He needs more than 'awareness' about autism. This article appeared in The Washington Post on April 7, 2022. Jackie Spinner is an associate professor at Columbia College Chicago and a former staff writer for The Post. At dinner last week, I told my 10-year-old son that his school would celebrate World Autism Awareness Day. My son was excited, mostly because he loves a party, …
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How Sensory Friendly Movies Practically Saved My Life
I recently got an email from Playhouse Square, our local theatre here in Cleveland, announcing that they are doing a sensory friendly production of the play Frozen. If you aren’t familiar with sensory friendly productions, they are a dream come true for parents of kids with special needs. Sensory friendly movies, plays, areas of amusement parks etc., exist for kids who are easily overstimulated …
Every Day Should Be Mother’s Day!
Dana Gore is the newest member of the Orange Effect Foundation Board of Directors. You can read more about her here. Being a mother, at least from the outside looking in, seems to be the hardest job one can have. Moms are on-call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. More than the standard full time job, with no compensation. This sentiment is captured in one of my favorite quotes …
100 Holes of Golf for the Third Year in a Row
For those of you who don’t know, the idea of doing 100 holes of golf in ONE DAY stemmed from Covid-19. We were trying to find a way to continue fundraising during the pandemic so we could continue to fund kids who need speech therapy. Mike Balzano came up with this brilliant idea. Personally, I am not passionate enough about anything to do it for 12 consecutive hours. Okay, maybe lay by a …
Orange Effect Board Member Spotlight: Joe Pulizzi
Today's spotlight is on Orange Effect Foundation co-founder and fundraising chair, Joe Pulizzi. What do you do for your day job? Most importantly, I do what my wife has for me on the calendar. I spend most of my days working with content creators trying to help them build a business for themselves (at The Tilt). This involves writing articles, producing podcasts and organizing events …
Bringing American Sign Language to Local Weather Alerts
Writing for The Washington Post, Rachael Kaye shares how one meteorologist is addressing a critical gap for people with a hearing disability who do not have access to severe-weather information. You can read the full article here. …
Autistic Kids Amaze Me
I often get on a rant about the negative effects of the internet, but it’s days like today where for some great reason my news is filled with things that just make me so happy. Take Anthony here, he loves cars. I mean not just loves cars but LOVES cars. I don’t want to spoil the video - but you will be shocked when you realize one of the cars is not a car… well, anyway, Anthony has some …
Never Take “I Love You” for Granted Again
One of our missions here at the Orange Effect Foundation is to make sure every child can communicate. We often take it for granted. I have had so many emails from grateful parents--writing about how their child can participate in every day activities like saying, "Trick Or Treat!" or "I’m hungry," or they want to go outside. Such simple things. But no example has warmed my heart the way …
Happy Mother’s Day to Nikki Chimo, an Unsung Hero
Motherhood to most means being a mom, or as defined by www.dictionary.com, as “the state of being a mother.” While Mother’s Day is recognized as a U.S. holiday honoring motherhood and celebrated for those that are mothers, there are many women who fill the shoes of motherhood. These individuals are so very often the unsung heroes in our lives. This Mother’s Day, I am …
The Orange Effect Foundation Welcomes New Board Member
CLEVELAND - April 12, 2022 - PRLog -- The Orange Effect Foundation is pleased to announce the appointment of Dana Gore to the board of directors for a three-year term, which began on March 11, 2022. "The mission of the Orange Effect Foundation resonates with me," Gore said. "As the sister of a woman with special needs, I am especially aware of the challenges families …
How To Help Your Child With Autism Overcome a Speech Delay
Speech delays are common symptoms of autism. Reports from Spectrum reveal that about 40% of children with autism experience some difficulties with speech. Recent research found that most 4-year-old children with autism were unable to string together more than two words. That said, while scientific findings show that speech delay frequently manifests in autism, each child’s experience of …
Why I Am an Orange Effect Foundation Board Member
Throughout the upcoming year we will feature a little bit about each OEF board member starting with one of our co-founders, Pam Pulizzi. What do you do for your day job? Starting with the toughest question for me! Currently, I work part time helping my husband with his new business called, The Tilt. The goal of the company is to help content creators become content entrepreneurs. If you …
