Help Katie raise money

The McMenamin's are running Falmouth, baby!

We were both accepted to run the Falmouth Road Race as a part of 'Dougie's Team'! We were over the moon to get that acceptance email! So now comes the fun part: training for that 7 mile race & fundraising $1,000 each! 

Why would we both want to commit raising so much money for the Doug Flutie Jr Foundation for Autism, you ask? Simple: Our beautiful son, Benjamin, was diagnosed with autism on 02/02/2022 & the Flutie Foundation has been there since the beginning. 

Being an autism parent is a gift we never knew we wanted. The beginning is very scary. Seeing our son regress, losing words, & fall behind his peers. But most scary was seeing a fog settle over all the visions we had for Benny's future. Our world felt turned upside down. Fast forward 2 years to today. Benny's future still isn't clear, but man, is it BRIGHT & filled with possibilities. Being Benny's parents has taught us so much. Something we think about all the time is how we get to celebrate the small stuff every. single. day. This is such an incredible perk of being an autism parent. Benny used his device to request something? Huge celebration. Benny made an approximation of a word? Huge celebration. Benny tried some pizza at school? Huge celebration. Our world is not always sunshine & rainbows, but we are just following Benny's lead & encouraging him every step of the way. Shout out to "Team Benny" at his ABA center, Proven! Kyra, Kevin, Kayla, & Melissa: We are forever grateful for you! To all the staff & other parents who love our boys: Thank you so much! You all make our small village feel a bit bigger!

Being an autism parent also means that we have seemingly endless resources available to us. Programs that we hold near and dear to our hearts are Community Autism Resources & The Doug Flutie Jr Foundation for Autism. The Flutie Foundation has directly affected our family on multiple occasions. They provided funds for Benny to receive private swim lessons, they often pay for the drinks & snacks at parent meet ups, they host free fun events, they donate to the CAR program, & we actually just applied for a grant to get Benny 1:1 gymnastic lessons until he can move up to a group class. The Flutie Foundation does so much, not only for our family, but the entire MA autism community. Crossing the FRR finish line together while wearing our Flutie singlet is going to be one heck of a special moment and we can't wait!

We hope to finish out this fundraiser with the most money raised! Please help us make that dream a reality! Any donation amount, big or small, means more help for families like ours. We appreciate you!

To our boys, Benny & Willie: Being your parents is the greatest privilege and joy of our entire lives. We love you with every inch of our hearts! Thank you for being our sons.