Take 2: Teaching Children w/ Autism Washington, DC

Dear Friends of Take 2,

     Please consider a gift to Take 2 on Wednesday, October 19 as early in the day as possible.  GlobalGiving, our fundraising and communication partner, will match at 30 percent all gifts made on that day, beginning just after midnight Eastern Daylight Time the night before.  If you were thinking of an end-of-year gift, please consider making it a bit early to take advantage of this one-day match.  If you’ve never given to Take 2 before, we hope this incentive will appeal to you.  Gifts of up to $1,000 will be matched at the 30 percent level until GlobalGiving has exhausted $100,000.  We participated in this fundraiser last year and it gave us a very helpful boost.  Particularly since Global Giving partners with projects in different time zones around the world, it’s important to make your online gift early on Tuesday the 19^th.  And if you can go one step further and post this fundraiser to your Facebook or Twitter account, that would be wonderful and very much appreciated. 

      While GlobalGiving has a big-sounding name and collaborates with large corporations to attract donations from their employees to projects like ours (employers like Gap distribute $10 or $20 gift cards to employees who use them then give to to the charity of their choice), we think you’ll be interested to know that Take 2’s relationship to GlobalGiving is very personal and accessible.  We learned of GlobalGiving from a neighbor who worked there.  GlobalGiving's creative and enthusiastic staff have helped us in a variety of ways that have benefitted our shoestring operation. They boosted Take 2 in a local radio show earlier this year and obtained newspaper coverage of our camp the year before. They have connected us with numerous small donors we would not have reached otherwise and provide us a platform for communicating with our supporters.  We're proud that GlobalGiving thinks of us as one of their success stories and we hope you'll feel good about giving to us through such a terrific organization. 

     Here’s a link to our Project Page on Global Giving, where you can make your donation on a one-time basis or as a monthly recurring contribution.  http://www.globalgiving.org/projects/teaching-children-with-autism/. 

     In addition, here’s a link to a really terrific story that ran on the front page of the Sunday New York Times a few weeks ago, describing the challenges that face individuals with autism spectrum disorders as they transition to adulthood.  http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/18/us/autistic-and-seeking-a-place-in-an-adult-world.html?_r=1&scp=5&sq=autism&st=cse (Autistic and Seeking a Place in an Adult World)

     At Take 2 we know it takes more than strong cognitive ability and verbal skills to succeed at work and in the community.  Take 2 helps children in their quest to obtain the keys to the social kingdom we all live in.  Please give as generously as you can as early as possible on Wednesday, October 19^th.  We thank you very much. 

Warmly and gratefully,

Lynn Cannon, Monica Adler Werner & Lisa Greenman

Links:

• NY Times article: Autistic & Seeking a Place in an Adult World
• Check out our recent Project Reports

Dear Friends of Take 2,

We just wrapped up another wonderful summer at Take2. The campers and staff have much to be proud of: they worked hard, learned a lot and, most importantly, had a lot of fun along the way. Each camper celebrated so many successes, whether it was….

• finding that there really is someone who loves dinosaurs as much as I do and while we might disagree about which dinosaur is the fiercest, we can still be friends
• realizing that if I lose a game of chess gracefully there will be opportunities for games in the future because people will want to play with me again
• discovering that when I cheer for others, they are more likely to cheer for me and that feels great
• overcoming a fear of heights, taking a plunge and riding the zip-line at Calleva camp…or
• figuring out that there is always a Plan B…..

 This summer’s curriculum focused on:

-          Week 1: “Thinking about Me” Labeling my own emotional experience and what strategies I can use to regulate myself when my feelings start to get out of control.  

-          Week 2: “Thinking about You”- How do I use the your “clues”… body language, tone of voice and facial expression to figure out what you are thinking and feeling?

-          Week 3: “Thinking about Us”- How do my thoughts differ from yours? How does my behavior impact the thoughts you are having and how can we create good thoughts in one another so that you want to be with me and I want to be with you?

-          Week 4: “Bringing it all Together”- The strategies and skills the campers acquired over the 3 weeks were put into action as we took several field trips and made gifts for one another.

 Please enjoy these photos for a glimpse of some of the wonderful moments we had this year at camp.  As always, we are so grateful for your support. 

Fondly,

Lynn

We couldn’t be luckier.  Master special education teacher and administrator Lynn Cannon has been a vital part of Take 2 since it was merely a concept and a twinkle in the eye.  Until recently, Lynn was Education Coordinator for the Ivymount School Model  Asperger Program.  Now, on a more flexible schedule now to accommodate motherhood, Lynn has shifted to a consulting role with Ivymount and is taking on the position of Director of Take 2.

Nothing could be better for Take 2 than having Lynn bring her years of experience back to us.  Not only was Lynn a vital member of the small group that in 2004 conceived of and developed the program, but even before that she was a big part of the inspiration for the camp.  Lynn’s classroom had attracted the notice of Autism experts and parents who were collaborating to meet the need for a full-time social skills intervention.  One of the earliest actions of the planning team was to draft Lynn for a leadership role.  She took charge of developing the camp curriculum and served as Take 2’s lead teacher for four years, until responsibilities at Ivymount took over her summers. 

Returning now as director, Lynn has wonderful innovations planned and we are thrilled to have her back.  This year’s campers are going to have an extraordinary experience.  Look for our next Project Report (in July, after camp begins) to come directly from Lynn.  Until then, please have a look at our Project Page on Global Giving and, if you feel so moved, make a contribution to Take 2 in honor of our fantastic new Director!