2012
Walk BrochureIn conjunction with national autism awareness month, The Autism Project will be hosting our 10th annual Imagine Walk & Family Fun Day for Autism on Sunday, April 29, 2012.
The walk is followed by a family fun day event that features an assortment of free activities designed for children and teens with autism including: a reptile show, karaoke, obstacle course, bounce house, face painting, arts and crafts, and more...
Follow signs to The Autism Project Imagine Walk and Family Fun Day for parking and check in. We'll be there rain or shine, and we hope you will too!
9 a.m. Registration
10 a.m. Opening Remarks and Walk Start
End Time: 1:00 p.m.
Create Your Team
Visit firstgiving.com/autismproject to create a team for this event. On the day of the walk, the first 500 participants to check in with $100 or more in pledges will receive a free t-shirt!
In addition, the fundraising team with the most money raised as of April 22, 2012 will be recognized and asked to lead the walk
For team and sponsorship information, call Mary at (401) 785-2666 x1023 or email at mary@theautismproject.org.
Pledges collected for the Imagine Walk help fund our programs and services for children with autism and their families. This year, the fundraising team that raises the most money as of April 22, 2012 will be recognized at the event and asked to lead the walk.
Community Challenge
Participating in this event also gives families, organizations, and other members of the community the opportunity to earn free autism training for their educators.
Before our educators can help our kids reach their full potential, they need to be informed about the unique challenges of autism spectrum disorders, and they need to be aware of strategies that they can implement in their classrooms IMMEDIATELY.
We realize that school budgets can’t always afford to offer their teachers the professional development required to meet our kids’ needs; however, we don’t have to accept defeat. We can work together and raise the funds needed to train our teachers; we can overcome this obstacle.
Our Community Challenge offers the chance to obtain specialized autism training and serves to empower those willing to go the extra mile to give our children the brightest futures imaginable.
Over the past several years, more than 350 educators from 23 school districts in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and nearby Connecticut have earned free autism training for their teachers by raising funds for this event. You can too!
How it Works
Every team participating in our Imagine Walk is eligible to take part in our Community Challenge. Those participating are asked to provide the name of the school (or district) that they want to benefit from their fundraising efforts. Each school/ district with a minimum of $10,000 raised on their behalf will receive A Starting Point training for 30 professionals.
Thank you for your support and your willingness to imagine bright futures for our children.
For more info, call Mary or Julie at 401-785-2666 x 1023
Your school, or organization can earn specialized training on Autism Spectrum Disorders for your educators by participating in The Autism Project’s 10th Annual Imagine Walk and Family Fun Day for Autism!
How it Works
Every team participating in our Imagine Walk is eligible to take part in our Community Challenge. Those participating are asked to provide the name of the school (or district) that they want to benefit from their fundraising efforts.
After we've received each team's registration form and funds raised, we'll calculate the totals achieved for each school and/or district.
Community Challenge Rules
- To participate, you, your school or district/organization must pre-register as a team To register, please visit www.firstgiving.com/autismproject or email mary@theautismproject.org
- Teams may consist of families, children and professionals Your families may apply their Imagine Walk sponsor pledges to their district/organization or individual school
- Each team must designate a team leader All families and professionals who want to apply their pledges to their school must complete the School/School district/organization portion of the pledge form to ensure proper credit
- Forms without complete information may not receive proper credit If your school or district/organization is located outside of the Rhode Island area, certain restrictions may apply
- All sponsorship forms will be available for distribution the first week of February. Please contact us to order them.
- All participants in the Community Challenge must provide their own team t-shirts
- Unused training cannot be carried over from previous years
- Winners will be notified in writing
Training Details
Champion $10,000.00
Schools or organizations that participate in the Imagine Walk and Family Fun Day for Autism and raise a minimum of $10,000 will receive a district wide training for 30 professionals. The “A Starting Point” training series is a comprehensive nine week program designed to educate parents and professionals working with a child with an autism spectrum disorder. Participants completing the series earn 18 Continuing Education Unit hours from the Department of Education. We are also able to offer MSW credits for this training.
Star $8,000.00
Schools or Organizations that raise a minimum of $8000.00 will receive a five week specialized training program called “Aspire” for 30 professionals to address the unique learning styles of children with Asperger Syndrome. This training will include Introduction to Social Thinking, a two –hour training, which gives participants an understanding of the concept of Social Thinking and how a deficit in Social thinking can affect academic performance, daily living and overall happiness and success. Participants completing the series can earn 10 CEU hours. We are also able to offer MSW credits for this training.
Sponsor $1,500.00
Schools or organizations that raise a minimum of $1,500.00 will receive one free professional training slot for Aspire or A Starting Point. Aspire will include our two-hour training, Introduction to Social Thinking. You can earn one free training for each increment of $1,500 raised. For example, if your school raises $3,000, you will earn 2 free training spots!
We are proud to announce that to date more than 350 educators from 23 school districts in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and nearby Connecticut have earned free autism training for their teachers by raising funds for this event. You can too! Thank you for supporting our organization and your willingness to Imagine.
For more info, call Mary or Julie at 401-785-2666 x 1023
Getting Started: It's Easy to Start a Team!
- Designate a Team Leader (or captain) and select a team name.
- Register by creating a team page at www.firstgiving.com/autismproject or contacting Mary@theautismproject.org
Please indicate the school/district name that you want to receive ASD training after you meet our community challenge. For multiple teams participating from the same district, we will combine each team's total funds raised when awarding our ASD Training. So truly, every little bit helps!
**Please note: to be eligible to receive our training, your team must be registered prior to our event.
Fundraising Tools
Firstgiving.com
A fast and easy way to create your own personalized fundraising webpage, tell your story, include photos and send emails to generate support for your team.
The “Firstgiving” fundraising tool is a great and simple way to reach out to family and friends for donations for your team.
If you have questions, call Julie at 401-785-2666 x 1004 for help. Visit
www.firstgiving.com/theautismproject to get started!
Print Tools
The Autism Project will provide you with brochures. We also have posters available which will be given out on a first come-first serve basis.
Extra brochures are also available at UPS Store locations throughout Rhode Island
Team Tips:
Getting Started
- Ask permission to make up signs at work/school
- Set a positive example-ask the principal and the staff of the school to join your team. Ask the PTO to highlight the walk at their next meeting remind the PTO President of the fact that participating in this event can directly benefit your school.
- Set a recruitment and fundraising goal.
- Ask the PTO/Principal if the school can host an event to raise money for the walk. A dress down day, bake sale, car wash, dance, movie night etc.
- Ask local businesses to support your effort by hosting a night where a percentage of proceeds will benefit your school team. We have a list of business that will offer these fundraisers to your organization.
- Another way to raise money for your team is through a letter writing campaign. Write a letter explaining your involvement with the Autism Project and how the programs will benefit the children in your school. Ask if you can pass out this information to each student to bring home. This is an easy way to raise funds and alleviates the uncomfortable face to face solicitation. If you don’t want to mail letters, you can send out an email. If your life has been touched by this disorder you will be overwhelmingly surprised by the response this letter or email will elicit.
- Encourage students, family members and friends to sign up others for your team.
- Have t-shirts for your team-that features the person or school you are walking for: there are many places to buy them, Job lot, Michaels, AC Moore, and Joanne Fabrics have inexpensive shirts where you could use an iron on transfer. We also have a list of outside vendors you can purchase t-shirts from. Please contact The Autism Project for a list of vendors.
Keeping the Momentum Going!
- Get the word out! Encourage the involvement of your team by utilizing newsletters, e-mail, incentives, PTO involvement and group activities. Put up posters, hand out flyers or send an e-mail.
Prepping for the big day
For your convenience, community/school challenge participants can arrange to visit our office to obtain food tickets and drop off donations during the week prior to the walk.
Funds can alsol be turned in the day of the event. Please make a note on all checks in the memo line of the team name/school. It is advisable to convert all cash to checks if you are planning to hand in the money at the walk itself to ensure proper team credit towards the community challenge.
Organize a meeting place for all your team members to meet at the walk. You may want to make a sign with your team name on it. Please contact mary@theautismproject.org to obtain a map of the park.
Have fun and take plenty of pictures!
Post Walk
The Autism Project will send out thank you letters for all donations over $75.00. If your walkers need letters for their taxes please have them send in checks payable to the Autism Project with the team name clearly designated on the memo line of each check submitted. This will enable us to accurately determine your total team contribution. Each team that raises more than $75.00 will also receive a thank you letter from The Autism Project.
You can also send out a personal thank you note or email to your team members, telling them how much you raised.
Submit your team picture for your school newsletter, submit to the local paper, email it to mary@theautismproject.org.
The team captain will be notified if your team has earned free training.
