinking about what you are doing with your life?

Do you question how you can feel good about something you have done?

I have and what I have found is that my mother was right. It is better to give than receive. So now I try to give my time, my knowledge and sometimes some of my money to something that I believe in.

You must be living in a box if you have not heard about Autism. Autism is EVERYWHERE. Right now, April is Autism Awareness month. Autism has been in the news due to the ever rising prevalence.

Jenny McCarthy, a former PLAYBOY playmate is pictured above with her son Evan, can you tell that Evan has a diagnosis of Autism?

Doug Flutie, a famous football player has a son with Autism.

Dan Marino, Hall of Fame quarterback for the NFL team Miami Dolphins also has a son with Autism.

Sylvester Stallone also has a son that was diagnosed with Autism as a child.

So lesson one on making yourself aware is Autism strikes boys four times more than girls.

ACT FOR AUTISM

Easter Seals wants us to ACT FOR AUTISM.

April is Autism AWARENESS MONTH - what have YOU learned to make yourself AWARE?

Some of my favorites sites that tells about Autism are:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LByLBXLk2us

The above video was made by 5th graders for Autism Awareness Month - I enjoy watching them dance around with various colored gloves on their hands and a lot of movement of their hands. I find it ironic that one possible sign of Autism is hand flapping.

http://angelfire.com/pa5/as/autismunit/AutismAwarenessforKids.htm

This site has a great learning unit for teaching kids about Autism.

http://autism-society.org

This site is the one to go to for national information on Autism and can help you find a local chapter for your state or area of the United States.

http://asmonline.org

This site is the Autism Society of Maine's site. Here they have information about their library and upcoming events.

Facts about Autism

Today I would like to give you some alarming facts about Autism.

1. Autism is now considered the fastest growing developmental disorder in the United States.

2. As many as 1.5 million Americans today are believed to have some form of Autism.

3. Based on statistics from the U.S. Department of Education and other governmental agencies, autism is growing at a rate of 10 -17% per year. At these rates, it is estimated that the prevalence of Autism could reach four million Americans in the next decade.

http://autismmclean.org/understandingautism/autismfacts

I wonder how long it will be until I have a family member affected by Autism. With these alarming numbers, I want to be ready to help those I love by knowing as much as I can.

I ask that everyone please make yourself knowledgable about Autism, so that we can create a safe world for people with this diagnosis to line in.

ASM

The Autism Society of Maine has a library that contains videos, DVDs, books, magazine, scholarly journals and CDs that all have some tie in to the diagnosis of Autism.

This library is very helpful in finding older information, but not so helpful in new information as there has been such an influx of information over the past few years as the number of children with Autism has increased.

Now is the time for people to act and help ASM in updating their materials in the library.

How do I do that, you may ask.

Well, remember I want you to feel good about doing something for someone else and what may be right for one person, may not be the right thing for another. We are all individuals and unique just as everyone that has a diagnosis of Autism is.

The Autism Society of Maine could make their library and resources more current with ALL of our help. Any donation that is received by ASM is acknowledged in the quarterly newsletter and as materials get reviewed, there are often write-ups about the new library resources as well.

The easiest way for me to feel good is to contact an author requesting a free copy on behalf of ASM. Just recently I emailed Sharon Ruben author of AWAKENING ASHLEY to see if she would consider donating a copy to ASM. I had a positive response back within hours of my request. It was so easy and didn't cost me any money or much time.

In-kind donations could also be requested from bookstores, if it is difficult to locate how to contact an author for particular materials.

Maybe you would like to become a member of ASM for a nominal fee? You would then receive the quarterly newsletters that are always so informative in what is happening in the Autism community in Maine.

If you don't want a membership, maybe you would like to sponsor a school or family that would benefit with learning more about with ASM has to offer.

The ladies at ASM are always ready to take cash donations in which you can designate which program you would like to support. NO donation is too small for ASM.

Maybe you have co-workers that you could challege to help with the cause?

Who can collect the most bottle and cans to turn in and donate the funds to ASM?

Maybe have fun with setting up a puzzle to put together in the break room, but people have to pay a penny for each piece they are able to put into the puzzle? The puzzle piece is the symbol for Autism and puzzles can be very addicting when someone wants to see it finished. A five hundred piece puzzle would then raise five dollars to support ASM's libary. Or maybe you want to charge the penny a piece for each piece that is tried and does not fit into the puzzle? Certainly that would be more challenging.

Get your company to support this cause with a matching donation. It will feel good and look like you are giving twice as much.

Ask your company to sponsor the Autism Society of Maine through the United Way.

Have a fundraising bake sale at the office and donate the proceeds to ASM.

It is not hard to raise twenty-five dollars and we all know that you can generally purchase a nice hardcover book for that much!

IF you have a birthday coming up - maybe instead of getting gifts that just are not you - ask people to donate to ASM. Think of the gratification of seeing all your family and friends being listed in the quarterly newsletter for their donations in honor of you.

When I think of Maine, even the United States, I think of strong family bonds and how even our small communities have the feel of family even though we are not related at all.

Is everyone in your office or home trying to become healthier? Join the WALK for AUTISM. Collect donations and walk together. Meet families that are affected by Autism.

Enjoy the fun that is always had at one of ASM's events.

You will feel good around all the other people that are out there living and enjoying life because of what they are doing to support their Autism community.

I urge you, even challenge you to do something to make you as happy as I am.

Doing Good for Others

Do you ever find yourself thinking about what are you doing with your life?

Do you question how you can feel good about something you have done?

I have and what I have found is that my mother was right. It is better to give than receive. So now I try to give my time, my knowledge and sometimes some of my money to something that I believe in.

You must be living in a box if you have not heard about Autism. Autism is everywhere. Right now, April is Autism Awareness month. Autism has been in the news due to the ever rising prevalence. Jenny McCarthy, a former PLAYBOY playmate has a son with Autism; Doug Flutie, a famous football player has a son with Autism as well; Dan Marino, Hall of Fame quarterback for the NFL team Miami Dolphins also has a son with Autism. Sylvester Stallone also has a son that has been diagnosed with Autism as a child.

The diagnosis of Autism is now 1 in 110 children here in the United States. At this rate, eventually we all will be affected by this diagnosis.

Now, I bet you are thinking, "How can anyone feel good about Autism?"

I don't feel good about Autism, but I feel good about what I can do to help people that have been affected by Autism. I can help in very small ways that come across as huge to those in need.

Where I live in Maine, there is the Autism Society of Maine. I became aware of this nonprofit organization when I was a Certified Nursing Assistant for a family that had nonverbal twin boys with a diagnosis of Autism. Working with these children, I had to become educated on Autism and what to expect. What I learned was that no two people with Autism will ever be the same as it is a "spectrum" diagnosis. People with Autism are just as unique and individual as you and I are.

So maybe I won't cure Autism, but even sharing what I know is helping to educate you, the reader in being more aware of the diagnosis and the needs of those that work with Autism or live with Autism every day. Back to feeling good The Autism Society of Maine's mission is to serve "individuals with autism and their families, professionals, and communities by providing education, advocacy, referrals, and resource development. The Society provides current information in support of informed choice of treatments and services." So ASM is there to help anyone with any questions that they may have regarding Autism. That is great because I had so many questions when I first became aware of this diagnosis. I wanted to know what someone with Autism looked like. Was it something that was contagious? I learned that someone with Autism doesn't look any different from you or me. And NO it is not contagious. The more I learned - the more I wanted to learn. I started working with more children with the diagnosis as their respite provider, their CNA and their Behavioral Health Professional. I worked with children that were verbal and those that were nonverbal. I worked with children that were aggressive or those that injured themselves and those that were so mellow that they would put anyone to sleep. Each and every child is different, yet they all have the same diagnosis of Autism. So where does the good come in? The good is the feeling I get when I am now doing something for ASM. They provided me with what I needed in a time when I craved knowledge of something new. Now I look for ways to give to them. How can you feel so good? That is something I will share in my next post.

FACTS ABOUT AUTISM

Today I would like to give you some alarming facts about Autism. 1. Autism is now considered the fastest growning developmental disorder in the United States. 2. As many as 1.5 million Americans today are believed to have some form of Autism. 3. Based on statistics from the U.S. Department of Education and other governmental agencies, autism is growing at a rate of 10-17% per year. At these rates, it is estimated that the prevalence of autism could reach four million Americans in the next decade. http://autismmclean.org/understandingautism/autismfacts I wonder how long will it be until I have a family member affected by Autism. With these alarming numbers, I want to be ready to help those I love by knowing as much as I can. I ask everyone to please make themselves as knowledgeable as possible about Autism, so that we can create a safe world for people with this diagnosis to live in.

ENGLISH COMP II

Here is where I will be doing my blog posts as this is one I have had already set up for another class that I took.