I'm dedicating my team's walk to a special boy with a heart of gold. Jay has gone from being non-verbal and resistant to touch to communicating with words verbally & via an audio device, and sign language. He's also now happy giving and accepting love through approproate touch, making friendships, and meeting more of his milestones. He is a blessed child that has a very supportive family with resources to give him the best care and support, but I'd love to offer the support Jay has received to other children and families who may need additional help. Neurodiverse children (Proud mom of a neuro-spicy kid) have a wonderful way of showing us that a diagnosis doesn't stop up, it only shows us the areas that need extra love poured into!

Today, over 70 million children and adults are affected by autism. Each of them, have unique strengths, challenges and potential. Autism Speaks will be there for them. You and I can be too.

It’s only through the dedicated support of people like us that Autism Speaks can continue their vital mission work. Each year, the Autism Speaks Autism Response Team makes direct contact with tens of thousands of individuals looking for advice or guidance and more than one million people access their free nationwide autism services and resources. They continue to partner and support research to improve the lives of people with autism by investing in science that will allow more personalized treatments and therapies. You can find out even more about where your fundraising dollars go at autismspeaks.org/our-work.

Please join me by donating to help me reach my fundraising goal. Together, we have the power to enhance the lives of people with autism and make a meaningful difference. Thanks so much for your support!