Hello friends!

I am running the 2025 Chicago marathon to help support the Organization of Autism Research (OAR) and run for my brother! I chose OAR from their mission statement which funds research and provides resources to help individuals with autism and their families. This mission statement is what stood out to me as autism affects 1 in 36 children in the US. Every dollar donated will in some way impact an individual alone or an entire family. Being a sibling of someone with autism, resources can go a long way to provide help. Whether this is through counseling, educational support, etc


Here are some of the ways that OAR uses the funds raised by the RUN FOR AUTISM team:

$10 provides a Curriculum in a Box professional development set to general education teachers.
$25 provides 15 copies of A Guide to Safety to families and first responders.
$100 provides the Kit for Kids peer education resource to an entire elementary or middle school.
$150 provides 100 copies of a Life Journey through Autism guidebook sent to a community support group or military installation.
$1,000 provides a research grant for a graduate student studying autism.
$3,000 provides a scholarship for a student with autism to attend college.
$50,000 fully underwrites an applied research pilot study.