FOCUS Festival For Autism/You Can Help

FOCUS Festival for Autism

Autism-Friendly Family Fun

Every year, FOCUS Center for Autism holds its FOCUS Festival for Autism, a safe, family-friendly carnival that attracts over 300 individuals.

Old Fashioned Fun

Food - Games – Pony Rides – Petting Zoo – Eurobungy – Music -Teacup Raffle

FOCUS Festival for AUTISM is a place where kids on the Autism Spectrum can:

·         Be themselves and enjoy the Festival safely and independently.

·         Socialize with peers in a fun and judgment-free atmosphere. 

·         Families can kick back and have a good time.

 The Festival’s environment supports the needs of children on the Autism Spectrum.

Ample opportunities for sensory integration are provided while, at the same time, preventing sensory overload by eliminating activities with bright lights and loud noises, as you might find at a typical carnival.

Get Your Message Heard

Become a Donor or Vendor at the next FOCUS Festival for Autism. The Festival takes place on June 7, 2014 from 12-4 PM. Past participants have included: The Litchfield County Autism Spectrum Association (LACASA), Coldwell Banker, Collinsville Savings Society, Long’s Automotive, Dynamic Auto Works, Spirit Horse Therapeutic Riding, Roses for Autism, Star Winds, The Canton Lions Club, Guida’s Dairy, Kohl’s Cares Hometown Partnerships and K21 Kidstrong Foundation.  

FOCUS Center for Autism is a 501(c)(3) organization. Your contribution is tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law. 

How You Help

FOCUS Festival for Autism is one of our major fundraising events supporting our successful Extended Day Treatment Program and Summer Social Skills Immersion Program.

Please help by becoming a vendor at the FOCUS Festival for Autism.  Thank you for considering this request.

Contact

Colleen Burns at colleen.burns@focuscenterforautism.org or Kim Grehn at kim.grehn@focuscenterforautism.org.    (860) 693-8809

Insurance Help for Autism Treatment

JPMorgan, other employers move to cover costly autism therapies

Reuters reports that companies like JP Morgan and United Technologies are now helping their families dealing with Autism. The cost for therapies can run over $60,000 a year. Total cost over the lifetime of a person with Autism can run as high as $2.3 million. Insurance companies have been hesitant to cover therapies because of those costs but, there is evidence that thinking is changing.

Therapies that help with social skills and job skills can bring people on the spectrum to their full potential. I work for FOCUS Center for Autism. We work with children to do just that. Some of our children go on to college. Others, with supports, find jobs. The therapies are expensive. Having insurance cover some of those costs will give hope to these families.

Winning that Grant

Questions I'm Most Often Asked about Winning Foundation Grants

I like this article by Martin Teitel about grant making. His advice about keeping it fresh hits home. The tendency is to write the same thing over and over when describing our non-profit. Custom tailoring the language to appeal to the grantor in order to stand out makes sense. Martin Teitel's three C's will help cut through to the grantor. Make it easy to read and to the point.

1. Clear means you eliminate jargon
2. Concise means you don't go one letter over the prescribed limit
3. Compelling means you let ideas do the work

Martin Teitel is is the author of The Ultimate Insider's Guide to Winning Foundation Grants: A Foundation CEO Reveals the Secrets You Need to Know. He has worked in the world of nonprofits for 45 years.

The article appeared in Guidestar's Newsletter.