Why I Do What I Do

I hope this gets easier for me. Writing my thoughts down is easy; putting them out for the world to see is hard.

Hope Center for Autism is such a personal experience for me. The center itself is like my child. The staff are so outstanding; I love them so much it is often like they (and the clients as well) are my children.

The only way to sum up my relationship with Hope Center for Autism is as the ministry of Glenn and me. After my children and grandchildren, it is my greatest passion. I cannot (and pray I never have to) see my life without it.

I have been asked many times, “do you have a family member with autism? Is that why you do it?” I have no family-related story regarding why I do it; it was a God thing. My career history has always revolved around children. I have done childcare, coached pee-wee basketball, worked with head start, and was a daycare director. I had never heard about autism when I was asked to attend a workshop and had no idea the impact it would have on my life.

A family in Springtown had a team from Center for Autism and Related Disorders (CARD) flown in to teach people how to work with their child. Over the months that followed, I learned to do Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), which was also something about which I had never heard. With my background in early childhood development, I was suspicious about this blunt format of teaching. After about two months my suspicion dissipated when, even before I did, the sweet little boy, Spencer, understood what we were doing; ABA was effective for him. He was learning, changing, and progressing, and I was hooked.

            Spencer was a handful, but he was also different from most children in other ways. He had an underlying sweet spirit I had never seen before and his trust and love were so strong. He was very smart. For example, he could read before he could speak. 

He now plays tennis and golf, was voted most popular in his freshman class and is looking forward to learning to drive, which I’m sure he will do, someday. I anticipate seeing him working with dogs or on a golf course (in fact, we are looking for someone interested in helping him learn one of these trades).

He is still a huge part of my life and one of the most influential people in it. If it would not have confused him, Hope Center for Autism would have been named after him. Well, it would have carried his name; it was named after him. He is a tower of hope for me and other families living with autism. I thank him for being how he is, who he is, and who he will become.

To you, my sweet Spencer, I pray God blesses everything you do. You are changing the face of autism and you do not even know it. You are my hero and give me strength to do more and be better.

Happy Birthday, Spencer. I knew you when…

Something exciting happened this week that I wanted to share with you guys.  Take a look at this summary that Michael Finn recapped for us. 

August Dish Out Provides Hope for Families

Hope Center for Autism was fortunate enough to be included as one of three presenters at Sunday night’s Fort Worth Dish Out This Dish Out focused on mental health initiatives taking place in Fort Worth. The three organizations presenting were:

Grace After Fire, helping women veterans, the Alzheimer's Association who spoke about the need for adult respite, and Hope Center for Autism enabling children on the autism spectrum and their families to live more fully functional lives.

            The presenters were very poised and all represented their cause with a sincere passion, but none as emotional as the Hope Center for Autism’s Susan Wood. Having prepared and rehearsed a presentation, she realized on her way to the event that the people to whom she would be speaking may not know anything about autism. The extemporaneous speech that resulted was as emotional as it was educational and motivating. Packed with statistical evidence, unbearable odds, and real stories of perseverance, triumph, and breakthroughs, her presentation had the attendees in sympathetic tears.

            When the winner was announced, it was no surprise it was Hope Center for Autism. Congratulations to the families in need who will benefit so greatly from this gesture of compassion, and thank you to those at the Dish Out who made it happen.