Help the Rams Generate Autism Awareness

July 30, 2008

Dear Rhody Baseball Fans,

After playing and coaching ball all throughout my life, I've become very familiar with a variety of different statistics. Surprisingly though, the one that has affected me most has more to do with the game of life than the game of baseball...

Did you know that one in every 150 children is diagnosed with autism? Or that every 20 minutes another child is diagnosed? Like many people out there, I was unaware of this until it occurred in my family.

My daughter Delaney is now four years old. At 15 months, our pediatrician thought he saw a "problem". At 18 months he was sure, but my wife and I were still oblivious/in denial. Thank God for our doctor though, as he made the call and arranged for Delaney to get evaluated. She began early intervention services at age two and about eight months ago we got our diagnosis - which still brings tears to our eyes.

But we have learned that a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder is not sentence, just something for us to overcome.

So, on the days when it is difficult to be strong and we fight back the pain of sending our little girl to summer school, we remind ourselves that there are some kids out there that aren't getting help. Knowing that we have such a great support system makes is a little easier to put on a smile and keep going. And seeing Delaney so happy at the end of her school day - and reading reports of what she has accomplished - makes it worthwhile.

I am sharing this with you in hopes that you will help us support the fight against autism.

We will be participating in Autism Speaks' Walk Now for Autism event - Sunday, Sept. 21 at Colt State Park in Bristol, R.I. Held nationwide, the Walk Now for Autism events unite tens of thousands of people dedicated to raising money to find a cure for autism.

Autism Speaks directs 75¢ out of every dollar raised to autism research, awareness and outreach, supporting its mission to finding the causes, effective treatments and a cure for autism through funding essential biomedical research.

Our team fundraising goal for this event is $5,000. Please help us reach this goal by making a donation and keep in mind that donations are tax deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law (Autism Speaks 501 (C)(3) Tax Id #: 20-2329938). Also remember that many companies will provide their employees with matching gifts, so please consult your employer on its gift matching guidelines.

Online donations can be made by clicking here.

You can also visit www.walknowforautism.org and enter "URI Baseball for Autism DJF".

Thank you, in advance, for your support in the fight against autism.

Sincerely,
Jim and Narelle Foster