Those who have been following The Voice from the Spectrum for a long time will know of my involvement with Positively Autistic. For those who do not know, since February 2012, I have been hosting a podcast for an international autism awareness charity based out of Newton Abbot England. In April of this year, I will be traveling to England to meet members of Positively Autistic who I have communicated with through Facebook for the past two years. This exciting trip is unlike anything I have ever done before and I find myself feeling a mixture of anticipation, anxiety, and excitement.
In April 2012, I began working with another member of Positively Autistic who lives here in the United States. Marilyn Francis hosted Positively Autistic: The Poet's Interest with Marilyn and Ryan with my assistance as co-host. Marilyn is truly a credit to Positively Autistic because she was able to connect to some wonderful people who worked to raise autism awareness through poetry while caring for her severely disabled daughter.
When we first came up with the idea for the England Trip in September of this year, Marilyn had already been planning to travel to England for some time to see members of Positively Autistic and had already put some money aside to cover the expenses. However, a most unwelcome tragedy took place. Marilyn's daughter Leslie, who was severely disabled with cerebral palsy passed away near the end of September. Leslie's passing ripped a hole in Marilyn's already fragile life. The expenses in the following months wiped out Marilyn's saving so she can no longer afford the England Trip.
That's why, with the help of Joe Westlake, co-founder of Positively Autistic (an exceptionally driven young college student), we created a fundraiser on gofundme.com to help Marilyn participate in the England trip. Our goal is to raise $2500 by mid-march to help Marilyn pay for the flight to and from England (which cost me more than $1000) and help cover additional costs that may come up during the duration of the trip. I am not one to ask for monetary support but Marilyn really needs whatever help you can give her. I spent most of my show last week discussing the fundraiser with Joe Westlake and as of right now, we have not received any donations.
To find out more about this fundraiser, please click here:
http://www.gofundme.com/5zxyw8
In April 2012, I began working with another member of Positively Autistic who lives here in the United States. Marilyn Francis hosted Positively Autistic: The Poet's Interest with Marilyn and Ryan with my assistance as co-host. Marilyn is truly a credit to Positively Autistic because she was able to connect to some wonderful people who worked to raise autism awareness through poetry while caring for her severely disabled daughter.
When we first came up with the idea for the England Trip in September of this year, Marilyn had already been planning to travel to England for some time to see members of Positively Autistic and had already put some money aside to cover the expenses. However, a most unwelcome tragedy took place. Marilyn's daughter Leslie, who was severely disabled with cerebral palsy passed away near the end of September. Leslie's passing ripped a hole in Marilyn's already fragile life. The expenses in the following months wiped out Marilyn's saving so she can no longer afford the England Trip.
That's why, with the help of Joe Westlake, co-founder of Positively Autistic (an exceptionally driven young college student), we created a fundraiser on gofundme.com to help Marilyn participate in the England trip. Our goal is to raise $2500 by mid-march to help Marilyn pay for the flight to and from England (which cost me more than $1000) and help cover additional costs that may come up during the duration of the trip. I am not one to ask for monetary support but Marilyn really needs whatever help you can give her. I spent most of my show last week discussing the fundraiser with Joe Westlake and as of right now, we have not received any donations.
To find out more about this fundraiser, please click here:
http://www.gofundme.com/5zxyw8
1 comment:
Thanks Ryan, I will do all I can to raise enough money to, and hopefully I will go to England with you. Marilyn
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