TARF press release
For more information, contact:
Kelly Landrigan, Media/Comm. Exec. TARF
Announcing an Exciting New Partnership: Organizations Team Up For a Good Cause!
Boston, MA – January 23, 2013 – The Autism Research Foundation (TARF), the first medically accredited autism research charity, is excited to announce a new partnership with Beads for a Cause™, a new division of Confidence Beads™.
TARF has reached out to Linda Waters, the founder of Beads for a Cause™ to create a bead for autism awareness and fundraising. Beads for a Cause is based on the idea that we all should be lifting each other up and acknowledging the contributions that everyone can make to the greater community, a much-needed sentiment in the autism community.
The collection is called "I See You," acknowledging that even though individuals with autism may not be able to communicate as fully as neurotypical people, they will not go unnoticed. The sparkly blue and white autism bead is engraved with the words “I See You” on the side.
“TARF is proud to partner with Beads for a Cause, as we work to make every person with autism spectrum disorders be seen, heard, and appreciated,” said Courtney LaPorte, the Executive Director of TARF. “We will not let them become invisible; rather, we will bring visibility to their needs and gifts.”
For every autism bead purchased from the “I See You” collection, 20% of the proceeds will be donated to TARF to directly fund its continuing brain-based research and inclusion programs, including Athletes 4 Autism, Michael’s Place, and Artists for Autism.
The best part about purchasing an “I See You” bead: other autism organizations can sell the beads to fundraise for their own charity, and Waters will still give a percentage back to TARF. It's truly the gift that keeps on giving!
###
The Autism Research Foundation (TARF), founded by pioneering autism researcher Dr. Margaret Bauman in 1990, is the first medically accredited autism research nonprofit organization. Dr. Bauman was the first researcher to discover the anatomical differences between a typical brain and a brain with autism, demonstrating for the first time that autism was related to abnormalities of brain development and not to poor parenting. Over the past 22 years, TARF has grown as an information authority in the autism community, achieving community consciousness and autism appreciation through its research, awareness, inclusion, fundraising, family support and conference programs across New England. TARF has expanded its mission to include innovative inclusion programs like Athletes 4 Autism, Michael’s Place, and Artists for Autism. For more information about TARF, visit www.theautismresearchfoundation.org.
For more information about Beads for a Cause, visit http://www.beadsforacause.com/.