"...there was some kind of connection between the capacity to love and the capacity to love running. The engineering was certainly the same: both depended on loosening your grip on your own desires, putting aside what you wanted and appreciating what you've got, being patient and forgiving and... undemanding...maybe we shouldn't be surprised that getting better at one could make you better at the other..."                     from  Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes and the Greatest Race the World Has Ever Seen by Christopher McDougall

Welcome to my 2011 fundraising page for Jack's Run!  So many of you have honored me in the past with your donations and once again I am asking for your help in supporting Nassau Suffolk Services for Autism/The Martin C. Barell School.

As many of you know, my daughter Anna was diagnosed with autism in 2002.  These years have been quite a struggle for my family as well as for many other families affected by this developmental disability.  NSSA was founded in 1983 to provide services that meet the unique needs of children and families affected by autism.  The goals of these services are to enable individuals with autism to participate more fully in family life, to prepare for the transition to increasingly less restrictive environments, to develop the skills necessary for future employment and to develop the skills that facilitate full participation in community living.

This is Anna's third year at NSSA and it has been a stellar one!  She has made so many gains, particularly in the areas of communication, socialization and self-help. She loves horseback riding, bowling, trips to the city, gymnastics and swimming. She has even started to take an interest in "Just Dance 2" on the Wii !  She recently began training on a new augmentative communication device and is demonstrating proficiency on this very quickly!

Anna's education program at The Martin C. Barell School utilizes the principles of Applied Behavioral Analysis, which is the only intervention scientifically proven to be effective in the treatment of autism.  The Barell School provides a full - day, 12 month program for school aged children ranging in age from 3-21 years.

Our Adult Services Program at NSSA serves the needs of clients over the age of 21.  Among the services currently offered within this program are job sampling, volunteer service, vocational training and community integration training.  This particular program will ultimately grow to encompass the LARGEST population of NSSA's clients. Parade magazine recently reported that while 14,400 programs exist nationwide for autistic kids, only 3,500 are available for autistic adults.  Some are little more than day care or a vocational program working in complete isolation.  That being said, our school is a rare commodity and we need your help!

Jack's Run is an annual event that takes place at North Hempstead Town Beach in Port Washington, Long Island.  This 5K Run/Walk was established 8 years ago by Michael and Ondine Miranda to honor their nephew Jack, a fellow student of Anna's at NSSA.  

I will be running once again this May 14th and remain deeply committed to raising money for this wonderful program. I cannot thank all of you enough for your generosity and kind words of encouragement.  My family and I are truly blessed to have all of you in our lives!

With lots of love,

Lisa (Anna's Mom)

Donating through this website is simple, fast and totally secure. It is also the most efficient way to support my fundraising efforts.

Many thanks for your support -- and don't forget to forward this to anyone who you think might want to donate too!