Alright, we know that down in Florida we have no room to talk – but the mornings here are getting a little chilly. We’re usually the last of the states to experience the sudden chilliness that shows winter is on its way, and as excited as we tend to get about the cooler weather, it isn’t long before we start to miss our tank tops, and flip-flops. We know, we know – living in Florida must be tough! While it’s true that we’ve never had snow on Halloween before, that doesn’t mean that we can’t appreciate the cooler temperatures. If you happen to be new to the state, it’s best that you learn now that it is always hot or cold and seldom in between.
But our wacky weather patterns shouldn’t be enough to keep you indoors and stop you from getting involved in local community events! You may or may not remember our blog post for Breast Cancer Awareness month a few weeks ago, but we want it to be known that we are strong supporters of helping out those in need!
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and has become heavily publicized and supported (woohoo!), but, there are a growing number of other causes out there who are jumping on the October bandwagon and pushing for their own unique brand of notoriety. So just what does Holmes Stamp & Sign have to do with all these causes? Hopefully a lot! Over the past few months, our very own employee based charity committee has been meeting periodically to discuss upcoming community charity events that Holmes Stamp could work to get involved with and make a difference!
For now, we’ve decided to get involved with the Autism Speaks walk coming to the sunny streets of Jacksonville and to a neighborhood near you. Autism, though not nearly as well known and funded as other causes such as breast cancer, is becoming increasingly more prominent in today’s families. According to The National Autism Association, “Autism is a bio-neurological developmental disability that generally appears before the age of 3” and affects roughly 1 in 68 children. Perhaps the reason Autism Speaks chose that as its name, is because it is estimated that 40% of the children diagnosed with having a variation of Autism, do not speak. Many will speak later in their childhoods and not at the normal rate that most children do.
This is a heartbreaking situation for parents. The presence of Autism in a child can lead to a host of behavioral problems as well as sleeping disorders, anxiety, ADHD, OCD, immune disorders and more. For first-time parents especially, the diagnosis can sound scary and daunting. These struggles weren’t often common knowledge until NBC premiered the television show “Parenthood”. On the show, parents Adam and Kristina Braverman struggle to navigate the waters of Autism when their youngest child is diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome (a form of Autism). The show chronicles the parents as well as the child’s adjustments to the news. One thing that stands out on the show is the need and desire for help, community, and overall awareness from the child’s parents. Just like in real life, knowledge becomes power and families of these autistic children try to help each other.
So what are we doing to help out? On November 8th at The Jacksonville Landing, we are dusting off our running walking shoes and coming together for this year’s Walk Now For Autism Speaks event. We’re raising awareness and raising money for a great cause and getting in some exercise on top of it! Would you like to join us or help support our team? Check out our team page on the Autism Speaks site and feel free to join our team and walk if you’re in the area or donate on our behalf to an awesome cause!