Your Help Is Needed…
January 4, 2010
As you may know I have an eleven year old son on the autism spectrum. We are extremely lucky that Jackson has benefited from early intervention and is doing remarkably well in all aspects of life. And we’re also very lucky that he has been accepted by his teachers, classmates, and the many therapists who have helped him get to the point where he is now. We weren’t always so optomistic about his progress as there were a number of times getting these services took a lot of fighting for what he needed and spending months on waiting lists. I’m sure any of you with a special needs child understands what I’m talking about.
In 2005 I started what I thought would be a small awareness project of photographing people on the autism spectrum and getting a short narrative about the experiences of their families. I figured the exhibit might include about ten subjects and hang in a few local venues with very little attention. Well, I’ve never been accused of being psychic!
Over four years later, I find myself as the president of the board of directors for Stories of Autism. This past September we were granted non-profit status and began implementing many of out plans. We boiled the essence of our mission to just three words; awareness, acceptance, and inclusion, the three steps we feel are most vital to serving the autism community. Of course, we share a reality with thousands of orgaizations and millions of individuals working towards improving their corner of the universe – we need your help to fulfill our mission.
That said, today marks a very important day in the short history of Stories of Autism. We are launching our first fundraising campaign to help us with our mission. Just starting out, we need funding for some of the most basic services and items; web hosting, heated storage to protect our portraits when they’re not on exhibit, and ways to protect them in transit. It’s great that the project has been in such demand for exhibition but now more than half of all the portraits and story plaques are out of commission and in need of repair. We would like to have these portraits and plaques reprinted on a more durable medium. We found a company that can print our portraits on aluminum and the look is absolutely stunning! Though printing on aluminum is a little more expensive than the canvas we’ve been using, the portraits will be almost indestructable and will almost eleminate the need for repairs in the future, eliminating the constant cost of reprinting and frame repairs. We also have an outreach program we need to launch and begin to include photographers from around the globe who also believe in our mission. But in order to even begin all this work we need your help.
As a parent working devoting to raising autism awareness for not only his own child but for the millions of others on the autism spectrum, I’m asking yhou from my hneart to give what you can. Like most of you I am also affected by the current economic conditions and understand this is not an easy time to be asking for help. by giving what you can to help Stories of Autism’s mission. No donation is too small or too big and 100% of your donation will help fund the mission of Stories of Autism - awareness, acceptance, and inclusion.
Listed below and at www.storiesofautism.com are some of the ways you can give, including funding some of the items I mentioned above. You can even give your time by helping us find new exhibit venues and sponsors. However you choose help please know that I, my fellow board members, and everyone impacted by autism can’t possibly express the amount of our gratitude to you. You can’t imagine how much your actions can help!
I wish you all the best for the new year and you are welcome to contact me with any questions or concerns you may have. Charlie cc@cotugnophoto.com www.cotugnophoto.com
Please Note: Stories of Autism is currently in the process of obtaining tax exempt status as a non-profit corporation under the Internal Revenue Code 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Service. Once we receive approval we will notify you so that you will be able to receive a tax deductible contribution in the year of approval.
Sponsor One of Our Much Needed Items or Services!
One Year of Website Hosting: Help us to keep everyone informed about what’s happening with Stories of Autism. Donation amount: $475.00.
Preserve One of Our Portraits! The portraits included in Stories of Autism take a lot of abuse in their travels and are frequently damaged. We’ve discovered a company that can print all our portraits on aluminum and the look is absolutely stunning. And the best part is that they’re almost impossible to scratch or damage! Donation Amount: $395.00/portrait.
Fund A Story Plaque: Our current story plaques simply aren’t durable enough to withstand transportation and exhibition. We’ve found a sturdier solution that will last for years and look a whole lot nicer! Donation Amount: $40.00/plaque.
One Year of Heated Storage: When they’re not being exhibited, our portraits and equipment need a place to live! Donation Amount: $1,800.00
To donate using your credit card using PayPal, please click here. If you’d prefer to donate by check you may do so by making your check payable to Stories of Autism and sending it to:
Stories of Autism 11310 NE 177th Place, #237 Woodinville, WA 98072
For more information, please visit www.storiesofautism.com.
