Guilana Ricchiuti

Autism Light #142 is Guilana Ricchiuti.

Imagine someone giving up their birthday gifts and asking people instead to donate to an autism charity. That would be a wonderful thing for someone to do and it is pretty amazing when the person who actually did this is just 5 years old? Today we journey to Poland, Ohio, where 5 year old Guilana Ricchiuti is named an Autism Light for giving her birthday gifts to an autism charity dear to her heart.

In lieu of presents and gifts at her party, Guilana Ricchiuti asked her family and friends to give money for The Rich Center for Autism on her 5th birthday. The Rich Center for Autism was chosen because Guilana's Grandmother Phyllis Ricchiuti was one of the charities co-founders. Almost $400 was raised for the Rich Center for Autism thanks to Guilana's birthday sacrifice. Here is a news story on this special gift from Guilana Ricchiuti.



The Rich Center for Autism was started in 2005 and it provides many resources and services to the autism community in Ohio through its partnership with Youngstown State University. According to its website, "The primary mission of the Rich Center for Autism is to improve the lives of individuals with autism through the creation, use and enhancement of innovative educational programs specifically designed to enhance the individuals' opportunities to achieve their full potentials. The Rich Center was named in honor of Paula and Anthony Rich who died in a tragic plane crash in 1994 near Pittsburgh.

For more information on Giuliana Ricchiuti's gift see these news stories that appeared in the media.

• 5 Year Old Girl Raises Money for Local Autism Charity - WMFJ.com
• Birthday Girl Asks For Donations Instead of Gifts - WSMV.com
• Girl, 5, Asks for Rich Center Donations Instead of Gifts - Fox Youngstown

Special thanks to Giuliana Ricchiuti for being an Autism Light and showing other children that one is never too young to raise a special gift for the needs of autism organizations.

Autism Light honors diverse heroes to the world of autism.

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Fred and Aly Harmon

Autism Lights #141 are Fred and Aly Harmon.

Thousands of thrift stores dot the landscape of both rural and urban cities across the world. They are a treasure for hearts that can find a second life for someone else's discarded goods, and they are a retail lifeline to those who are struggling to get by on a tight budget. Today's Autism Lights have started a thrift store that is all that and a business that can be a treasure and lifeline to those facing autism.

Today's Autism Light journey takes us to Amarillo, Texas, the home of Fred and Aly Harmon. Fred and Ally are the parents of 7 year old twin boys with autism named William and Luke. Fred Harmon is a police officer and army reservist and Aly manages the Lil' Treasures Shoppe, a thrift store in Amarillo, Texas.  The thrift store is much more than a family business to support the high cost of autism treatments. The Harmon's have focused on giving back to others in setting up the store to be a resource for the autism community. Fred and Aly Harmon are Autism Lights because of the way they are shining a light for autism in their family and community.

Thrift Store: The Lil' Treasures Thrift Store opened on October 1, 2011 and is located at 4021 S. Washington Street in Amarillo, Texas. A sign in the Lil' Treasures Thrift Store says, "Autism is not a sickness. It is not a illness. We just see the world differently."  Aly Harmon wrote this to Autism Light about her goals for the store in 2012:

I'm hoping that by the end of this year, our store will not only be a thrift store helping families purchase items at great prices, but a hub for families affected by autism to come and meet other parents, spouses, and children in their shoes. We want to be a resource for families who may have a new diagnosis or just have questions about it. We want to be a place for all levels of families to meet others and gain a better grasp of what Autism is for them. I hope to be able to employ teens and adults with Autism to learn basic work skills or simply feel like they belong.

Another service they are providing through the store for the autism community is they are creating safety kits for parents and grandparents to use on overnight visits that they plan to distribute.

Texas Panhandle Center: William and Luke have been receiving ABA therapy at the Texas Panhandle Center in Amarilla for the past two years. Here is a YouTube video about the story of Fred and Aly Harmon's family as they journey with autism.

Aly Harmon shared with Autism Light this advice to other parents of children with autism:

My advice or piece of wisdom for other parents, is to find Your Own Peace with Your Autism. We are at Peace with it. We are not trying to get rid of it, it is who the twins are and we love them for it. We work to teach them to be independent, social, and educated, but every day they remind me they are so perfect the way they are. They are brilliant, loving, and funny little boys. 

For more information on Fred and Aly Harmon read an article by John Mark Beilue of the Amarillo Globe-News. Special thanks to Fred and Aly Harmon for being Autism Lights that shine brightly through the entire outreach of the Lil' Treasures Thrift Store and a dedication to their twin sons with autism.  You are an inspiration to other parents struggling with autism of what can be built from a dream.

Autism Light honors diverse heroes to the world of autism.

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Elina Manghi

Autism Light #140 is Dr. Elina Manghi.

Dr. Elina Manghi was born and raised in Buenos Aires, Argentina.  She was a renowned child psychologist who had lived in the Chicago area since 1982. Dr. Elina Manghi had lymphoma and died at her Oak Park, Illinois home on January 15, 2012. She was 59 years old. For more information on Dr. Elina Manghi you may read her obituary at the Chicago Tribune.

Dr. Elina Manghi is being made an Autism Light posthumously, because she was dedicated to making a difference for autism within Chicago's Hispanic community. She will also be added to the Autism Light Memorial Roll. While Dr. Manghi was a nationally appreciated child psychologist, the autism community remembers her most for helping found a support group in Chicago for Spanish-speaking families who had children with autism.

Here is an interview Elina Manghi gave on social change. It provides an understanding of her background and enthusiasm in making a difference in this world at her final position at the Adler School of Psychology.

Grupo Salto:  Dr. Elina Manghi and Irma Hernandez started Grupo SALTO in 2003. The name is an acronym in Spanish for Latino Autism Society Working with Optimism. The group has parent meetings as well as meetings for siblings and teenagers with autism. Presently 400 families are associated with the organization. Their website lists this as their mission:

Grupo SALTO is a non-profit organization dedicated to provide support for families who have children within the Autism spectrum and whose primary language is Spanish. The main focus of the group is to provide training, education, and support for parents. Grupo SALTO welcomes families from Chicago and its suburbs (Source). 

Irma Hernandez who helped start Grupo SALTO with Dr. Manghi said this about her friend and colleague:

She was so good at presenting information from material to parents. She developed very specific strategies and provided them with practical information to help them learn how to help their child. At the end of her talks, parents would gather around her, asking her questions and seeking her advice. It was as if they didn't want the session to end (Source). 

Career as a Psychologist: Dr. Manghi had a lifetime of service to children as a psychologist. The highlights of her professional career included:

• In 1982 she moved to Chicago to become a Child Therapist with Catholic Charities.
• In 1988, Dr. Elina Manghi received her doctoral degree in psychology from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology. 
• In 1992 she became a faculty member at the University of Illinois at Chicago and was a co-director of The Autism Program of Illinois (TAP).
• In 2003 she helped start Grupo SALTO.
• In 2009 she started teaching graduate school for the Adler School of Psychology, and for the past two years she was head of their Child and Adolescent Track of the Doctor of Psychology in Clinical Psychology (Psy.D.) program.

Special thanks to Dr. Elina Manghi for being an Autism Light. Your light will live on in the hundreds of Spanish speaking families in the Chicago area that you have helped to deal with the challenges of autism.

Autism Light honors diverse heroes to the world of autism.


This post went into syndication on Autisable.

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Candice Hause

Autism Light #139 is Candice Hause.

Candice Hause is a senior at Shade-Central City High School in Cairnbrook, Pennsylvania. She has two siblings with autism, Leah age 5, and Blake age 4 (see photo above).  Candice's senior project will improve life for those with autism in two areas. The money raised will be split for a joint project to remodel a sensory room used by students with autism and to support an after school horseback therapy program. Candice Hause is an Autism Light because of her selection of a senior project that will benefit children who have autism, like her siblings.

Candice Hause said this to Autism Light about her project:

The reason I chose Autism for my senior project is because I realize how important it is to be diagnosed as soon as possible and to get the help needed to have the best outcome for the person with Autism. 

Candice Hause shared with Autism Light that she wants to help parents who might be unaware their child has autism, when she sees a situation in public. "I always want to say something, but fear it is not my place or what the reaction would be," said she said. This Senior project will help Candice make a difference without saying anything.  Here is the two sides of the project.


Sensory Room: Candice Hause plans to upgrade a school sensory room for students with special needs. It is not just used for autism. She indicated that, "Each one is different, so we'd like to add as many things as possible to help as many people as we can (Source)."

Horseback Therapy: The horseback riding therapy will be conducted by Best of Friends, a volunteer non-profit group. You can visit their website at http://best-of-friends.org to find out about the work of their organization. The value of horseback therapy is expressed a this poem at the Saddle Scoop website by John Anthony Davies.

Candice Hause is hoping to raise $5,000 for her project.  If you would like to contribute and help this Autism Light reach her goal to see it to completion then please email chause93@verizon.net for more information. Those who donate will receive a special handcrafted wooden memorablia made by Terry Schaffer, the Grandfather of Candice and her siblings. For more information on Candice Hause' senior project read the article published by the Hartford Courant.

Special thanks to Candice Hause for making autism her senior project. Candice is an example of the positive things a high school senior can do to help brighten the world of those with autism. If you liked this post you may wish to read other Autism Light posts about siblings of people with autism. They have the label of sibling on them.

Autism Light honors diverse heroes to the world of autism.


Photo: The photo in this post is used with permission of Candice Hause.

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Walmart Stores in Springfield, Illinois

Autism Lights #138 are the Walmart Stores in Springfield, Illinois.

There are three Walmart Stores in Springfield, Illinois. Through the Walmart corporation's regional donation program, the Springfield stores gave 10 flat screen televisions to the Hope Institute for Children and Families on October 24, 2011. The televisions are being used to outfit the school's group homes with latest technology. The Walmart Stores in Springfield, Illinois are Autism Lights because the donations of these television will improve the lives of children in the group homes and many of those children have autism.

Here is a video of a news story on this donation to the Hope Institute by Walmart.

The Hope Institute for Children and Families was founded in 1957. They have a multi-faceted program for people with disabilities in Springfield, Illinois. Many of the children in the program have autism and the organization led the development of the Autism Program of Illinois.  Mr. Clint Paul of The Hope Institute said:

Thanks to today's generous donation from Walmart, our youth will have access to state-of-the-art television receives which can be used for educational and entertainment purposes. We want to thank the entire Walmart organization, particularly Mr. Winkler and Ms. Farr, for their generosity in supporting the children of Hope (Source).

To learn more about what this donation has meant to the Hope School visit this news story at their website. Walmart's charitable commitment is explained on their website at this link.

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

• Twitter
• Google+
• Facebook

Special thanks to the Walmart stores in Springfield, Illinois for the donation of televisions you made. Your generosity will help many children with autism to learn and recreate.

Autism Light honors diverse heroes to the world of autism. 

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Colgate Women's Hockey Team and Coach Scott Wiley

Autism Light #80 is the Colgate University Women's Hockey Team and Coach Scott Wiley.
A Backlight Encore!
Original Post Date: November 4, 2011.

Photo © Bob Cornell (Image Source)

Colgate University is located in Hamilton, New York. It is an independent university founded in 1819.  The Women's Hockey Team at Colgate University led by Coach Scott Wiley is an exceptional example of how a university athletic team can spread autism awareness. They are Autism Lights because of their autism awareness campaign which is in its second year of spreading light about autism to the public and helping autism charities in the New York area. 

According to the Colgate University website, "Colgate today is a highly selective, independent, coeducational liberal arts college, enrolling approximately 2,800 undergraduates in programs that lead to the bachelor of arts." Women's Hockey is one of their 25 intercollegiate athletic programs. The Women's Ice Hockey program started with the 1997-1998 season and has been in Division I since the 2001-2002 season.

Coach Scott Wiley: "We are really excited to kick off our 2012 Autism Awareness Project and are hoping to build on the success we had in 2011", said Scott Wiley (Source) Scott Wiley is in his 10th season as the coach of the Colgate Women's Ice Hockey Team. His 127 career wins are the most in program history. For more information on his coaching career visit his page at the athletic department website of Colgate University. Scott Wiley can be found on Facebook as well. 

Kati Williams: The manager of the team is Kati Williams, a teenager who has Asperger's Syndrome. Kati Williams' enthusiasm was the inspiration for the team's decision to take up the cause of autism awareness. An article on Kati Williams was written for the Evening Sun.

Second Autism Awareness Game: On February 3, 2012 the 2nd Autism Awareness Game will be held in a game at Starr Rink against Union. Ticket information is available at this link. This year the team's uniforms for the game were designed by Christian Mast, who was Autism Light #26. Autism Speaks, ViewSonic, and Goals for Good will be partners in this autism campaign This year's goal is to raise $30,000 and the beneficiaries of funds will be Autism Speaks of Central New York, the Family Resource Network, The Kelberman Center, The OZ Project, and the American Special Hockey Association (ASHA).  A press release on this initiative was released by Colgate University at this link. This project is also mentioned in the Madison County Courier.

First Autism Awareness Game: On January 28, 2011 they began their campaign for autism awareness with a special game for autism awareness that included special uniforms with autism puzzle pieces on them and a blue light at their net that lights up for autism whenever a goal is scored. They also did other initiatives like lighting the chapel up blue on April 1.  The project raised $18,000. More information on that past initiative can be found in the following media.

• Syracuse.com article written by Alaina Potrikus. 
• Channel 9 news story. 
• The following YouTube video features highlights of the 2011 autism awareness project and the game that spotlighted their initiative.

Syracuse Crunch: On December 3, 2011, the team was honored at a Syracuse Crunch game for their autism work. This is a video of the ceremony.

The main website for the Colgate Women's Hockey Team's ongoing autism awareness initiative is found at this autism website To follow the Colgate Women's Hockey Team's success on the ice visit their official athletic website. The team also has a page on Wikipedia.

Social Media: To follow the Colgate Women's Hockey Team on social media visit these areas.

• YouTube
• Twitter

Special thanks to the Colgate Women's Hockey Team and Coach Scott Wiley. We wish the Colgate Women's Hockey Team great success on the court and in life. Their off the court efforts for autism awareness are a fantastic light for autism.

Autism Light honors diverse heroes to the world of autism. 

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Notes

• Special thanks to Erin Mast for nominating the Colgate Women's Hockey Team as Autism Lights and helping inspire the original November 4, 2011 post on this Autism Light. Erin's son Christian Mast was an Autism Light on September 2, 2011.  To nominate an autism light email your story to autismlight@gmail.com.
• The Madison County Journal wrote an article on the Autism Light blog after the original post.
• Photo: The photo in this post is used with permission and is © Bob Cornell.

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Christopher Stevens

Autism Light #137 is Christopher Stevens.

As autism increases to epidemic proportions it is more frequently being mentioned by the media. But do writers who cover autism really understand firsthand the real people that journey with autism every day? Or are they just tourists visiting a foreign culture and land known as autism? Today's Autism Light has a special lens through which he can write about the subject of autism. Christopher Stevens is a journalist and writer from Bristol, England. He and his wife Nicky have two sons and their youngest David has autism. Christopher Stevens is an Autism Light because he is using the content he produces as a writer to share real stories about autism, that are able to spread autism awareness to the far corners of the earth in today's digital age.

Journalism Career: Christopher Stevens has been in journalism since he was 18 years old. Christopher Stevens has worked since 1998 as a senior revise sub-editor at the The Observer, which is the oldest Sunday newspaper in the world. Prior to coming to The Observer, he had worked for the Evesham Journal, the South Wales Echo, and then he was the books editor for the Western Daily Press. One of his predecessors as books editor for the Western Daily Press was Tom Stoppard.

National Autistic Society: 2012 will mark the 50th Anniversary of the National Autistic Society. The National Autistic Society is the leading charity for autism in the United Kingdom and over the years it has had a key role in giving support, services, and awareness of autism in the United Kingdom. Christopher Stevens said this about the milestone year for the organization:

I have been delighted to play a part in bringing together the Observer and the National Autistic Society in 2012: the newspaper will highlight the charity's work and raise awareness of the condition. The global popularity of the Guardian/Observer news website means, I believe, that people all over the world will gain a greater understanding of autism.

Author: Christopher Stevens has been the pen behind several autism related works that may interest people.

A Real Boy: Christopher Stevens' Memoir is the book A Real Boy, which was published in 2008. This book shares how their son David's autism affected their family and how he and his wife coped with it. This book is currently one of the recommended books in the Open University's autism module of the psychology degree course. You may purchase the book for Kindle at Amazon's page for the book.

A Girl Called Barney: Christopher Stevens wrote a fiction book called A Girl Called Barney. The story line of this book includes a single dad struggling to raise a toddler who has autism. You may purchase the book for Kindle at Amazon's page for the book.

Other Books: Christopher Stevens is the author of several other books that are not specifically connected to autism. You may review the list of those books on Amazon by visiting his Author's Page on Amazon.


Blogger: Christopher Stevens' website and blog at christopherstevens.info is a very helpful reference to the writer's works. There is also a Tumblr Blog with a detailed biography of Christopher Stevens.

For a taste of some of Christopher Stevens' other writings on autism check out these online articles.

• Autism's Early Child: This was a valuable source in the discovery of Joan Edge, Autism Light #122.
• Our Sons Hidden World: Living with a Child with Autism
• How Our Son Taught Us the Secret Songs of Autism
• Parents of Adopted Children With Special Needs 'Lack Support'

Social Media: You can follow Christopher Stevens at the following social media areas:

• Twitter
• Google+

In an experience that may inspire other fathers of children with autism, Christopher Stevens recounts some personal encouragement he found on a recent visit he and his son David made to Gloucester Cathedral.  When they arrived at the awesome Cathedral, David led his father like a laser beam to the candles in the church, his favorite place in the familiar facility. At the candles the two noticed some nearby steps to a recessed chapel and part of the Cathedral they had not visited before. Christopher Stevens describes what he found in this encounter with this previously unexplored area of the Gloucester Cathedral:

The walls of the chapel were beautifully decorated in a mosaic scene of patient, suffering figures, and above them in huge letters was a banner that read, 'Blessed is he who endureth.' I felt as if that message had been placed there for me, a hundred years or more earlier. The thought has given me a great deal of comfort, that sometimes all we have to do is endure and that is its own blessing.

Special thanks to Christopher Stevens for being an Autism Light. As an Autism father Christopher Stevens, deals with the same feelings and experiences that are unique to the autism community, and he has the influential opportunity as a journalist and author to put them to living words that are messages of awareness to the world.  Those words take on a life of their own, bringing hope, education, and encouragement as they are shared on paper and in electronic books, as well as in the 24 hour, 7 day a week presence of the Internet. The autism community is blessed to be able to follow the writings of an autism father who understands first hand the struggles we face every day.

Autism Light honors diverse heroes to the world of autism.

Photo: The photo used in this post was used with the permission of Christopher Stevens.

This post went into syndication on Autisable. 

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