Hello Friends and Family!

It's that time of year again! Team CJ has begun its 2012 campaign supporting our local Walk for Autism 2012 and The Autism Society of Alabama. We are now 4 years after diagnosis and CJ has made many strides and reached many milestones during this time period. We are blessed beyond measure to have a wonderful village helping us with his care and treatment. We especially want to thank Jill Meier, who has been our rock along the way and CJ's other mama. Without her, CJ would not have many of the valuable social skills that many of our children on the spectrum lack.

Organizations like Autism Speaks, The Autism Society of America, and our state agency Autism Society of Alabama provide valuable services for our families and the community, so any dollars you give help to support those causes. When CJ was first diagnosed with Autism, only 1 in 150 children were affected. Now, it's more like 1 in 110. Sadly, that number keeps getting smaller and smaller. Your donations help to fund valuable research to uncover the reasons and causes for this disorder and why it affects so many of our children, especially little boys.

While we are hopeful that there may one day be a cure or a more standard course of treatment for Autism and Autism Spectrum Disorders, today we are still seeking answers. I raise money every year in honor of my child, the children of my friends who have been diagnosed, and also for the many other families with children who are just now receiving diagnoses. We are truly a tight knit community of concerned parents, grandparents, teachers, caregivers, and friends of these special angels.

Our local walk is scheduled for Saturday, April 14th at 9:00 AM at Hampton Cove Middle School. If you're interested in joining Team CJ, please let me know. The 6 laps I walk every year mean that I have done my part to raise awareness for this issue.

Thank you to all of our loyal friends and family who have supported us every year with our fundraising efforts and over the course of our journey into Autism. Your love and support have been invaluable to us. It truly takes a village to raise a child. God Bless You and Thank You!

Orlando, Trella, and CJ Crawford