Ironically, as a college assignment over 40 years ago I interviewed Dorothy Beavers, a neighbor who had an institutionalized son with ASD, (autism spectrum disorder). It gave me a lot to consider as I learned of her journey and the steps she took to help other families. She felt the toxins she and her husband had been exposed to at work had been an issue. Her son was out of state. The Beavers had created a fund to assist families. Fast forward almost 18 years. We receive diagnosis on our two children. I have teaching degrees and experience, but I’m tested. I need more answers. I went to see Dorothy again. She was a trailblazer. She saw her son a couple times a year. She directed me to her “fund”. (It was pretty much gone) The information seeking frenzy is incredible for a parent upon diagnosis. What do we do? Where do we turn? Some incredible moms created UNYFEAT (Upstate NY Families for Effective Autism Treatment) in 2004. I was lucky to find them a year later to hear from families about what they were doing, what they found helpful and supports we could try. I became further involved and was hired in 2010 to train and support community relations. The needs in the community haven’t changed. One in every 44 kids are being diagnosed with ASD. Every facet of a community needs more training. The creation of opportunities needs to grow exponentially in school, places of worship, places of work and play. Gratefully, UNYFEAT also grew to AutismUp and to partnerships at The Golisano Autism Center. There are many more places for support information than when my kids were diagnosed. Unfortunately, it needs continued support to meet ever growing needs. Kids with autism become adults with autism. They continue to need supports, educationally, socially and vocationally long after the school bus stops coming. AutismUp continues to grow to monitor and create programming and partnerships to meet those needs. Please take a moment to help. I couldn’t be any prouder of our two, but this village at AutismUp and beyond was vital to where we are now. We still have a lot to do. We still need your support.