Freddie Ford Family Foundation is working very hard to implement programs that support families.  Donations to our organization goes to support our programs.

​The  objective of the community education programs is increasing awareness and acceptance of autism. The family support programs provide necessary resources as well as general support to families.  The objectives for the social skills programs are to assist individuals with autism and their parents with social opportunities to improve their mental health and overall welfare.   The objectives of our programs can be measured by event registration and participation in our programs. We offer a variety of program options that appeal to a range of interests, ability levels and age groups.

 

Mental and Physical Wellness

The mental and physical wellness programs are to promote activities to support the physical and mental well being of families and individuals with autism.

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Social Skills

The social skills programs provide opportunities for individuals with autism to engage socially in a natural setting without being instructed on social expectations. Currently, we provide monthly social events for young children with autism. We have a teen social group that meets regularly for events and has weekly social skills calls. 

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Family Support

The family support programs allow us to connect with parents with newly diagnosed children with information and resources, to discuss issues and concerns with schools, and interact with parents who just need social support to discuss life parenting a child with autism.

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Summer Camp

The summer camp, Camp Ausome, is for young children with autism to provide a safe place for them to learn a variety of sports and activities with staff that understands their needs.

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Education

The Freddie Ford Family Foundation provides links to necessary resources, information, and support to parents of individuals with autism. The Youtube Channel, @ford4autismstl, has videos of educational webinars explaining ABA therapy, Speech therapy, how to manage finances, and other topics.

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Autism Awareness and Acceptance

Through community events and programs the Freddie Ford Family Foundation is working to increase awareness and acceptance of autism.  We share information about autism on our social medial platforms as well.  We host educational webinars to help the community understand autism, therapies, resources, as well as share information for employers so they can better understand how to support employees with autism.

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Donations

We recognize that it is expensive to raise children on the autism spectrum. We try to donate to families in need whenever we have extra funds to do so. During Covid we began our sensory box donations to families with children who had no access to play outside.  Christmas donations are made at our annual Christmas party. We will still donate to families in need when possible.Preference is made for families in the St. Louis metropolitan area.  We do not donate money, gift cards, or pay rent or utilities.  If we can donate, we limit donations to 1 calendar year.

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