MEET THE TEAM:
Michael and Jimmy Lohan
We’re brothers with the common goal of running a marathon. Michael was supposed to run the London Marathon, another bucket list marathon, before the pandemic changed everyone’s life. Jimmy thought it would be a great idea to run for a charity that was personal for us, while also running a bucket list marathon.

WHY WE ARE RUNNING FOR OAR:
Recently, Matthew, Jimmy’s first born, was provisionally diagnosed with Autism. We are still learning what this will mean for us, his therapists and doctors believe he will likely develop out of this diagnosis. This is not the case for most children diagnosed on the spectrum. By running for the Organization for Autism Research and raising money, We hope the money donated by our friends and family can help make progress in better understanding autism and the development of crucial and beneficial therapies and treatments. We have already witnessed how excellent therapies can help with development. Matthew has been in speech therapy for 2 years and recently we were told that we can back down his sessions from 2 times a week, to 2 times a month. I will greatly appreciate any support you can give to my fundraiser.

We also hope our fundraiser helps bring awareness and acceptance to the autistic community and the many great accomplishments of the wonderful people that make it. We have learned so much already and have been blessed with Matthew in our lives who is kind, loving, smart, and one of the most fun kids you’ll ever meet.

Please help support us making a contribution to our fundraiser and sharing this page with your family and friends. Every dollar we raise will advance Organization for Autism Research's great cause! OAR is a 4 out of 4 star rated charity and uses nearly 90% of donated funds to fund their programs and research. So you can rest assured your money is going towards a responsible cause. This was a major factor in choosing this as a charity to run and fundraise for.


WHY RUN FOR AUTISM?
1 in 54 children in the U.S. is diagnosed with autism. By joining the RUN FOR AUTISM team, you’re supporting OAR’s mission to fund research and resources that help people with autism and their families today.


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.
$40,000 fully underwrites an applied research pilot study.