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November 2009: ASCONN is
pleased to announce the recipients of the 2009 ASCONN Mini-Grant
program. In 2009 we were able to provide 24 families with financial
assistance to purchase safety and security items such as fencing, door
and window alarms, guards, child tracker/locator/ID systems, heavy duty
strollers, car seats and latches. This year’s recipients included two
unusual requests that were funded, one for scholarships for swimming
lessons (a necessary safety precaution when you live near the water or a
neighbor’s very inviting pool) and a training video for dentists to
provide them with information and practical tips on how to provide
appropriate dental care for our community. So many of our loved ones
with autism undergo traumatic experiences at the hands of well meaning
but uninformed dental offices and may never be able to go back and
receive appropriate dental care leading to major health and medical
issues later on in life. With appropriate training, it is hoped that
more dentist offices will be able to work with our families to provide
such needed services. Many thanks as always to our committee members who
read through piles of grant applications and made the very difficult
funding decisions. Many thanks as well to those whose donations made
this year’s awards possible. Special thanks to
Jacob’s Team
Foundation,
Lapine Associates, Inc., and especially Lizzie Tilden who dedicated
her Bat Mitzvah project to raising money for our Mini-Grant Program.
Applications for the 2010 program will be available in February, 2010.
April
2009:
ASCONN has a number of events,
activities and programs planned for April, Autism Awareness Month.
Saturday, April 4, 2009 Here’s a fun
way to celebrate Autism Awareness Month, expand your culinary knowledge,
support ASCONN and have a great evening all at the same time. Susan
Kelley-Delaine, Connecticut native and author of the best selling
Gluten-free, Casein-free cookbook “Balancing the Bowl” (and mother to a
son with autism), will prepare and serve recipes from her book along
with Jackie Weaver-Bey, chef and owner of the Little Green Cherry Tree
Catering Company.
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Come and enjoy good food, good
company and support a good cause. Saturday, April 4, 2009 from
7:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. Location to be announced. Suggested
donation for the evening is $35/person and will include dinner
and entertainment. All proceeds from the event will support
ASCONN, helping families walk the daily journey of life with
autism here in Connecticut. Mark your calendars and book your
child care now. Open to the public. Bring your friends and
family. For more information and to RSVP, please e-mail
recipesSpectrum@yahoo.com or visit
www.susandelaine.com. |
Saturday, April 4 (Trumbull), Saturday April 11 (CT Post Mall, Milford),
Saturday, April 18 (Meriden). Join us for the first three
Saturdays in April as we partner for a fourth year with the Westfield
Malls bringing information about autism, understanding of the disorder
and fun to the shopping public. Engaging displays about autism and
ASCONN’s role in supporting the Connecticut autism community, with face
painting, story time and more!
| This year, we are joined
by a very important partner –
Guard-a-Kid
- who will be on hand to aid parents with their unique line of safety
products, including their
SmartID Stick and
SmartID Band
bracelet – a high capacity USB flash drive that contains
secure software for storing emergency and medical information; an
invaluable tool for any child, but especially useful to the ASD
population. A great safety item for a trip to the mall, vacations, or
school field trips! |
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A portion of the sales
will be donated to the ASCONN Mini-Grant
Program which provides funding directly to Connecticut families for
safety and security items. For more information about Guard-A-Kid and
their products, go to www.guard-a-kid.com. Endorsed by Code Amber, the
largest international network for providing Amber Alerts. Volunteers for
the Westfield Mall events can call us at 888-453-4975 or
e-mail.
Wednesday April 8, 2009 is Autism Awareness at the State
Capitol in Hartford.
Join friends, families, policy makers, legislators and the autism
community as we bring autism awareness to the Connecticut State Capitol
on Wednesday, April 8, 2009. There will be a press conference and
breakfast in Room 310 at the State Capitol Building from 10:00 a.m. –
12:00 p.m. In the afternoon, there will be exhibition tables with
resources and information from the various non profits and agencies in
Connecticut that support the autism community.
This exhibition will be
located in the tunnel that connects the State Capitol to the Legislative
Office Building. Please mark your calendars and make arrangements to
attend. We need to show our legislators how large the autism community
is, that we are engaged, active and that we vote. Prior to April 8,
contact your local legislator and request that they attend the press
conference. Ask that they meet you there. Don’t know who your legislator
is or how to contact them? Click here.
If they can’t make it to the breakfast or you don’t see them at the
event, plan to visit their office after the press conference and have a
visit with them or with an aide. Leave a message that you were there and
that you expect them to support autism issues. We’ll have information at
the event about who your legislator is and how to find them in the
building.
Consider bringing your
children. Nothing is better than a personal face to an issue. Consider
bringing your typical siblings to learn about the legislative process
and how grass roots advocacy is what brings results. Now, more than
ever, we need to keep autism issues front and center and prevent losing
what we have worked so hard to gain over the last few years. Questions?
Call us at 888-453-4975 or e-mail.
Saturday, April 25, 2009:
19th Annual Statewide Conference on Autism.
“Social Thinking: Practical Applications for Developing Social Cognition
Skills”. Featuring the keynote presentation from Michelle Garcia winner,
M.A., CCC-SLP, and our “Speakers from the Spectrum” panel presentation,
“ASD Unplugged” providing varied insights into transitions and young
adult life with ASD. Great resources for professionals and parents from
our exhibitor displays; the largest autism bookstore in Connecticut with
hundreds of titles, awareness items – and the full selection of our
“Real Jewelry to Make a Real Difference” jewelry collection!
Registration materials and more information.
With thanks to our conference sponsors, Autism Spectrum Quarterly and
Met Desk!
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