Posted by Abigail Beal on Nov 01, 2007 under Walking, Autism, Causes, Athletic Events |
Connor Hardin, a 5-year-old boy in Chandler, Arizona asked his mother if family and friends could do something to help his cousin instead of giving him birthday gifts thi syear. They asked the 70 guests attending his birthday party for Target gift cards and donations for the Southwest Autism Research and Resource Center.
According to his grandmother, his mother asked him if he didn’t mind not getting any presents, but Connor said that he already had “plenty.” The Hardin family will hold the special birthday party on Saturday, November 3rd in Tumbleweed Park.
The Hardin family will join others on Sunday, November 4th for the Walk for Autism in Tempe.
Source: azcentral.com
TeamAutism.org is a new organization with the mission “to benefit local individuals and families affected by autism in the Oklahoma City area. The goal of Team Autism is to increase funding to support the Edmond Family Center for Autism while promoting fitness and healthy lifestyles.” Edmond Family Center for Autism is a partner organization of TeamAutism.org. TeamAutism.org is located in Oklahoma City, OK and the Edmond Family Center for Autism is located in Edmond, OK, with a support group at the Edmond Library.
TeamAutism.org trains first-time walkers or runners for marathon events. Each walker or runner trains in honor of a local person with autism. TeamAutism.org was started by Alan and Stacey Danielson. The Danielson’s son was diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome in 2005.
Stacey ran a marathon with the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Team in Training program 9 years ago. The program helped her through the training process to run the marathon and also to raise money for leukemia. When Alan searched for an organization to run a marathon and raise money for autism, he discovered that this did not exist. TeamAutism.org was then created by the Danielsons.
The Edmond Family Center for Autism began as an online support group in Edmond called Parents of Autistic Children. But it has grown with the needs of the community. The group hopes to educate, provide support and raise awareness about autism.
TeamAutism.org has put together a team of five runners to participate in the Honolulu (HI) Marathon on December 9, 2007. The runners each need to raise a minimum of five thousand dollars to participate and are still fundraising.
Sources: TeamAutism.org, NewsOK.com
Posted by Abigail Beal on Aug 16, 2007 under Autism, Causes, 5 Ks, Athletic Events |
Saturday, August 18th, the 5k Beach Challenge for Autism will be held in Ocean City, New Jersey. The race was created by Tara Prindible, 26 of Cherry Hill, NJ and her friends.
Funds raised from the 5k event will benefit the autism charity Autism Speaks to be used for autism research. Prindible was inspired to create the event through her experiences in her position as a financial planner for First Financial Group of Mass Mutual in Bala Cynwyd, PA. Some of their clients include families with children with autism.
The 5k Beach Challenge for Autism starts at the 34th Street Beach in Ocean City at 8 a.m. on Saturday. It will proceed south past 49th Street. T-shirts and goodie bags will be given to the first 250 runners registered. The event have professional timing and is sanctioned by USA Track & Field.
Source: CourierPostOnline.com
Sara’s Beach Walk will be held September 20th through September 22nd on the Grand Strand beaches of Myrtle Beach, North Myrtle Beach and Garden City in South Carolina. The three-day, 45 mile beach walk will raise money for SOS Health Care, Inc., SOS Children’s Village and Sara Goodwin Memorial Foundation. The 45 mile beach walk also includes a 5 mile walk and a one mile walk. Funds will also be used to train therapy dogs for austic children.
The Sara Goodwin Foundation honors Steven Goodwin’s late wife. Goodwin is the Chief Executive Officer of Hard Rock Park. The charity was announced on Tuesday, July 24th 2007.
“Sara and I loved walking along the beach. As for most of you, it was the one place where we could go to escape the hustle of our daily lives. It was a place where we found peace together. I can think of no better way to honor Sara’s memory than by walking the length of the Grand Strand,” Steven Goodman (quoted from Sara’s Beach Walk website)
Source: Sara’s Beach Walk
Posted by Abigail Beal on Jul 09, 2007 under Autism, Fundraising Ideas, Cycling, Athletic Events |
When Matt Will graduated from college earlier this year, he decided to take on an ambitious project with a purpose: to pedal more than 4,000 miles and raise money for autism research.
He rode from his parent’s home in Fountain Hills, California to the Jersey Shore, New Jersey. About 4,176.9 miles if you want to be exact about it. Will raised more than $10,000 for Autism Research & Resource Center, a Pheonix, Arizona charity. The majority of his pledges were per mile.
Motivation and enthusiasm carried Will for his journey. He truly lacked experience at long-distance bike riding. He admits that the majority of his bike riding experience previously consisted of taking his bike on short rides and “feasting on Burger King”.
Will set out for the Jersey Shore on April 29th. There were some challenges along the way, a blown tire and learning that energy drinks really do refuel you.
“I know I can take from this the confidence that I can do anything,” Will said. “As long as I’m willing to work hard, everything’s going to work out.”
Source: East Valley Tribune.com
