When I began planning my family's Ultimate Orlando Trip five years ago, I didn't realize that the last few days of our trip would coincide with Disney World's annual Marathon Weekend. Disney's Marathon Weekend raises hundreds of thousands of dollars each year for a number of charitable organizations, including three organizations that support autism research and/or assistance to autistic individuals.
While I won't be in town for the full marathon, I realized that doing the 10K portion of the event on Friday January 9th would fit within our schedule and I viewed this as a great way to burn off a few of the many calories I'm sure to gain while on vacation back in the United States and help raise money for a cause I'm extremely passionate about.
So you may be wondering why me (A diehard Miami Dolphins fan) decided to throw my support behind former New England Patriots and Buffalo Bills QB Doug Flutie's Foundation for Autism charity. As someone who is autistic and as the father of someone who is autistic, supporting an organization that looks to provide resources for autistic individuals from childhood to adulthood really struck home for me. While Autism Speaks and many other organizations do a great job of fundraising for autism research, Flutie's Foundation really focuses on providing direct support and resources to individuals with autism, whether that be access to therapy services or assistance later in life with employment opportunities. To me, there's a lot more value in that (supporting autistic people directly) than fundraising for the sake of autism research.
So I hope you'll join me on this journey. To raise awareness. To support people like my son and myself. I took the first step with a $400 donation to the foundation. I need to raise at least $300 more dollars to be eligible to run in the 10K. My ultimate goal is to raise over $1000 for the foundation. Whether it's $5 or $50, every dollar counts and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your support.
- Ian