Rushing Family

Matthew loves to run, one of his therapists in elementary school started to give Matthew "running breaks" to lower his anxiety and stress at school.  Matthew developed a love of running and ran on his High School Cross Country team.  Often his fellow teammates would tell us how Matthew inspired them to keep going on runs.  "If Matthew can do it then so can I". He was voted "Most Inspirational" by his High School Cross Country Team.  Matthew was able to run as a "red shirt" on his community college team but ran out of the number of times he could audit the class.  Running has always helped Matthew regulate his body and is very calming to him.  It has been difficult to find a way for Matthew to continue running, first throughout COVID shutdowns, and then due to no longer being eligible at the community college.  He always needs attendants to run with him and guide the way, adding another level of difficulty for him.

Matthew, Jonathan, and Kelly all love everything Disney.  Sharing Disney movies with Matthew has been the biggest way for them to connect with each other.  Last year, Matthew was so excited to prepare and run together with them in the Disneyland's Cast Member 5K runs.  Matthew loved practicing with them and especially loved the actual race through Disneyland, his favorite place to be!  Through the experiences, they all bonded together in greater ways than imagined.  Both Jonathan and Kelly have been taking on more and more responsibilities with their brother Matthew, which has been a great blessing to our family.

Matthew is so excited to have the opportunity to run with Jonathan and Kelly as his guides in their first 13.1 - half Marathon all together representing the Doug Flutie Foundation.

The Flutie Foundation's mission is "to help people and familes affected by autism live life to the fullest".  Their vision is for "a world where people with autism lead productive lives where they are included, respected, and actively engaged in their communities".

Matthew and our family are personally benefiting from the Doug Flutie Foundation.

Please join us in sponsoring Matthew, Jonathan and Kelly as team "Rushing Family" so that this amazing organization can continue to help families like ours.

THANK YOU!