Hello,

I am running the 2021 Chicago Marathon to help support the Organization for Autism Research (OAR). For those of you that do not know my story, my son Hunter was diagnosed with Autism in 2014 at the age of 3. Since then my family and I have done whatever it takes to give Hunter the support he needs to succeed in today's world. Between doctors' visits, occupational therapy, speech therapy, afterschool groups, summer camps, charity events, IEP meetings, and teacher conferences, we have been lucky enough to have the support and means to help Hunter get the early intervention he needs.

However, some families do not have this same opportunity and that is where OAR steps in to help. With financial assistance, family support, research grants, scholarships, educational assistance and support, adult support, and much more, OAR gives individuals and families the help and opportunity they need to succeed. As a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization they rely on individual and corporate funding to keep this support going.


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.