Recently, my oldest graduated from college. An exciting time for anyone, but for our family, it was a true milestone that many had told us 20 years ago might not happen. Why not, you ask? Well, we didn’t know then many of the things we know now. For example, the basis for the Orange Effect Foundation is to get early intervention for as many children as possible because we have learned that early …
Autism Awareness and Acceptance
Back In My Day…. According to my Gen Z son, ‘back in my day’ is an expression most proclaimed by the Boomer generation when they are sharing stories about walking back and forth to school, uphill both ways in the ice and snow. I use the expression a lot myself as I go about declaring Gen X the best. We had the good life before the internet and social media. Ha ha. But just today I …
Welcome to Our New Board Members
Welcome New Board Members! I was startled when I realized that Orange Effect Foundation entered its 10th year of operations when the calendar turned to 2024. This realization followed our December board meeting where one of our founding members, Cathy McPhillips, shared that she would be resigning from the board. What would our next steps be, I wondered. Cathy, like all our board members, …
Technology and Speech Therapy
In my “other” life, apart from Orange Effect Foundation, I live in the marketing world. It all began with large brands and corporations who were striving to claim the top spots in a google search or learn how to utilize keywords and search to demonstrate how they were the best of the best. That eventually evolved into assisting what I call solo-preneurs or entrepreneurs in finding their niche in …
The Emotional Journey Behind Every Check Written by the Orange Effect Foundation
The very first check I wrote, I cried. The act of writing a check can hold more weight than the mere transfer of funds. It can symbolize hope, progress, and the tangible impact of collective efforts. During the inaugural meeting of the Orange Effect Foundation, held in a meeting room of a local coffee shop, six of us gathered with a shared mission: to make a difference in the …
Trends for Speech Therapy Careers
Like many industries, I am hearing more and more that service providers are having a hard time hiring enough speech therapists to keep up with the demand for services. As you may know, as many as 1 in 8 children will require some form of speech therapy during their upbringing. This got me researching the growing need for experienced professionals in the field of speech. I went to ASHA, …
Being Resolute
I love making resolutions. For me, it’s permission to keep trying. Whether that is trying something new by setting a new goal or revising a previously set to-do item. For me, resolutions don’t have to be all about doing something better; it can be just getting something done. My birthday is about halfway through the year, which for a resolution maker like myself is pretty handy. I find myself …
Hard Work Can Pay Off
You’ve heard the expression, ‘if at first you don’t succeed, try, try again’. But you’ve probably also heard that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. Put those two things together and you have quite a conundrum. For the past few years we ran a fundraising campaign asking people not to talk for 24 or 12 …
Why a Night at the Races?
We’ve written before about fundraising. It’s tough. Many organizations have a staff person dedicated to it, because fundraising needs time and attention to be successful. For the past couple of years here at The Orange Effect Foundation, we’ve done an event called Silence for Speech. We asked people to go a day without talking to learn what it's like to be a person with a communication …
Eyes?
My oldest (who is autistic) just returned from a weeklong trip going to theme parks on the East Coast with the goal to ride as many roller coasters as possible! Not my idea of a great time but something they’ve been looking forward to for a long time. The trip made me a little sentimental. First off, my baby was covering over 1000 miles of driving on their own and second managing all the things …
People with Autism Finding a Lifeline with ChatGPT
Have you heard all the rage? ChatGPT is making headlines across a huge array of topics. From kids using it to complete homework assignments to folks worried about losing their job because of it. ChatGPT is a force that is not likely to slow down anytime soon. I previously wrote about ChatGPT when sharing the struggles I often find when working to come up with content for this blog, or other …
Honoring Dads this Father’s Day
Happy Fathers Day to anyone out there who has been a role model in a child's life. Remember you are a crucial part of that child's upbringing. And to those of us who have lost a parent, I know these holidays can be difficult, but let’s remember how important our parents were in our upbringing and do our best to carry that tradition on to younger generations. Many of those present …
