We are so grateful to ACT Today! for the grant you gave to our son, Josef. Josef is an active child and enjoys many activities. We strive to provide him with many opportunities for socialization as this is a challenge for him. Unfortunately our budget has been severely impacted since my husband’s diagnosis of stage IV kidney cancer. We are both self employed and had already been experiencing financial pressure due to the economic downturn prior to my husband’s illness. Because of your grant, Josef was able to take swimming lessons and participate in a gymnastics program. He is so happy and starts speaking about it when it’s time to go. Your organization made a huge difference for Josef. I was so worried the impact of illness and financial pressure would stunt Josef’s development. It’s too easy to get caught up in the stress and unintentionally sidetrack Josef’s needs. Because of you, Josef can enjoy being a kid, try new activities and have some fun. Thank you!

Hello - I am a single mother of a child with autism. I am always afraid of my son just running off. Our road is very dangerous because people drive about 70 mph on our road. I am always afraid of him going around the house and getting hit so this fence will give me peace of mind. This fence will give him his own space to be free and let him feel like a kid. It means so much to me and I know for him too. He plays outside all day long from sun up to sun down. I can't say thank you enough.

We are a military family. My husband is a Marine currently deployed to Afghanistan for 12 months. Our 5 year old son J was diagnosed with autism when he was 22 months. J did not return a smile and did not pick up on social cues like waving. We had him evaluated because he had a language delay. We left that appointment with a diagnosis of autism. It has now been over three years since his diagnosis and J has matured, grown, and overcome so many deficits. When we learned my husband would be deployed for year my heart sank. I immediately began to look for any resource that might benefit J while his Daddy was away. Camp Royall is a summer camp. After researching the camp I knew it would be an amazing experience for J. The need for funding led me to discover ACT Today!. Fortunately we were awarded a $1,500 grant to cover nearly all of Joshua's camp tuition. This grant has benefited everyone in our family. My husband is comforted to know J is able to experience fun outdoor adventures even though he is not here to take him. I have the added benefit of a week of respite to give some much needed attention to our daughter who often times get overshadowed by her brother. But most of all J gets to have the experience of a lifetime. He gets to spend a week away from home, meet new friends, broaden his life experience, and have fun! What an amazing gift to a boy who faces so many challenges.

Dear ACT Today!,

We received a grant to build a fence. Our son Ezekiel, age 12, was diagnosed with autism at age 6. He suffered grand mal seizures, sometimes several a day, from the ages of 7 1/2 until almost 11, 3 years. He also has selective mutism. Animals are so important to Ezekiel. He has a little pocket beagle named Buster. We were afraid to let Ezekiel take Buster outside because there were some stray dogs that tried to attack Buster before. We also were concerned about Ezekiel wandering. He has 2 siblings that spend a lot of time in the front yard. This fence has allowed him to have open access to the yard again. He is taking Buster out to play, playing baseball, swinging. When Ezekiel was younger, and throughout the years, he has always drawn pictures of mini donkeys and farm animals. His dream has been to have a little farm. Some people say the animals are therapeutic. We know that a boy's dreams, whatever they are, are so important in restoring hope. Ezekiel reads to his animals, and talks and talks to them. You have provided a resource that has been so good for his heart, expanding his world. It is a gift we enjoy everyday as we see him exploring the world again.

Thank you so much
The Mata family

We want to thank you from the bottom of our hearts for awarding a grant to our beautiful son Joshua who is 8 years old and has autism. Through your grant program, we were awarded an iPad 2. Joshua was diagnosed with autism at the age of 26 months and has always been completely nonverbal. Not only will this grant of an iPad 2 allow him to be able to communicate with the world around him like never before, it will allow him to have something that he can use to relate to his peers like nothing else available to him. Joshua has always desperately wanted to interact with kids his own age and watches them as they play without him. Thank you so much for giving our son an opportunity that we could not have given to him.

He has not let this iPad go since we got it set up for him this morning. There has never been anything that has been able to hold his attention for that long, ever.

Thank you again.

Jason and Susan