Help Julie raise money

When Jamie was first diagnosed 11 years ago, it was so overwhelming. This was the first time we had experienced anything like this, only 3 months earlier, I hadn't even known what "Autism" was. Suddenly, Jamie's infatuation with numbers, letters and fans, all made sense. Since then, we have seen Jamie with behavioural therapists, speech language pathologists, occupational therapy and more recently social skills groups. Throughout the years, I also attended many AutismBC workshops, to help me ... as a parent learn the system, meet other families, and most importantly, advocate for Jamie.

I started working at AutismBC September 2019 and the following January attended my first workshop as an employee. It was a Waiting for Assessment workshop, a free workshop giving parents a 'head start' on how to prepare, what to do if and when your child is diagnosed. It was truly amazing the amount of information, resources and advice parents received, and all I could think was how much this would have helped our family when we first heard the words "I think you should take Jamie for an autism assessment" from our doctor. We were basically on our own trying to navigate the system as we waited. Fortunately the wait times were not as bad as they are now. Today, the current wait times are over 78 weeks on average across BC for a public assessment! I cannot even imagine what these families are going through.

My fundraising goal is $350, the cost of one 'Waiting for Assessment' workshop, and I am asking for donations of $25 towards reaching this goal. Starting with my own donation of $25, please join me to help other families - like ours - in the beginning of their autism journey.