This past weekend, I had a lady tell me that we do great work and she really appreciates what we do for the community. I proceeded to tell her we were just doing our part like any business should when they have been blessed as much as we have. She went on to say that we should tell more people and promote ourselves more when we give back. I though to myself for a minute and told her we were just paying it forward and really didn’t need all the recognition. ‘
I’m telling you this story to qualify this point. I’m not posting this to tell anyone how great we are, but to help raise awareness and show people out there what great things can be access polished when people put their heart and soul into something.
Autism is a very real problem in this country. Research has been under funded for years and it is one of the biggest problems we face today. A few months ago, my friend Dave Hartline brought Joe King into my life. They were just setting up a golf outing for fund a cause near and dear to Joe’s heart. Golf Fore Autism. They approached us with a request for some hole sponsor signs, but like usual, if we set our minds to something, there is no way we aren’t going all out.
In the end, we donated 250 decals, 2- 4′ x 8′ banners, a custom printed table, 20 hole sponsor signs and stakes, and 12 contest / thank you plaques.
Why you ask? Paying it forward. Joe needed help, we had what it took to help him, and it is near and dear to our hearts.
Melinda Shroyer has been working for us here at Synergy for over 4 years and her youngest son Colin was diagnosed a while back. I get to see first hand how a mothers love can overcome anything. I also get to see how hard these families have to work just to keep things somewhat normal. In the end, there isn’t a lot we can do to help, but this little sign shop in Strasburg can at least work to raise awareness and support the people on the front lines that fight the fight every day.
I leave you with some pictures of the stuff we just finished and some facts about Autism.
Thanks!
Jim
• Autism now affects 1 in 68 children (1 in 42 boys). – www.AutismSpeaks.org
• Autism is the fastest growing serious developmental disability in the U.S.A. – www.AutismSpeaks.org
• Typical ASD behaviors include stereotyped actions such as hand flapping, body rocking, insisting on sameness, resistance to change and, in some cases,
aggression or self-injury. www.autismsciencefoundation.org
• Although there is no specific cause for Autism, Scientists have determined it is a genetically based condition. – www.autismsciencefoundation.org
• Autism costs a family $60,000.00 a year on average – www.AutismSpeaks.org
• Boys are nearly 5 times more likely to have Autism (1 in 42 boys and 1 in 189 girls). – www.AutismSpeaks.org
• Although it’s unsure if the environment may trigger Autism, beliefs that vaccines may cause Autism have since been disproven. – www.autismsciencefoundation.org
• Autism was first described by Dr. Leo Kanner in 1943 in children who showed a marked lack of interest in other people, but a highly unusual interest in the
inanimate environment. – www.autismsciencefoundation.org
• No two people with Autism are alike – www.nationalautismassociation.org
• About 40% of children with Autism do not speak. Others might speak but not until later in childhood. – www.nationalautismassociation.org
• Autism is a bio-neurological developmental disability that generally appears before the age of 3. www.nationalautismassociation.org
• Autism itself does not affect life expectancy, but the mortality risk is twice as high as the general population, due to drowning and other accidents. –
www.nationalautismassociation.org
• People with Autism also suffer from other medical conditions such as: Allergies, Asthma, Epilepsy, Digestive Disorders, Sleeping Disorders, Etc. –
www.nationalautismassociation.org
• Some children with ASD speak only single words or repeat certain phrases over & over (echolalia) – Nation Institute Of Mental Health
• Children with ASD may: dislike touch or feel of clothing, experience pain from sounds, or have no reaction to intense cold or pain – www.nimh.nih.gov
• Approximately 10% of people with ASD have special “savant” skills, such as Dustin Hoffman in the film “Rain Man” – www.helpguide.org
• The most effective treatments are applied behavioral analysis (ABA) and occupational speech and physical therapy – www.autismsciencefoundation.org
• All children with Autism can benefit from early intervention and some may gain skills to be able to attend a mainstream school – www.autismsciencefoundation.org