Autism walk 2008

On Saturday April 12th, some friends and I will be walking in the Georgia Walk for Autism. We are hoping to raise money for all families that have been touched by autism, but more personally, we will be walking for a very special little boy named Dylan (photo below). His mother, Elizabeth, is our team leader and wrote the letter below. We would appreciate any donations and if you could forward the letter to anyone you know who might be willing to help us reach our goal. We would love to have some of you join the team and walk with us!



Dear family and friends,

Again this year, we are proud to be a part of the Atlanta Walk for Autism. But for me, this is more than fundraising, this is life. This is hope. This is for my son, Dylan. If you don’t believe in miracles, let me tell you about the past year for us.

One year ago when Dylan was diagnosed with autism, he was completely non-verbal, couldn’t use a fork and barely played with his toys. Today, after a year of therapy, some diet intervention and lots of love, Dylan sings “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.” He knows his colors, his ABCs and can say a six-word sentence. Change is possible.

The numbers are now staggering—1 in 150 children will be diagnosed with autism. But for every one of those numbers, there is a unique child with his or her own special gifts, a bright smile and a loving heart. Behind every number is a mom just like me who lives on the edge every day hoping for a miracle, an answer or a cure.

But we need to know more about the mysteries of autism. It is one of the least researched childhood developmental conditions. That’s why we’re asking for your help. Please support us in the 2008 Autism Walk. Help Autism Speaks and The Marcus Institute make change and miracles happen for more families like ours. We can do this together, and who knows what great things lie ahead for Dylan. Only time will tell so for now we’ll rejoice in his singing, his smile and his open heart.

Last year, our family walked in honor of Dylan and thanks to your generosity raised more than $2,000, This year we have 9 people on our team and have raised our team goal to $10,000. I believe we can do it. It’s easy to donate online, visit http://www.walknowforautism.org/site/c.puIWL9MQJpE/b.3623267/. You can search for our team name: Walking for Hope or my name, Elizabeth Schwartz. Please forward this on to anyone you know who might like to help us reach our goal.

Thank you from a very grateful mom,

Elizabeth


You know you can't resist this face!!!