First let me start by telling you a little about myself and my family. My name is Angel Messier and I am a mother of four sons. My oldest two are both diagnosed with Autism. Everyday life is challenging but rewarding at the same time. Never a dull moment is had in my household.

The saying “It takes a village to raise a child” rings so true for my sons. Without the much appreciated assistance we receive from the teachers at school, the therapists who visit us at home, and the one on one support that both boys receive on a daily basis, we would be floundering. We have had the opportunity to be able to attend Parent training sessions and parent support groups, to help us realize we are not alone in this fight for a better understanding of this diagnosis and what can be done to help Marcel and Andrew, and the other children just like them in the State of Rhode Island.

My family and friends have formed “The Red Team” and on April 25^th, 2010, we will be taking part in the 8^th Annual Imagine and Family Walk Day taking place at Goddard Memorial Park in Warwick. This event helps to raise much needed funding to help families in Rhode Island to receive much needed support, services, and trainings that they would otherwise be unable to afford. It also helps to raise awareness for this ever increasing diagnosis. These children are our future, and we need to help them to succeed.

This year we will be stepping up our fundraising efforts and we will be putting together a few events to help raise even more funds. This year we have signed our team up to be part of the Community Challenge in order to win a free training class for the West Warwick School District.

Events:

• 9/20/09  -Lemonade Stand

A few facts taken from Autism Speaks:

• 1 in 150 children is diagnosed with autism
• 1 in 94 boys is on the autism spectrum
• 67 children are diagnosed per day
• A new case is diagnosed almost every 20 minutes
• More children will be diagnosed with autism this year than with AIDS, diabetes & cancer combined
• Autism is the fastest-growing serious developmental disability in the U.S.
• Autism costs the nation over $35 billion per year, a figure expected to significantly increase in the next decade
• Autism receives less than 5% of the research funding of many less prevalent childhood diseases
• Boys are four times more likely than girls to have autism
• There is no medical detection or cure for autism

Special thanks to those who have donated offline:

Thank you for visiting my Personal Fundraising Page. Donating through this site is simple, fast and totally secure. It is also the most efficient way to make a contribution to our fundraising efforts. Many thanks for your support -- and don't forget to forward this to anyone who you think might want to donate too!