I am now the Executive Director for Benhaven, a non-profit agency that supports children and adults on the autism spectrum. I am honored to be part of an organization recognized for the quality of its educational, residential and family supports services. We celebrated our 50th anniversary last year. We receive public funds but the certainty of these funds is less guaranteed than in the past. We have decided to apply for grants and to sponsor one fund raising event annually and it will be this walk to help us further meet the needs of our participants and their families. The proceeds will be used to fund community activities for our 42 residents so they can actively engage in exercise, adult education, and cultural events. We have found yoga to be particularly helpful for many residents and would like to have the financial ability to help more residents pay for classes. We will also used our raised funds to help the families we serve whose children with autism live at home. Many of these families need extra resources for educational supplies , transportation and some respite. We have also set a goal to increase the employment opportunities for our participants. Some who graduate from our school programs no longer qualify for public funds to help them find and train for jobs that they have the ability to perform. The money we raise will help pay for the staff support they may need for a short time to learn the job and acclimate to the work setting.
I hope you will be interested in contributing to this important work.
