Dear Family and Friends,

The time of year is upon us again for the 2008 Boston Marathon.  I will be participating and raising money in honor of my beautiful nephew, Genaro Thomas Gamberdella.  

As a reminder for those of you who don't know, Genaro (9) is my nephew and was diagnosed with Autism at the age of 2.  Genaro and his family have been living in San Mateo, CA for the past few years and continue to thrive in their community. He is the older brother to his beautiful sisters, Gianna and Lia, and son to wonderful parents, Marc and Liz.  Genaro is now participating in a home school program where different types of teachers, therapists, etc. come to his home everyday to help him with his fight with Autism. 

This year I will, again, raise money for the Doug Flutie, Jr. Foundation for Autism.  For more info on this specific charity please refer to the left side of this page.  Some staggering statistics I would like to share with you regarding Autism are the following:

• 1 in 166 children have Autism
• 67 kids are diagnosed everyday
• There is an extremely low awareness about Autism yet it is more pervasive then Aids or Breast Cancer
• There is no known cure and no known cause of Autism
• It is now considered a National Health Threat

The unfortunate reality of these statistics is that soon everyone (if you are not already) will have a personal, first hand experience of dealing with Autism and realize its many challenges and heartaches. 

What gives me hope is witnessing the support that I have seen over the past four years since working with this cause.  Not just to witness the financial contributions (which are beyond generous and much appreciated) but, more importantly, to witness the heightened awareness campaigns like this one create for Autism.  It is this heightened awareness that brings on increased support.  And through this support whether in the form of financial aid, research developments, or volunteer hours a cure will hopefully be rendered someday.  In the meantime, while no cure is available, this same awareness acts as a powerful tool to bring a greater sense of understanding and compassion to those afflicted with Autism and the families that support them everyday.   So maybe, just maybe, this awareness we have created can make some of their difficult lives a bit easier.

You can also click on this link(http://www.whatkindofworlddoyouwant.com/videos/view/id/408214) to see a moving video that Autism Speaks along with Five for Fighting put together.  Just by clicking on the link you can learn a bit more about Autism and Five for Fighting will make a $0.40 donation to Autism Speaks.

Last year with your help, we raised over $8000!!!  It was such an amazing experience and as always I was so overwhelmed by the generosity of everyone involved.  This year I will attempt to do the same with your help.  Anything you can donate to the cause will be greatly appreciated, no matter how small. I am asking that you donate no later than the race date which is APRIL 21st, 2008. 

It is a simple process of making the donation online using a credit card or you can always mail me a check payable to: The Doug Flutie, Jr. Foundation for Autism, 12 Ticknor Street # 1, Boston, MA, 02127.

Please feel free to forward this link on to ANYONE you feel would be interested in donating.  Last year by your efforts to spread the word we had many additional donors.

If you have any questions, concerns or comments feel free to email me at jennyg46@hotmail.com or call me on my cell at 617-921-4208.  In advance I would like to thank you for reading this letter, raising your own awareness and your consideration of donating to the cause.

Warm Regards,

Jenn