2011 Walk for Autism Speaks

[Guest guest]

Hello Friends! We are counting down the weeks until the Broward 2011 Walk for Autism Speaks, which is scheduled for Saturday, April 9th at Nova Southeastern University and we want your help! A great day is planned and you won’t be disappointed! Please join us and if you haven’t already and REGISTER today! Add your name to the list of Top Teams and s. The top 5 individual fund-raisers are:Forrest Shooster Nash & CosenzaEvan FeldmanTanner BarsaSEE YOUR NAME HERE The top 5 fund-raising teams are:TEAM FORRESTBig Dog s Payton's PalsUnited Martial Arts CenterEvan Strikes BackSEE YOUR TEAM NAME HERE Please NOTE that there is a minimum amount of $150 in order to get an Official Walk Day T-shirt.1. CLEVER WAYS TO RAISE MONEY – every year, we hear of clever ways to raise money for your walk team. If you have a clever way of how you are raising funds for your walk team, then please share it with us and we’ll feature it in this section of our e-mail. Here is a list of detailed ideas on how to put the FUN back in FUNdraising: 50-50 Raffle Bake Sale Basket Wars Battle of the Bands Bid for a Date Bingo Night Bowl a Thon Board Game Night Candy Gram Sale Car Wash Casino Night Coloring ContestsConcessions at Local Events Cookbook Dance A Thon Host Fun Restaurant Night Garage Sale Pancake Breakfast Letter Writing Campaign Karaoke Office Olympics Intramural/Sport Tournament Penny Wars Photo Art Contest Video Game Tournament Silent Auction Sleepover Party 2. SCHOOL INCENTIVES – Autism Speaks has partnered with our local K–12 schools whereby the top 3 schools will be given grants of $1000, $750 and $500 to the top fundraising School team. What a great way to support Autism Speaks and your local school! If you would like information about how to get your school involved, please CLICK HERE to go our site and download the team Captain guide for ideas. Please share this information with your schools as we want as many schools as possible to participate in our walk! 3. ENTERTAINMENT / FUN – Please don’t let the word “fundraising” fool you. This event is a great family fun day with lots of activities for everyone. We have confirmed that Toys R Us’ very own “Geoffrey the Giraffe”, Build a Bear’s “Bearemy” and My Kids County’s “Andy the Monkey” characters will be at the walk providing lots of smiles for our kids. We also have Lawn Bowling provided by Sawgrass Lanes, Face Painters, Stilt Walking Clowns, Balloon Twisting, NSU Activities Tent, Video Arcade Truck, and DJ Gore, along with Emcee, Jen Herrera from WPLG, special guests and much more! 4. OPTION AUCTION – Here is a list of just some of the great items included in the option auction:Autographed Gloria Estefan Children’s Book & CDT-shirt worn during concert & autographed by Enrique IglesiasBaseball Bat signed by Marlins player Hanley 32 " Flat screen TVA Tablet PC22 " Monitor(4) All Bounce & More Gift Certificates - each valued at $150.00 each = $600.00 totalArtist designed Children's room - valued at $450.00Gift Basket of Kay CosmeticsBuild a BearGift Certificate for Premier Designs High Fashion JewelryStroller Strides Gift Basket & FREE Class passes $50 in Gift Certificates to Timpano’s Italian Chophouse$50 Gift Certificate to Pizza Fusion (2 Chances to win!)Autism Speaks Tutu by Rockin Mamaz along with a Brooklyn’s Bowtique Autism Awareness Bow10 FREE Games of Bowling at Sawgrass LanesAND MUCH MORE!!! 5. DAY OF EVENT SPONSPORSHIPS – are still available. Day of Event Sponsors have the opportunity to sponsor various areas of the Walk Event. Some of the areas are the Stage, The VIP tent, Children’s Area, Resource Area, and Water Stop. If you own a business or work for one, then please consider asking them to become a Day of Event Sponsor. Help us grow our corporate participation by emailing the Autism Speaks office at Broward@... and we’ll forward information to you. Corporate sponsors to date include: South Florida FordSurfers for Autism Eppy Financial GroupAction Supply Company Boca JavaMedia Partners:The Parent NotebookWPLG 6. THE RESOURCE FAIR – We are very excited that we have 27 Resource Providers so far! Limited booth space is still available for $150 for non-profit organizations, $200 for For-profit autism related providers, and $500 for businesses. . If you know of a business that would like to promote their business or product, please call the Autism Speaks office at or email at Broward@... for more information. Here is a sample of some of the providers who will be there: 211 BrowardThe Parent Notebook MagazineABA CardAlvin Sherman LibraryAssociated Behavior Analysts of South FloridaBroward Children’s CenterSleep Dentists of South FloridaPediatric Dentistry & OrthodonticsThe Conde CenterThe Lovaas CenterChild Provider Specialists, IncAutism ThingsDivine AcademyWestlake Preparatory SchoolFoundations Therapeutic Connections ABA, ST, OT P. Hussman Institute for Human GenomicsDisability Rights FloridaAdded Touch BoutiqueDevelopmental & Behavioral Pediatrics of South FloridaCasablanca AcademyButterfly Effects Therapy ServicesSafety Net by LojackSuper Swimmers FoundationMy Kids CountyStop and Relax LLC/Relaxation Now: Relaxation TrainingJuice Plus +Fitwize 4 KidsFund for HopeInfinite Personal PossibilitiesNova Southeastern UniversityPalms West Hospital – Children’s TherapySouth Florida Autism Charter SchoolThe Victory School CenterTransforming Lives / Organic Cup of HealthAngel Services 7. JOIN THE GRAND CLUB – Each Individual who raises $1000 or more becomes a member of the Grand Club and receives a commemorative pin, will be recognized on Walk Day, and have access to the VIP Tent on Walk Day! Become a member of this elite group and your name will also be listed on the website! If you make it into the Grand Club by World Autism Awareness Day on April 2nd you will automatically be entered into a raffle for a chance to win 4 Club Level tickets, including 2 Lexus Parking passes to the Florida Panthers -vs- Washington Capitals game on Saturday April 9th, 2011 at 7:00pm. Here is a current list of Grand Club Members:Forrest Shooster Nash & CosenzaEvan FeldmanTanner BarsaErwin Kaufman EarleyBonnie Kabat Collaza l 8. VOLUNTEERS - The success of Walk Now for Autism Speaks is greatly dependent on the dedication and support of volunteers. Make new friends as you play an integral role in making your city's Walk Now for Autism Speaks event a success. Recruit your friends, family and coworkers to form a volunteer team. We'll do our best to assign you to the same area so you can spend the day together. Please CLICK HERE to register online to volunteer.9. FEATURED STORIES – We would like to highlight some business/families/schools that are doing great things to raise funds for Autism Speaks and raise awareness of autism. Please let us know what your family, business or school is doing so that we can highlight you in next week’s email. 10. UPCOMING EVENTS - Friday and Saturday, April 1 and 2 – LIGHT IT UP BLUE in honor of Autism Awareness Month!There are so many ways to participate. Help raise awareness - Light your homes blue – visit Home Depot for blue lights and lanterns, get your school to wear blue or ask co-workers to wear blue – send us your photos!Show your support and find out more at www.lightitupblue.org today! Saturday April 2nd – 8:00am – 4:00pm “Surfers for Autism” on Deerfield Beach North side of the PierAt a SFA event, our surfers are provided a safe environment where two to four highly skilled and trained surf instructors carefully guide them into waves. Our surfers and their families are treated like rock stars and enjoy a day filled with a range of activities including stand up paddle boarding, kayaking, live music, face-painting, games, bounce houses, fire engine tours and much more. A catered lunch is also provided, all at no cost. This is a very special day where children with ASD interact with typical peers and wow families with their capabilities. These events are examples of inclusion at the highest level. Saturday April 2nd – 10:00am – 6:00pm“Beauty of Autism” at Girlz N Guyz Salon 6550 Road, Suite 101 • Davie, FL Phone: (954)585-2213 Between the hours of 10 – 6, get a free haircut with a minimum donation of $20. They have food & music & much much more. Thursday April 7th – 3:00PM – 5:00pm“Sensory Jump Time” at Pump it Up of NW Broward5000-B Coconut Creek Parkway • Margate , FL Phone FREE EVENT for children with autism and their families ONLY! Pump It Up has partnered with Autism Speaks and is proud to offer Sensory Jump Time, a program for all children on the autism spectrum. We have created a sensory-friendly environment specific to our Sensory Jump Time program. Children who attend will have the opportunity to make new friends, jump, slide and play sensory-friendly games within a controlled, safe environment. This program is open to children on the autism spectrum and their siblings only. Advanced registration is encouraged as this program is not open to the general public in order to provide a safe environment for the children. Thursday April 7th – 6:00PM – 9:00PM“Bounce for Autism” at Pump it Up of NW Broward5000-B Coconut Creek Parkway • Margate , FL Phone FREE hot dog and drink per child will be provided. Nearly 30 million people in the world have Autism, and the number is increasing daily. Pump It Up and Autism Speaks invite you to have a blast and raise awareness of this worthy cause. Come join us for a bouncing, laughing, and jumping good time while we Bounce for Autism on our soft interactive, fun-filled inflatables. 100% of every admission will be donated to Autism Speaks. 3rd Tuesday of every month“Ice Cream Socials” at Flutters Ice Cream & Desserts4690 North State Rd 7 - Suite 105 • Coconut Creek, FLPhone They will have Magic, Balloon Twisting, Face Painting & more. A portion of the proceeds from these events will be going to team “Flutter’s Wings” 11. FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS – a. Q: Are children able to attend? A: ABSOLUTELY! We would encourage you to bring your entire family out for a fun filled day of lots of activities. In addition to the moon bouncers, characters, music, and dancing, we will also have kid friendly activities at every vendor booth. There is so much to do, you’ll have to struggle to get it all done!b. Q: Can we bring strollers? A: YES! Strollers, wheelchairs and even wagons for the little ones are all welcome.c. Q: Can we bring our pets? A: Sorry but, pets are not allowed. Many affected children have a fear of animals and even the sweetest pet could negatively affect another participant. Please be sensitive to this issue and leave your pets at home. Only service dogs are permitted at the walk.d. Q: How can I insure a t-shirt? A: Volunteers will distribute t-shirts to those walk participants who have turned in a minimum of $150 through walk day (both pre-event and day of event donations will be counted).e. Q: Can we make our own t-shirts to wear for our team? A: ABSOLUTELY! I would encourage all of you to make up a “team” t-shirt and wear it that day. It will be great to see all the different colors and designs. f. Q: Do I have to walk the walk? A: No! You can walk as much or as little as you want. Some will do the complete 5K, others won’t walk at all. It’s really up to you.g. Q: What time does it all start? A: Registration, Vendor Booth Area, and Special Areas open at 8:30 AM. The actual kick off of the walk will begin at 10:00 with presentation of the colors, playing of the National Anthem, h. Q: Do I have to pay for parking? A: No – Free parking is available on the upper levels of the parking garages i. Q: Where is the walk? A: The Sherman Library Green on Nova Southeastern University, 3100 Ray Ferrero Jr. Blvd. in Fort Lauderdale-Davie, Florida (Map link) We hope you will join us and register today. Help us spread the word about the Broward Walk Now for Autism Speaks and help us reach our goal! Sincerely,, Dianne, and 2011 Broward Walk Co-Chairs-- Baldassarra, Dianne Orr & NashCo Chairs, Broward Walk Now for Autism SpeaksPhone: or Email: browardwalkchairs@...Web: www.walknowforautismspeaks.org/broward