Eats, Shops, and Gives…..
Mega-autism-organization Autism Speaks has launched yet another fund-raising event. It’s called Eat, Shop, Give: If you’re in Montgomery County, Maryland, you can purchase a special Eat, Shop, Give (ESG) key tag for $50.00 and get discounts at certain businesses from the 21st through the 27th of April.
“Eat, Shop, Give” is a sort of telegraphic phrase—a much shortened version of what could be said—-and as such recalls Charlie’s speech. He rarely uses connecting words like “and” or the definite article, “the.” (For those who want to know, this is called asyndeton.) We work on him adding these but when Charlie speaks spontaneously, he likes to get right to the point. (Though no commas—as in the title of this movie, Eat Drink Man Woman—or commas—as in the title of this book, Eats, Shoots, and Leaves—can make a difference. )
So now there’s “edible awareness” and “shopping awareness” (if you’re shopping for ribbons) and giving awareness (as in giving $$$?)…..
Tags: asd, asperger, autism, autism speaks, commas, grammar, Language, Movies, pdd-nos, taiwanRelated Stories
POSTED IN: Autism Organizations, Fundraising, Language
25 opinions for Eats, Shops, and Gives…..
Cliff
Apr 21, 2008 at 5:23 pm
Mega-autism-organization? Hmm…
Like a mega-autism organization?
Or like a megaautismorganization?
How ’bout a ultra-mega-autism-organization?
Ok, I’m done now. That was fun.
Cliff
Kristina Chew, PhD
Apr 21, 2008 at 5:26 pm
megautorganism…….
sorry for punning, kind of a long day here!
S.L.
Apr 21, 2008 at 6:07 pm
“megautorganism”
Love it!!! This is craziness, I mean REALLY! We are all so far-removed from what awareness truly is. And, God forbid any of the mega dollars Autism Speaks will make from these (ongoing & never ending!) campaigns actually go to, say, vocational programs or living programs (like you recently wrote about). GRR!
Thanks for the link, btw! :)
Michael Buckholtz
Apr 21, 2008 at 6:41 pm
Unlike Autism Speaks, I started a non-profit national “SafetyNet” fund for autistic children and their families. This includes autistic adults who’ve been forgotten after they turned 26 years old because the medical profession no longer considers you needing help. I have Asperger’s Syndrome and started this out of necessity for the Autism Community. I am collecting for this fund at http://www.aacfinc.org. It’s the Aid Autistic Children Fund. Once I’ve reached 120,000 contributors, I will give away $150,000 dollars to a contributor. I will do this again at 240,000 contributors and so on. It’s not only an incentive to give but, why not? The Autism Community desperately needs this kind of fund and I hope to be the only organization that can truly say I am helping these families directly with their special costs.
mayfly
Apr 21, 2008 at 7:06 pm
S.L I suggest you look at http://www.autismspeaks.org/community/family_services/grants.php
Part of it I’ll reproduce here.
oung Adult/Adults Services
* Pre-vocational and vocational training
* Transition planning
* Residential services
* Recreation programs for adults
* Life/community integration skills
Now what do you have t say about Autism Speaks?
I wish them well with this community effort and in their research efforts geared toward palliation.
laurentius-rex
Apr 21, 2008 at 7:09 pm
Tell you sommat mind as surely yer must know as there ain’t no commas and punctubloodyation in speech.
laurentius-rex
Apr 21, 2008 at 7:23 pm
Wass more creoles pijins notwithstanding peccavi and all - yer can speak sans conju(expletivedeleted)gations
know for fact cos I does time to time time as is as does as will
No need now, a wealth of writing,
Waste washed glare of knight enamel,
Plane to Sea.
Still fishing for our other Arthur,
(I was one.)
A virtual, Gobbling, vacuum coolness.
Nice to know that `Black Holes’
Will be light again
And `Ice Age’ isn’t long a coming “loude sing cuckoo”.
We with our not-quite quit iniquities
Sunk six miles deep in snow.
“Too cold to call it spring yet”.
Kristina Chew, PhD
Apr 21, 2008 at 7:25 pm
Regarding those family service/community grants: A good start, but from this comment from an earlier post:
http://www.autismvox.com/autism-does-change-everything/#comment-312870
Landru
Apr 21, 2008 at 7:33 pm
Oh goody. My very own county. I’ll get to work explaining to well-intentioned friends why this is a bad idea.
mayfly
Apr 21, 2008 at 7:47 pm
Kristina here is another link.
http://www.autismspeaks.org/community/fsdb/grants_funded_2007.php
I cannot. understand the complaint. A rich man gives you $20.00 and you would say, he should have given me $100.00?
mayfly
Apr 21, 2008 at 7:51 pm
Michael B.
Good luck with your efforts. Is your organization a recognized charity. Is it audited?
“I hope to be the only organization that can truly say I am helping these families directly with their special costs.”
My hope is for numerous organizations provide this help.
Kristina Chew, PhD
Apr 21, 2008 at 8:18 pm
It’s been good to see Autism Speaks evolve and also address these sorts of community needs. Here in New Jersey, COSAC has long provided workshops for free about topics such as IEPs, ABA, estate planning, and the like—-I think it’s important that these are free and offered in numerous locations for parents and families to attend. A couple of posts back, a parent noted the high costs of attending conferences about autism, so free events on important topics would be a great service.
Regan
Apr 21, 2008 at 8:26 pm
Maybe it makes sense in looking at the total expenditures across funding bodies and then seeing areas of duplication/replication (granted that a certain amount of that might be useful for verification or hypothesis rejection) and where are gaps across the board.
In scanning the AutismSpeaks grants another area that might more closely fit in with immediate application is that of Innovative Technology for Autism (ITA) Grants.
Sidebar: Our area supported AutismSpeaks heavily until we realized that we were not receiving grants for direct application nor political support for bills when those were in the legislature. I’m not saying whether that was right or wrong…just that some folks questioned whether their fundraising might be better spent on that which they knew would be applied locally. The sentiment was that it was kind of an “East Coast” thing.
laurentius-rex
Apr 21, 2008 at 8:33 pm
Well landru are you of the body, for the red hour approaches :)
Pete
Apr 21, 2008 at 9:05 pm
Your Charlie and my Olivia are in pretty good company when it comes to asyndeton:
According to reference.com, several notable examples can be found in American political speeches:
“…and that government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth.” Abraham Lincoln, Gettysburg Address
“…that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty.” John F. Kennedy Inaugural Address, January 20, 1961.
The US Declaration of Independence includes an example of asyndeton, referring to the British:
“We must… hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.”
Now if only Olivia would drop the volume a decible or hundred, we could actually then marvel at her asyndeton.
Kristina Chew, PhD
Apr 21, 2008 at 9:09 pm
So maybe it’s good there are fewer words (those “ands” for instance) due to the decibel level……Charlie talks a pretty even tone these days.
I cannot resist inserting some Latin, sans punctuation, to illustrate asyndeton:
VENIVIDIVICI
mayfly
Apr 21, 2008 at 9:09 pm
Michael B.
Good luck with your efforts.
“I hope to be the only organization that can truly say I am helping these families directly with their special costs.”
My hope is for numerous organizations to provide this help.
mayfly
Apr 21, 2008 at 9:30 pm
My apologies for the double post.
S.L.
Apr 21, 2008 at 10:34 pm
I’m with Regan. Here in the midwest, neither our family, nor anyone else I know, has been helped in any way by Autism Speaks. Aside from a yearly walk, a luncheon associated with that, they have offered nothing in this area. There are other groups and organizations that do many more local events, training sessions, etc. I’d much prefer to support those, since I can see what how they are positively affecting my community (and, more importantly, the autistic individuals in it). It appears that Autism Speaks is only touching those who live in the tri-state area (or maybe the entire Northeast…but definitely not here).
I’d reiterate what Kristina says, the % that is actually going to helping autistic people and their families is pretty pathetic. I hope this changes.
It’s Not So Hard to Be Green
Apr 23, 2008 at 12:22 am
[…] the last week-plus of Autism Awareness Month 2008. We’ve been asked to wear our awareness, to eat and shop and to give $$$$ in support of autism—not that my autistic son has been asked or even […]
Bonnie Sayers
Apr 23, 2008 at 7:53 pm
The clerk at the grocery store every time I am there asks if I want to donate money for disabilities. They never say a name of an organziation and I respond that I am already living with two kids who have disabilities and doiny my part.
This ends with a clueless blank stare.
Michael Buckholtz
Apr 25, 2008 at 12:36 am
There are NO services in MY city for autistic children or adults. This is a problem in many states of the union. I here from many families saying they must quit long time jobs and move to states that offer reduced cost or free services for them or their children. This alone can be cost prohibitive for many reasons.
I am working hard with Goodwill and other organizations to become a recognized and necessary fund that can and will do some good for these amazing children and their families. Thank you all for the encouragement. This has not been easy. This has created a lot of sensory overload for me to deal with but, I manage.
-Michael Buckholtz
Aid Autistic Children Fund
http://www.aacfinc.org
Michael Buckholtz
Apr 25, 2008 at 12:38 am
Sorry! Misspelled the word “hear”.
-Michael :o)
Kristina Chew, PhD
Apr 25, 2008 at 1:16 am
Thanks for sharing your site—-we moved from Missouri back to New Jersey (my husband is from NJ) for better schools and services for our son. I had read about your in another news story and would much like to know what happens with your efforts. Thank you again!
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