OT - Tribute to Bernard Rimland, PhD to benefit Autism Research Institute

[Guest guest]

Hello,

I want to share with you some exciting plans to honor the memory of Bernard

Rimland, PhD and raise money for his Autism Research Institute. We (parents of

children/adults with autism) want to ensure that his wonderful efforts on behalf

of families living with autism will continue as he hoped. And you can help!

You can join us for a relaxing cruise of the Western Caribbean, September 3-8.

For each “Cruise for a Cause” cabin booked and designated to benefit the Autism

Research Institute, a donation is made to ARI by Carnival Cruises and GT Trends.

Or come to New Orleans and enjoy some or all of the exciting Pre-Cruise

Activities, including a Saints Tailgate Party, an Autism Golf Tournament, an

Evening of Jazz, and a Bon Voyage Party, which are planned for August 30 –

September 2.

If you cannot join us for the cruise or the New Orleans events, you can still

help in a very BIG way - by selling Puzzle Pieces! Order and distribute colorful

Puzzle Pieces for a donation of $1/each.

Information on all of these events will soon be available in a video on the

new ARI website, www.autism.com. If you like, I can e-mail the video to you

now.

I’m hoping you will help us raise money for Autism Research in honor of the

memory of Dr. Bernard Rimland - by selling Puzzle Pieces! Youth Groups and

Teens can go to their neighbors, and distribute Pieces of the Puzzle for a $1

donation. Grandparents can involve their golfing friends and knitting circles

and sell Pieces of the Puzzle for $1. Banks, Grocery Stores, Restaurants,

Clubs, and Auto Dealerships can offer Pieces of the Puzzle for $1 donation. I

can e-mail you a colorful poster to display to create interest where the puzzle

pieces are available. Be sure to ask that the signed puzzle pieces be

displayed.

Autism is touching each of us now as 1 in 150 children are diagnosed autistic.

We are parents, grandparents, friends and neighbors. Together in a grassroots

effort, we can and will make a difference with recovery research, one piece of

the puzzle at a time.

With your help, this could turn into a nation-wide movement for a truly

fitting tribute to Rimland and raise LOTS of money for research. Puzzle Pieces

could be seen from California to New York, from Louisiana to Canada, and every

city, town and village in-between! Instead of lamenting the lack of research,

we parents can make a REAL impact - with the Puzzle Pieces, one buck at a time!

Take the puzzle pieces to your office. Show them to your friends and

neighbors. Let your kids go door to door. Think of places/businesses you

frequent with a high level of people traffic. If they know you, and especially

if they know your child, I’ll bet they would be willing to display the puzzle

pieces and offer them for a $1 donation.

9 out of 10 people who are asked, will gladly donate a dollar. More and more

people are hearing of Autism in the news now with the proceedings in Washington;

it is a good time. And people are very willing to help. I have already placed

the puzzle pieces several places and they are doing amazingly well! I placed

them at the beauty shop where I get my hair done and the gas station/convenience

store where I buy a soft drink daily. Next I plan to approach the barbershop

where my son gets his haircuts. The president of one of our local banks attends

our church and knows our son well. We approached him about putting the puzzle

pieces in all his bank branches. He must get approval, but we are optimistic!

There are just so many ways to use the puzzle pieces.

I hope you will contact me and order some of these colorful Puzzle Pieces to

distribute for a $1 donation. Just tell me how many packets of 50 you would

like to receive. Be sure to include your mailing address. Wouldn't it be

amazing if we raised a million dollars for research - one buck at a time?!

All proceeds raised by these activities will be presented to the Autism

Research Institute at the Bon Voyage Party for the “Cruise for a Cause”, the

evening of September 2. Dr. Steve Edelson, PhD, Director of the Autism Research

Institute, has endorsed these efforts and events. He will soon post information

about “Cruise for a Cause” and a video (which includes the puzzle pieces) on the

ARI website www.autism.com. Be sure to read some of the hundreds of tributes to

Dr. Rimland posted there from around the world.

You will have until August 25th to return the proceeds. Please also collect

and return the signed puzzle pieces. We will decorate the walls for the

presentation to the Autism Research Institute at the Hotel Monteleone in New

Orleans on September 2, 2007. Anyone wishing to write a check can make it

payable to ARI or Autism Research Institute. I can send you a letter from ARI

providing their non-profit status and Tax ID.

In his lifetime, Dr. Rimland did more for our children than any other human

being. We owe him a tremendous debt of gratitude. Help us insure that his work

continues through the Autism Research Institute.

Contact me by e-mail and I will be happy to send a packet(s) of 50 puzzle

pieces to you by mail right away. I look forward to hearing from you! And

don’t hesitate to request more puzzle pieces!

Many thanks,

Lynda Huggins

24 Lane

Monroe, LA 71203

oh_mom@...

, home

, cell

Thanks for helping insure that Dr. Rimland’s work continues.

You are the Missing Piece

Bernard Rimland, PhD

Dr. Bernard Rimland will go down in history as the person who ended the ‘dark

ages’ of autism and spearheaded the fight to bring hope and help to autistic

children.

His seminal book Infantile Autism published in 1964, proved that autism is a

biological disorder and ended the unfounded “refrigerator mother” theory of

causation.

In the early 70s he formed the National Society for Autistic Children (NSAC),

now known as the Autism Society of America to bring parents together for mutual

support and a sharing of information on effective educational therapies.

In 1967, he started the nonprofit Autism Research Institute in order to create

a worldwide research center and clearinghouse for biomedical treatments.

To quickly identify causes of autism and promote safe and effective treatments

that mainstream medicine refused to investigate, in 1995 he created the Defeat

Autism Now! (DAN!) project, bringing together dozens of the world’s leading

researchers in different fields to create a state-of-the-art treatment plan and

prioritize research goals.

His began the “Recovered Autistic Children” project, in which parents whose

children improve or even recover because of DAN!-oriented treatment are now

spreading the word that “AUTISM IS TREATABLE”!

Our community is greatly diminished by the loss of Dr. Rimland. His legacy,

however, will live on in the work of the Autism Research Institute and the DAN!

project – and in the joy of families whose children, dismissed as ‘hopeless’ and

‘incurable’ by the medical establishment, are now leading happy, healthy,

productive lives.

Please help us honor Dr. Rimland’s memory by selling these Puzzle Pieces. All

proceeds will be presented to the Autism Research Institute in New Orleans,

September 2, 2007.