Autism Resource Center Hosts Family Potluck
In an effort to bring families of children with special needs together, the Nantucket Autism Speaks Resource Center will host a Family Potluck Picnic, 5 to 7 pm this Sunday, July 20, at the Nantucket Boys & Girls Club. The Resource Center will provide beverages, snacks and dessert, and families can bring their own picnic suppers.
Kim Horyn, Director of the Nantucket Autism Speaks Resource Center, notes, “Many of our children on the Autism Spectrum and with other special needs can’t go to the Club during the school year because they find it too stimulating, so this will give them a chance to play and hang out at the Club, and it will also give parents the opportunity to visit with one another.” Horyn adds, “We’ve had many calls from visitors and seasonal families with children on the Spectrum, asking what is there for them to do on Nantucket. Having a child with special needs can be so isolating, and a potluck in a fun environment seemed to be a way of bringing families, who have so much in common, together.” Horyn credits Executive Director Phyllis McInerney and the Nantucket Boys & Girls Club Board of Directors for partnering with the Resource Center.
The potluck is one of several summer activities the Resource Center has planned for families of children with autism and their friends, including movie outings, surfing lessons, and a social gathering for parents. Additionally, Stephen Shore, Ed.D., who has autism and Asperger’s Syndrome and has written numerous books on these subjects, spoke in the Great Hall of the Atheneum on July 2, providing an inspiration for parents and children. Horyn notes that the Resource Center activities are open to all children with special needs, their siblings and friends.
To register or volunteer for Nantucket’s 2nd Annual Walk Now for Autism, scheduled to be held at 8:30 am, Saturday, August 16, go on-line to www.autismspeaks.org/walk. Festivities at the Walk will include children’s games and dancing, face painting, and performances by the Theater Workshop Nantucket and other local talents. The two-mile walk is appropriate for all ages.
The mission of the Nantucket Autism Speaks Resource Center is to provide current information and comprehensive resources for families, professionals and the community for the purpose of educating and increasing awareness of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The Resource Center is dedicated to empowering families and individuals impacted by autism to make informed decisions by providing resource information that covers all aspects of autism and ASD, from birth through adult care.
For more information about the Resource Center, please contact Kim Horyn, Director, khoryn@autismspeaks.org, or call 646-341-3043.
Autism Speaks is dedicated to increasing awareness of autism spectrum disorders, to funding research into the causes, prevention and treatments for autism, and to advocating for the needs of individuals with autism and their families. It was founded in February 2005 by Suzanne and Bob Wright, the grandparents of a child with autism. Bob Wright is Vice Chairman, General Electric, and served as chairman and chief executive officer of NBC Universal for more than twenty years. To learn more about Autism Speaks, please visit www.autismspeaks.org.
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