Just Cause: Autism Speaks, www.autismspeaks.org
How did you get involved with Autism Speaks? “A good family friend of mine has a son who’s on the lower end of the [autism] spectrum, and she asked if I would get involved. I said, ‘Sure!’ I began to do research that gave me more understanding and more of a heart for it. I have a cousin, Joseph, [with autism], so raising awareness and speaking out about autism is very important to me.”
What does your affiliation with Autism Speaks consist of? “Raising awareness, advocacy, lending my name to the cause, speaking at different events, raising funds. At SoapFest [a fan event in Florida in May], I raised $5,000 for autism. That feels good. I spoke at Autism Speaks last year. There were more than 55,000 people at that event at the Orange Bowl. At first, I was a little uncomfortable because I don’t have a child or a brother I’m caring for, and I wondered how I would be received. But the reception was great; people could feel my spirit in my heart. To have people thank me and tell me their stories is a powerful thing.”
What are some of the things you’ve learned since becoming more involved in autism awareness? “Some of the statistics are so staggering. There’s been a steady incline in the number of people diagnosed with autism over the last 20 years. There’s no early detection, there’s no prevention, there’s no cure, and we don’t know the cause. Ten years ago, one in 10,000 children had autism; now, it’s one in 68. There are going to be hundreds of thousands of young people with autism transitioning into adulthood. They’re going to need jobs, housing, and people who understand that they process information differently. They are going to need compassion.”
Have you talked about your charity work with Maura West (Ava), whose son Basil has autism? “Oh, yes. She’s very passionate and she loves her kids with her whole heart. We’ve had some really emotional conversations about it. My heart goes out to her and every parent raising a child on the spectrum because it’s such a financial burden. I had read that it places an additional $60,000 a year of financial burden on a family, but my friend told me, ‘It’s more like double that, $120,000.’ I’ve heard stories of families who have three or four children on the spectrum. It breaks my heart to think about them struggling financially to care for their children. It motivates me to want to help.”
Since you’ve joined GH, your profile has been higher than ever before. Did that make you think about using that influence to promote a powerful cause like Autism Speaks? “Absolutely. After toiling in this town for as long as I did with no voice, I always said that if I had opportunity and the platform, I would. Now, I do — and I do.”
