Autism Awareness Horse

Autism Light #294 is the Horse Autism Awareness.

Autism Awareness was an 8 year old race horse from California. He was injured in a race on April 14, 2013, at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California and he had to be euthanized because of the extent of his injuries. Johnny Taboada owned Autism Awareness and gave him his name to draw attention to autism, because his 13 year old son Riley has autism. Autism Awareness is the first horse to be named an Autism Light and the horse's name will be placed on the Autism Light Memorial Roll today.

Autism Awareness was more than a horse to those who followed him and to his owner Johnny Taboada, who told Horse Racing Nation, "He has something we can't explain; the horse is here for a reason, and it's a bigger purpose than racing (Source)."

The Blood-Horse staff at BloodHorse.com wrote a tribute to Autism Awareness on their site and they described the horse in this way. 

The 8-year-old son of Tannersmyman out of Sharp Victor mare Lady Essex, was bred in California by Jim Eaton, Paul Arndt, Dave Marabela, and Mr. and Mrs. Terry Smith. Johnny Taboada purchased the colt for $1,000 at the 2006 California Thoroughbred Breeders' Association's Northern California yearling sale.

Named to help draw attention to autism, a cognitive development disorder from which Taboada's 13-year-old son suffers, the colt earned $356,732. Autism Awareness was trained by Genaro Vallejo for all of his 39 starts and held a record of 5-5-2.

Autism Awareness scored his biggest victories in the 2008 El Camino Real Derby (gr. III) and the 2009 Berkeley Stakes (gr. III). He also placed in the Governor's Handicap at Sacramento and the Bull Dog Stakes at Fresno. [Read more on BloodHorse.com: http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/78454/popular-runner-autism-awareness-dies#ixzz2aFlG7zo4]

After the race that caused his death, Johnny Taboada told Horse Racing Nation, "This is by far the saddest day of my racing career. Autism Awareness has always had a very special place in my heart. This is very hard to swallow, he was one of a kind (Source)."

Each race Autism Awareness was in he was able to raise awareness to the cause of autism by his name. May his life show other owners that the name of a race horse can have an impact on advocacy. Autism Awareness is a fitting Autism Light to represent horses around the world who are making a difference for autism, many through horse therapy. We expect he won't be the last horse to be an Autism Light.

Autism Light honors diverse heroes to the world of autism.

Read More

Frank Diaz

Autism Light #293 is Frank Diaz.

Frank Diaz is a 53 year old garbage truck driver for the City of Fresno, California. Greyson Kelly is a 4 year old boy with autism. Every Wednesday for the past two years, when Frank Diaz drove by Greyson's home on his garbage pickup route, the young boy would excitedly come out to see the big truck. Frank Diaz is an Autism Light both for how his weekly routine at work has brought joy to Greyson's life and for taking the time to show kindness by letting the boy sit in his garbage truck.

Here is a video of the news story that Brian Williams gave on the NBC Nightly News on Frank Diaz and his imapct on Greyson Kelly and his family.

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Barbara Anderson noted in an article for the Fresno Bee, that Greyson has demonstrated growth in his communication over the years of greeting the garbage truck delivery. His first word was "truck" and recently he had a breakthrough when he uttered his first sentence, which was, "I want truck (Source)."  

Chrissy Kelly says this about her autistic son's reaction when the garbage truck comes each week. "You see the way he reacts. He lights up, his entire body feels joy (Source)."

Greyson's mother, Chrissy Kelly, has a blog called Life With Greyson + Parker, in which she chronicles her families journey with autism. In an entry on her blog called, people are good, Chrissy Kelly wrote a letter to Frank Diaz thanking him for showing special attention to her son Greyson and letting him sit in his truck. The article went viral and was viewed by over 10,000 people in the first few days. Here is the closing paragraph of the letter Chrissy Kelly wrote:

Sometimes I worry-How will the world treat my boys? And today was a beautiful reminder that people are good-all because of you, Frank. I saw the way your face lit up with joy that my son put there and I was so proud and so honored and so humbled to be a part of such a magical moment. Sometimes I hear phrases like People are so stupid, or crazy or mean. To them I say - No they aren't. You haven't met Frank (Source).

Here is a video of the news story by KSEE 24 in Fresno about Frank Diaz making a difference in the life of Greyson Kelly and his family.

we are fresno

view on site

Special thanks to Frank Diaz for being an Autism Light. His gift of inspiration to the Kelly family shows us that someone can become an Autism Light when they least expect it, and even in the midst of doing one's daily job.

Autism Light honors diverse heroes to the world of autism.

Caption Settings

close

Font size:

Font type:

Serif Monospace (Courier)Serif (Times New Roman)Sans Serif Monospace (Lucida Console)Sans Serif (Arial/Helvetica)Casual (Dom Casual)Cursive (Comic Sans)SmallCaps (Engravers Gothic)

Reset

Caption Settings

close

Font size:

Font type:

Serif Monospace (Courier)Serif (Times New Roman)Sans Serif Monospace (Lucida Console)Sans Serif (Arial/Helvetica)Casual (Dom Casual)Cursive (Comic Sans)SmallCaps (Engravers Gothic)

Reset

Read More

Ruby Tingum

Autism Light #288 is Ruby Tingum.

Ruby Tingum is a Golden Retriever who lives with Bruce and Caroline Tingum's family in Encinitas, California (part of San Diego County). She is an autism service dog who is very gentle around children and received her training from Tender Loving Canines Assistance Dogs, Inc. Ruby's role is to protect Garrett Tingum, a 10 year old boy with severe autism. Ruby Tingum is an Autism Light for the help she provides to the Tingum family and Garrett Tingum as he navigates through life.

In addition to autism, Garrett Tingum has mild cerebral palsy, apraxia (motor planning disorder), and pica (eats non-edible items). Garrett's most dangerous behavior is his tendency to escape his home and run into the street or go into people's homes. Ruby has been especially trained to find Garrett when he goes missing. Here is a video on Ruby's story of comforting the Tingum family.

  

Caroline Tingum described Ruby and Garrett's friendship in the above video, "Garrett has a friend. He's never had a real friend before. You know you don't think of children with autism as being lonely just because they can't express it. Ruby has filled that void I think."

Special thanks to Ruby and all the talented and loving dogs who are making a difference around the world for autism. If you liked this post you may like to read about other Autism Lights with the label "Animal". Ruby Tingum has also been featured on our Golden Light blog as Golden Light #8.

Autism Light honors diverse heroes to the world of autism.

Read More

Spencer Timme

Autism Light #286 is Spencer Timme.

Spencer Timme is 20 years old and was born in San Diego, California. He currently lives in Norfolk, Virginia where he attends James Madison University. Spencer's older brother Mitchel has autism. Spencer Timme is an Autism Light for the special relationship he has with his brother Mitchel who has autism.

The following is a video that Spencer Timme developed about "What it's like to have a Brother with Autism". The video has had over 122,000 views as of today and it was featured on the Most Watched Today Website. In the description of the video, Spencer Timme wrote, "A short video I made about what is like to have an older brother with autism. I hope you enjoy it and see how blessed I am to have Mitchel as my brother. I love him to death and I want everyone to see how awesome our bond is!"

In the above video, Spencer Timme says about his brother Mitchel. "Our relationship is special. Not one person understands him the way I do. Our bond is strong. He is the most important person to me. I'll always protect him. He is my brother."
Student: Spencer Timme is a student at James Madison University in Norfolk, Virginia. He is a majoring in International Marketing/Business Spanish and is scheduled to graduate in 2014.  While in school he is working as a Product Tester for Nike and he is serving as a Marketing Intern at Hampton Roads Piranhas.
Advice to Other Autism Siblings: Spencer Timme provided this advice via Autism Light to pass on to other autism siblings about improving their relationship with their autistic brother or sister.  

Some advice I have is for the siblings to have patience with their autistic sibling. I can tell right away when my brother feels any sort of anxiety and I try my best to never rush him with anything and let him do things at his pace. Another huge bit of advice is just to make your presence known around your sibling. Not in an authoritative way but for instance if he or she is watching TV, just hang out in the same room with them. Even though sometimes it isn't acknowledged, they know you're there. My brother and I are very comfortable around each other and I think that comes with time of just being around each other even though sometimes we are just silently doing our own activities. 

You can follow Spencer Timme on the following social media areas.

• Facebook Page
• LinkedIn
• Twitter @TheYoungGooner_
• YouTube Channel

Special thanks to Spencer Timme for being an Autism Light and giving the autism community a glimpse at his relationship with his brother. We look forward to hearing amazing things in the future about Spencer and Mitchel. If you wish to email Spencer Timme and share your autism stories you can contact him at timmesc@dukes.jmu.edu.

If you enjoyed this post you may wish to read about the other Autism Lights with the label Siblings. These people share the special perspective in their story of having a sibling with autism.

Autism Light honors diverse heroes to the world of autism.

The photo in this post was used with permission of Spencer Timme.

Read More

John Schneider

Autism Light #271 is John Schneider.

John Schneider is an actor and musician from Agoura Hills, California who is probably best known for his role as "Bo Duke" in the 1980's television show The Dukes of Hazzard.  John Schneider has a personal reason for having a passion for autism causes. John Schneider's son Chasen has the form of autism known as Asperger's. John Schneider is an Autism Light for his role as an autism father, his advocacy for autism and for helping to show how actors can help the cause of autism.  Actors for Autism: The following is a Public Service Announcement that John Schneider did for Actors for Autism.  
Autism Speaks: John Schneider has worked with the autism organization Autism Speaks. John Schneider said, "My involvement is raising funds for their cause as well as speaking to people, firsthand, about the experience of raising a wonderful young man who is among those on the spectrum (Source)."
Acting Career: John Schneider has a prolific acting career. His first and most famous role was as Bo Duke in The Dukes of Hazzard, which started when he was just 18. He also starred in 100 episodes of Smallville, where he played Jonathan Kent, the father of Superman.  In addition, he had a recurring role on Dr. Quinn: Medicine Women. You can view his complete list of acting roles on his IMDb Webpage. 
Music Career: John Schneider is also a country music singer who has recorded over 10 albums. In 1985, his album, A Memory Like You featuring the song What's a Memory Like You (Doing in a Love Like This) was #1 on the charts. Here is a live performance in 1986 of Schneider's #1 Country Song.
Children's Miracle Network:  In 1982, John Schneider co-founded with Marie Osmond the Children's Miracle Network to meet the needs of children while they are receiving hospital care. Here is a video of John Schneider explaining what the Children's Miracle Network does. 

John Schneider explained that he is involved in charities that are important to him personally:

That is why I helped start the Children's Miracle Network 25 years ago. A child's experience while in a hospital happens to really mean something to me. How kids on the autism spectrum are treated and how those around them are educated about their specifics is truly important to me (Source).

Christian Faith: While living with Johnny and June Cash, John Schneider converted to Christianity (Source). Schneider continues to be  practicing Christian to this day. John Schneider also starred in the Christian movie, What Would Jesus Do?

FaithWorks Productions: John Schneider founded FaithWorks Productions in 1995 to produce family oriented films and media. Over the years many films have been produced by FaithWorks. In 2012, John Schneider produced two pro-life films in the same year (Source).

Advice to Parent about Autism: John Schneider has given this advice to parents of those on the autism spectrum.

Autistic kids, as well as adults, are amazing people who we can learn from. I believe the best thing you can do is to help them focus on something they are truly interested in, and you will be amazed at what they can accomplish! For example, my son, Chasen, was interested in both sport and history of body building when he was eleven. He focused and was published in two separate magazines on the sport with the byline "But what do I know...? I'm just a kid!" (Source).

Additional Information: For more information on John Schneider visit these websites.

• John Schneider's Wikipedia Page
• John Schneider's Official Webpage

Social Media: You can follow John Schneider in the following social media areas.

• Twitter @John_Schneider - Verified Account

Special thanks to John Schneider for all he does for those with autism. John Schneider's work as an Autism Light is an important help to the autism community.  
Autism Light honors diverse heroes to the world of autism.
The photo of John Schneider in this post is in the Public Domain and is attributed to Phil K. Onstantin.

Read More

Adam Bluestone

Autism Light #263 is Adam Bluestone.

  

Today we honor a Special Education Teacher who was a gifted hero for his pupils with autism and their families. Adam Bluestone served as a Special Education Teacher in Bakersfield, California prior to his untimely death from a massive stroke in 2007. Adam Bluestone was born on February 18, 1964, near London, England and passed away on September 6, 2007, in Southern California. Adam was survived by his wife Angela and sons, Zachary and David. A memorial service for Adam was held on September 14, 2007. A fitting obituary for Adam continues to be on the Legacy.com website. Adam Bluestone will also be placed on the Autism Light Memorial Roll today.

Water Sports and Skydiving Instructor: Adam Bluestone had a brief career as a water sports and skydiving instructor prior to his educational and teaching endeavors. He made a tremendous impact on people who met him through his love of outdoor sports. 

Education: Adam Bluestone earned his Master of Art in Special Education from California State University, Bakersfield. 

Autism Teacher: Adam Bluestone's obituary says that at the time of his passing he, "worked for the Bakersfield City School District teaching children with severe disabilities and autism. Adam became recognized as a gifted teacher with notable expertise in autism (Source)."

Consultant: Adam Bluestone started his own business called Behavioral Innovations in 2003, and served as a consultant to school districts in the State of California.

Tributes for Adam Bluestone: Many autism families were touched by the efforts of Adam Bluestone as a Special Education teacher. Some of them made comments on Brandon Neal's memorial blog for Adam.  Here are two testimonies of Adam Bluestone's impact. 

John on behalf of The Cohrs Family said, 

I have never before been impacted so greatly by a person whom I barely knew. Adam helped my son, as he helped hundreds of others with autism. He came to my home to help my wife, Kelley, and I to communicate with our son. From the moment he walked in the door, I knew this was a special person. By the time he left, I wished I could emulate him. I remember his voice, his presence, his passion and his love (Source). 

Yvonne Brown Person said, 

My family and I had not known Adam for very long but Adam had a way of making you feel like you'd been friends forever. My 15 year old autistic nephew will continue to benefit from Adam's work and for this my family and many others will be forever grateful (Source).  

Memorial Funds: Two funds were established in memory of Adam Bluestone.

1. Donations may be made to a Trust Fund established for Zachary and David Bluestone. These donations should be deposited for Zachary and David Bluestone at Washington Mutual Bank. Acct: 4922431400, Routing #322271627.
2. Donations for Autism Awareness can be sent to: The Adam Bluestone Autism Education Fund, 29949 East Vale Court, Agoura Hills, CA 91301. Phone 818-889-8001. 

Adam Bluestone made a difference for autism as a dedicated special education teacher in California. He set an example for other special education teachers and his memory is an inspiration to all those who knew him. It is the hope of Autism Light that more devoted individuals will continue to make a career of teaching children with autism as the population with autism continues to grow.

Autism Light honors diverse heroes to the world of autism.

The photo of Adam Bluestone is used with permission of Brandon Neal (Email: BrandonNeal@Gmail.com).

Read More

Vana Thiero

Autism Light #261 is Vana Thiero.

Vana Thiero is a film producer and single mother of two boys who have autism, Carter and Bakary. She lives in Los Angeles, California. Vana Thiero is developing a documentary series of 5 parts called My Thiero Boys to show what real everyday life with autism is like in her family. Vana Thiero is an Autism Light for her dedication as a mother and autism advocate, and for the constructive impact her films on autism can make towards greater autism awareness in society.

Education: Vana Thiero earned her BFA and her MA in Communications from Western Michigan University.

Film Experience: In 1987 she partnered with producer Jim Heyden to produce commercials and instructional music videos. Vana Thiero worked for CNN from 1994-2002, and won an Emmy for their "9/11 coverage." She also produced the documentary "Low Riders the Real Story" and edited for "Inside Edition" and BET's "Comic View".

The following is a KCAL9 News story that featured Vana Thiero and her autism awareness efforts.


Faith-Based Inspiration: Vana Thiero has received blessings from her families faith based involvement with In His Presence Church. The church is featured in the My Thiero Boys video series.

Sears Family Pediatric: Dr. Robert W. Sears provided some of his insight in the My Thiero Boys project.

Autism Quote: Vana Thiero gave this word via Autism Light to encourage people to be autism advocates.

Advocate! The future of autism depends on an expanded consciousness regarding how, we as a global society, plan to care for ASD individuals when parents are no longer around. Get loud get creative. Educate others regarding how they may employ our children and let's be confident to teach our children how to earn an income doing what they do best. Push the kids to succeed the same as we do with our typical kids. Expect Success!!!

Here is the trailer to the first video in the My Thiero Boys film series.


Vana Thiero writes on her website about the mission of the My Thiero Boys documentary to reach the broad autism community. 

The mission of "My Thiero Boys" is to create awareness regarding the needs, behaviors, and lifestyle inherant in the autism culture to better equip the world, helping all who view the film(s) understand and learn how to include the autism culture into society both socially and professionally. The autism culture is made up of children and adults who are diagnosed with autism as well as relatives, friends, educators, therapists, medical professionals, attorneys, politicians, advocates, neighbors, etc: those whose daily lives are impacted by autism (Source).

Contact: For more information on the My Thiero Boys documentary email info@mythieroboys.com.
Social Media: You can follow My Theiro Boys and Vana Thiero at the following social media pages.

• Facebook
• Twitter @VanaThiero
• YouTube Channel

Special thanks to Van Thiero for making a documentary that can share with the world what autism is like. Van Thiero is shining her light for autism as a mother and a film maker. 
Autism Light honors diverse heroes to the world of autism.
The photos in this post were used with the permission of Van Thiero. 

Read More

Eric Peacock

Autism Light #256 is Eric Peacock.

Eric Peacock is an Autism Uncle from San Carlos, California. He is the CEO and Co-founder of MyHealthTeams. In May, 2010, MyHealthTeams created their first social network site for a chronic disease community called MyAutismTeam. Eric's nephew has Asperger's Syndrome and he and his family inspired the creation of MyAutismTeam. Eric Peacock is an Autism Light for establishing a place where autism parents can connect with other parents and share recommendations of great autism providers.

Education: Eric Peacock graduated from Stanford Graduate School of Business and Harvard College.

Business Experience: Eric Peacock's business includes leveraging health related resources to users through the power of social networking. "Peacock incubated MyHealthTeams with his team while General Manager at InsiderPages - a leading local search site owned by IAC / City Grid Media (Source)." His previous experience also includes positions with Perlegen Sciences, where he grew and developed pharmaceutical and academic partnerships conducting genetic studies of chronic diseases. He also was a VP at E*TRADE and a Partner at Oliver Wyman / Mercer Management Consultant.

MyAutismTeam: MyAutismTeam is a social network community. As of today there are 36,000 registered parents and 40,000 registered service providers and that number is growing daily. Many autism families use it as their new Facebook to connect specifically with others who understand about the challenges of life with autism. The following is a video of how MyAutismTeam operates.


Vision for MyAutismTeam: Eric Peacock shared this vision he has for MyAutismTeam via Autism Light.

We've grown from 30 to 36,000 registered parents in about a year and half. That is great, but we've got about another 1 million families out there who don't know about MyAutismTeam yet. So we'd like to really get the word out and grow the base of parents sharing their wisdom on the site. We are continuing to improve and evolve both the website and the mobile app offerings based on feedback from parents. We are now starting to leverage the power of our numbers to negotiate special offers and autism-tailored services on behalf of our members. It's amazing how responsive service providers will be when you tell them you are negotiating on behalf of 36,000 parents.

Mobile App: MyAutismTeam has a mobile phone app that may be downloaded from iTunes.

Eric Peacock said this about MyAutismTeam, "Our basic belief is if your child is diagnosed with autism it should be easy to find the best people around to help you and often those are other parents."

The following is an interview that Autism Live had with Eric Peacock.


MyBCTeam: Because of the success of MyAutismTeam, in September, 2012, MyHealthTeam created My MyBCTeam to improve the social networking for women dealing with breast cancer. Additional sites for different diseases are planned in the future.

Advice to Parents: Eric Peacock gave this advice to parents via Autism Light. "You are heroes. Please remember that you're not alone, and you don't have to reinvent the wheel. Connect with other parents who have been in your shoes, learn from them, and share your wisdom."

Social Media: You can follow MyAutismTeam at the following social media areas.

• Facebook
• Google+
• Twitter @MyAutismTeam

Other Information: More information about Eric Peacock and MyAutismTeam can be found at these articles.

• Mashable Article
• Our Special Families Village Interview with Eric Peacock

Special thanks to Eric Peacock for being an Autism Light. The social networking opportunities through MyAutismTeam have the potential to help thousands of autism families find local service providers and encouragement from other parents.

Related Posts: If you like this post, you may enjoy these others on people who founded other autism social networking sites. Like MyAutismTeam each fulfills a unique niche'.

• Craig Evans - Autism Hangout
• Sarah Winter - Squag

Autism Light honors diverse heroes to the world of autism.

Photo: The photo in this post is used with permission of Eric Peacock.

Read More

Ole Ivar Lovaas

Autism Light #255 is Dr. Ole Ivar Lovaas.

 

Dr. Ole Ivar Lovaas was born in Lier, Norway on May 8, 1927. He was a clinical psychologist at UCLA who spent 40 years in autism research and pioneered a treatment for autism known today as the Lovaas treatment. Lovaas is also regarded as the Father of Applied Behavioral Analysis as it applied to people with autism.  Dr. Lovaas passed away on August 2, 2010, in Lancaster, California. Dr. Ole Ivar Lovaas is being named an Autism Light posthumously and added to the Autism Light Memorial Roll because of his contribution to the field of autism treatment.

The New York Times obituary for Dr. Lovaas states that he was "a psychologist who developed one of the most widely used therapies for children with autism, and in doing so helped change the treatment and the public perception of the condition (Source)." The following is an early interview done with Dr. Ivar Lovaas. In addition to it's historical value it provides a background into the approach for treatment used by Dr. Lovaas.


Dr. Jacqui Wynn, a former student of Dr. Lovaas and the director of the Center for Autism Spectrum Disorders at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, gave this tribute to Dr. Ivar Lovaas:

He gave hope and opportunities to children and families who really had no hope or opportunities before him. It was all based on Ivar believing what at the time was thought to be impossible--that these kids could learn and change and lead normal lives. He stuck with that belief doggedly (Source).

Early Life: Dr. Ivar Lovaas worked as a farmer in Norway as a young man during the Nazi occupation of his country.

Education: Dr. Ivar Lovaas earned his undergraduate degree from Luther College in Iowa where he earned a scholarship in music for his skill in playing the violin. He went on to earn his doctorate of psychology from the University of Washington.

Career: Dr. Ivar Lovaas became a Professor of Psychology at UCLA in 1961. At the time of his death he was an Emeritus Professor of Psychology at UCLA.  The Los Angeles Times said, "At UCLA, Lovaas' class, Psychology 170A: Behavior Modification, was among the most popular undergraduate courses. In a booming voice, he entertained students with stories of Norway and played the song "Dust in the Wind" to introduce a lesson on human malleability (Source)."

Research: Dr. Ivar Lovaas was influential in showing that some children with autism could benefit from treatment.  His paper called, Behavioral Treatment and Normal Educational and Intellectual Functioning in Young Autistic Children was important and spreading that message to the autism treatment community.

Quote: Dr. Ivar Lovaas' said regarding research, "If we lose or minimize the importance of peer-reviewed outcome data, we abandon the defining feature of behavioral approaches to social problems (Source)."

Lovaas Institute: In 1995, Dr. Ole Ivar Lovaas founded the Lovaas Institute and they continue to carry on his work today with partners around the United States who utilize the Lovaas approach for autism. The following is the announcement the Lovaas Institute shared about the passing of Dr. Lovaas in 2010.

More information on Ivar Lovaas is available on these many sites who recognized his life accomplishments:

• Memories of Ole Ivar Lovaas at Association for Psychological Science
• Los Angeles Times Obituary
• Medscape Today Article
• New York Times Obituary
• Psychology Today Article on Ivar Lovaas
• Wikipedia Page

Special thanks to Dr. Ivar Lovaas for being an Autism Light. Your work was not in vain and its impact continues to this day to help brighten the lives of children and families with autism.

Autism Light honors diverse heroes to the world of autism.

Photo: The photos of Dr. Lovaas in this post were used with permission of the Lovaas Institute.

Read More

Sevenly

Autism Light #219 is Sevenly.

Sevenly is a business in Fullerton, California that, since they launched on June 14, 2011, have been helping one cause each week of the year by giving to them a portion of the sales of their products that week.  Sevenly partnered with Autism Speaks the week of July 24-30, 2012. Sevenly is an Autism Light for supporting Autism Speaks and raising awareness for autism in social media.

Sevenly describes their business in the following way:

Sevenly is a weekly cause activation platform. Some have even called us a cause crowdfunding platform. Every week (7 days) we partner with a new non-profit organization, we create unique art and limited edition products that we sell exclusively on our website Sevenly.org for 7 days. For every product sold, we give that week’s non-profit organization $7. For example, if we sold 1,000 products, Sevenly would donate $7,000 (Source).

In their Frequently Asked Questions they describe their driving force as a "desire is to move a generation toward generosity and an intentional love for others" and that their purpose is driven from a passage in the Bible--Matthew 22:36-40. (Source).

Sevenly's support of Autism Speaks will be used to provide communiation therapy to a child affected by autism. Almost $150,000 has been raised through Sevenly's support of Autism Speaks. Thanks to donors providing a triple match to the standard $7.00 donated by Sevenly, the full $21 of the sale price of the shirts went to Autism Speaks for most of the week. An update will be added to this post when the final donation totals are in at the end of the week's campaign.

The following is the YouTube video that Sevenly did to promote autism and their partnership with Autism Speaks for their assigned week in July, 2012.





  

Sevenly provides a description of the meaning of their shirt design and connects it with the cause being supported. Here is Sevenly's description of their autism shirt.

The illustration style of the lion is meant to represent power and strength. The effect of autism on individuals suffering from the disorder as well as people connected to it such as parents and siblings can be exhausting. The lion represents power and strength so instead of focusing on the issues of people affected by autism we decided to focus on the strength and courage of these individuals. These are people who are extremely determined, talented and courage to say the least. They are not weak, or broken and incapable — We are inspired by their strength and want to encourage them to stay strong (Source).

One of the keys to the success of Sevenly is that they have a dedicated and hip social media program that compliments their marketing efforts. Each week the designated cause benefits from their social media blitz. Here is one of the Tweets that came from Sevenly's Twitter account.

Do not worry about why problems exist in the world -- just respond to people's needs. #ServeOthers
— Sevenly (@sevenly) July 26, 2012

 

Social Media: You can follow Sevenly on the following social media areas.

• http://twitter.com/sevenly
• Facebook
• Pinterest
• YouTube

 

Order your limited edition Sevenly product on the "Speak Loud" autism theme while there is still time. Special thanks to Sevenly for supporting autism and making it their featured cause the last week of July, 2012. Sevenly is indeed an Autism Light. 

Autism Light honors diverse heroes to the world of autism.

Photos: The images of Sevenly were used with permission of Ryan Wood and can be found on their Facebook page.

Read More

Joe and Arlene Mantegna

Autism Lights #215 are Joe and Arlene Mantegna.

Joe and Arlene Mantegna are from North Hollywood, California. Their oldest daughter Mia has autism and is in her twenties. Joe Mantegna is an actor and director who has endeared himself to fans for over 40 years as an entertainer. Arlene Mantegna is a businesswoman. Joe and Arlene Mantegna are Autism Lights because of how they help raise autism awareness as autism parents.

Joe Mantegna's website describes the entertainer like this: "Joe Mantegna is a world-class entertainer and a loving, devoted husband and father. With over 100 films like Searching for Bobby Fischer, The Godfather Part 3, Celebrity, Forget Paris, Liberth Heights to name a few (Source)."  He also has starred in television shows such as the popular CBS crime drama Criminal Minds.

Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame: On April 29, 2011, Joe Mantegna was awarded the 2,438th Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.  He received the award for the category of live theater, a tribute to his diversity as an entertainer (Source).

Here is an interview that Joe Mantegna and Joey Travolta had with The Talk.  Joe Mantegna's daugther Mia has had success working with Inclusion Films, which was founded and run by Joey Travolta.



Joe Mantegna was featured in the following Public Service Announcement for Act Today! for Military Families, an autism organization he helps promote.  Act Today! for Military Families was Autism Light #82.



Autism Families Together Network: Arlene Mantegna is the creator of the Autism Families Togther Network.  The Autism Families Together Network is a wonderful group that helps facilitate contact with friends or professionals that can help family members with autism. They also sponosr an online support group for siblings of individuals with autism.

Social Media: You can follow Joe Mantegna on Twitter@JoeMantegna.

Websites: You can find out more information on Joe Mantegna at the following websites.

• Joe Mantegna's Wikipedia page
• Joe Mantegna's Official Website

Special thanks to Joe and Arlene Mantegna for their work in raising awareness for autism. Their efforts are a light to the cause of autism and their daughter Mia can be proud of her parents efforts. We wish them and their family the best today and in the years to come.

Autism Light honors diverse heroes to the world of autism.

Photo: The photo of Joe Mantegna is in the Creative Commons of Wikipedia and is attributed to Dan Huse.

Read More

Gary Cole and Teddi Siddall

Autism Lights #214 are Gary Cole and Teddi Siddall.

Gary Cole and Teddi Siddall are from Los Angeles, California. They were married on March 9, 1992. Their teenage daughter Mary has autism and is their only child. Both Gary Cole and Teddi Siddall have had illustrious careers as television and movie screen stars. Gary Cole and Teddi Siddall are Autism Lights for their dedication as autism parents and for the manner in which they utilize their celebrity status to raise autism awareness.

Gary Cole has performed dozens of roles in both television shows and movies, including the movie Office Space and the HBO television show Entourage. Teddi Siddall is an actress, who has appeared in several television shows such as Grey's Anatomy and Happy Days. She put her career on the back burner in 1998 in order to have more time to give to her daughter Mary who has autism.  

Support for Autism Causes: The Gary Cole Archives website says, "Gary's teenage daughter has autism, and he's particularly interested in autism charities, for which he has done a great deal of work(Source)." Two autism causes Gary Cole supports are The Help Group and Autism Speaks (Source).

Here is a Public Service Announcement that Gary Cole produced for The Help Group, an organization that runs multiple autism schools in the Los Angeles area. Gary and Teddi's daughter Mary attended a progrma run by The Help Group when she was in high school.
 
Autism Awards: In April, 2012, Gary Cole was honored at an autism awareness gala in Northville, Michigan that was sponsored by Celebrities Against Autism.  More information on this event can be found at an article at the Northville Patch.

Autism Heroes Book: Teddi and Gary Cole wrote a forward to the book Autism Heroes: Portraits of Families Meeting the Challenge, which featured 38 families dealing with autism. The book's author Dr. Barbara Firestone was Autism Light #14.

WebMD Interview: In February, 2009, Gary Cole shared about his daughter's autism and his autism advocacy in an interview with WebMD.  The WebMD article was written by Lauren Paige Kennedy.

Larry King Live: In 2007 Gary Cole appeared on Larry King Live with Ed Asner, Toni Braxton, and Bill Cosby in a discussion of autism

Other Information: You can read more information on Gary Cole and Teddi Siddall at the following websites.

• Gary Cole's Wikipedia Page
• Teddi Siddall's Wikipedia Page

Special thanks to Gary Cole and Teddi Siddall for raising awareness for autism, even as they make their daughter Mary their priority. They are Autism Lights in Los Angeles and around the world with their visible advocacy for autism.

Autism Light honors diverse heroes to the world of autism.

Read More

Sylvester Stallone and Sasha Czack

Autism Lights #213 are Sylvester Stallone and Sasha Czack.

Sylvester Stallone is an actor, director, and writer who is best known for the Rocky and Rambo film series. Sylvester "Sly" Stallone is a Hollywood icon and Californian who, like so many parents around the world, has a child with autism. Sylvester Stallone and Sasha Czack were married from 1974-1985 and had two sons together, Sage and Seargeoh. Their youngest son Seargeoh Stallone has autism and is now a 33 year old adult.  Sylvester Stallone and Sasha Czack are Autism Lights because of their dedication as autism parents and their support of autism awareness and autism charities.

Sylvester Stallone has many memorable scenes from his dozens of movies, but this scene from Rocky Balboa (2006) is very inspirational.




In 1990, Sylvester Stallone recorded the following Public Service Announcement, where he shared about having a child with autism and encouraged people to contact their local chapter of the Autism Society of America if they knew a child who has autism.




Death of Their Oldest Son Sage: Sage Stallone died at his home on July 13, 2012 (Source). His mother Sasha Czack requested that in lieu of flowers, donations be sent in Sage's honor to Autism Speaks.  Sage Stallone is survived by his father Sylvester Stallone, his mother Sasha Czack, and his brother Seargeoh Stallone, who has autism. Autism Light extends sympathy to all of Sage Stallone's loved ones.

Online Presence: You can follow Sylvester Stallone online at the following areas:

• Official Website: Sylvester Stallone's official website is at http://sylvesterstallone.com/.
• Wikipedia: You can read more information about Sylvester Stallone on his Wikipedia Page.
• Twitter: You can follow Sylvester Stallone on his official Twitter account @TheSlyStallone

Special thanks to Sylvester Stallone and Sasha Czack for being Autism Lights. Celebrity autism parents are in a challenging position to maintain their privacy and that of their child, when dealing with autism. Sylvester and Sasha are praised for raising autism awareness and for their dedication as parents to their autistic son Seargeoh Stallone.

Note: In an additional fitting tribute to Sylvester Stallone and Sasha Czack this post is the first in the history of Autism Light to receive over Ten Thousand (10,000) Views.


Autism Light honors diverse heroes to the world of autism.
Photo: The photo of Sylvester Stallone is in the Creative Commons of Wikipedia and is attributed to Cage Skidmore.

Read More

Lloyd Nolan

Autism Light #207 is Lloyd Nolan.

    
Lloyd Nolan was a 20th Century film actor and also a father of a boy named Jay who had autism. Lloyd Nolan was born on August 11, 1902 in San Francisco, California and passed away on September 27, 1985 in Los Angeles.  Lloyd Nolan is being named an Autism Light posthumously because of what he did for autism awareness efforts in the 1970's as a celebrity and Autism Father.

Lloyd Nolan's son Jay was one of the earliest individuals to be diagnosed with autism, having received his confidential diagnosis in the 1940's.  While Jay Nolan was growing up it was not common for celebrity families to discuss having a child with autism. Jay Nolan passed away in 1970 at the youthful age of 27 from choking on some food.  A few year's after his son's death, Lloyd Nolan helped further the national dialogue on autism by sharing with the public that his son Jay had been severely affected by autism and had in fact been living in an institution from age 13 till his untimely death.  Lloyd Nolan shared these words in 1974.

It's important for parents of autistic youngsters to know that this problem strikes all economic, social, and intellectual levels of our society...The amazing thing is that autistic children can hear and understand everything that is said to them, But they are unable to communicate... I haven't talked about my own personal problem and my son because my wife was terribly sensitive about it. But now we've both agreed to work hard to spare other people the hell we went through.  [Source: Schnectady Gazette, May 17, 1974]

Jay Nolan Community Services: In 1975 Lloyd Nolan founded the Jay Nolan Autistic Center in honor of his son, which is today known as Jay Nolan Community Services.  The organization supports individuals with autism and other disabilities so they can live independently and not be in need of institutional care. According to their website,

Today Jay Nolan Community Services is the leading provider of personalized support services in California, with most of its clients concentrated in Southern California, particularly Los Angeles, Santa Clara and surrounding counties (Source).

Here is a video on how present day lives are being touched by Jay Nolan Community Services.  The organization is a legacy of Lloyd Nolan's autism efforts 35 years ago.


Save Autistic Children Telethon: Lloyd Nolan also was a host of the Save Autistic Children Telethon, the first ever telethon for children with autism in the United States. That telethon took place from 1977-1984.

National Society for Autistic Children:  Lloyd Nolan served as the honorary chair for the National Society for Autistic Children which is now the Autism Society of America.

Film Career: Lloyd Nolan appeared in dozens of movies and television episodes over his lengthy career as an actor in the 20th Century. One of Lloyd Nolan's more memorable contributions to the historical television themes on autism was probably when he appeared in Season 3, Episode 4 (Oct. 19, 1978) of the television series Quincy M.E. in the episode called A Test for Living. The episode did not have any dead bodies or the typical Quincy autopsy in it but focused on the crusade of Quincy and Lloyd Nolan's character (a physician specializing in autism) to help a child with autism obtain the proper diagnosis from school officials in order to qualify for an autism program and thereby avoiding having to be insitutionalized.

Wikipedia: You can find out more about Lloyd Nolan on his Wikipedia page.

Lloyd Nolan is an important figure in the history of autism not only for his autism adovcacy but for his example of eventually sharing about his son's diagnosis, in an era when celebrities were often silent about similar situations. Lloyd Nolan's name will be also be added to the Autism Light Memorial Roll today.

Autism Light honors diverse heroes to the world of autism.

Read More

Eddie and Lisa Guardado

Autism Lights #202 are Eddie and Lisa Guardado.

Eddie and Lisa Guardado are from Tustin, California. Eddie Guardado is a retired major league baseball player. Inspired by their daugther Ava who has autism, Eddie and Lisa Guardado founded The Eddie Guardado Foundation in 2008, which in 2011 joined with ACT Today.  Eddie and Lisa Guardado are Autism Lights because of their advocacy for autism and for starting a charitable foundation that allows them to help give back to other autism families with financial needs.

Major League Baseball Career:  Eddie Guaradado was known as "Everyday Eddie" as a relief pitcher in a career spanning from 1993-2009. Eddie played in 908 games, and only 21 other pitchers have played in more games (Source). The complete career statistics for Eddie Guardado may be viewed on his page at Baseball Reference. The following is an interview Eddie Guardado had on baseball and his passion for autism.

The Eddie Guardado Foundation: The Eddie Guardado Foundation has a special emphasis on helping families who struggle with the financial load of autism. You can find out more about their services at their website at www.eddieguardadofoundation.org. Their website says,

Lisa and Eddie understand the emotional and financial hardships families impacted with autism experience and founded the Eddie Guardado Foundation to help other families receive access to therapy and treatments that they could not otherwise afford (Source).

One of the main fundraising projects The Eddie Guardado Foundation sponsors is called Stars and Strikes Celibrity Bowl, which this year was held on January 29, 2012 at the Bowlmor Lanes in Tustin, California.  Here is a video of the event.


In 2011, a $27,000 grant to ACT Today from the Eddie Guardado Foundation allowed iPads to be purchased for 45 children with autism (Source).

ACT Today: ACT Today has a very diverse outreach that is not new to the Autism Light blog. Autism Light #82 was ACT Today for Military Families. The Eddie Guardado Foundation has chosen a fine autism organization to partner with that is meeting needs of people with autism.  The Eddie Guardado Foundation website says, "In January 2011, The Eddie Guardado Foundation merged with ACT Today!, (Autism Care and Treatment Today!) as both non-profits share the mission of providing awareness of and access to effective therapies for children with autism (Source)."

The following is a video where Eddie Guardado talks about the relationship between his foundation and ACT Today.

 You can read more about Eddie Guardado on his Wikipedia page.  Special thanks to Eddie and Lisa Guardado for being Autism Lights. They have used their celebrity fundraising skills and their experience as autism parents to shine a light on autism for many.Families with autism are the real winners in this partnership between The Eddie Guardado Foundation and ACT Today.
Autism Light honors diverse heroes to the world of autism.

Photo: The photo of Eddie Guardado is in the Creative Commons of Wikipedia. It is attributed to Keith Allison.

Read More