By james art RENO, Nev. (KOLO) – The Autistic Resilience Network supports people with autism and related conditions by meeting their unique needs and empowering their resilience.
They run two programs to support people who are autistic or have related disorders:
- Emergency Program – The Emergency Program allows us to meet small, urgent needs throughout the year. These can include things like a bus pass, co-pay for a doctor’s visit or help with your electricity bill.
- Sue Milos Joy Program – Applicants want help purchasing an item or service that will make a positive, long-term difference in their lives. Community members review requests and decide how they want to help!
Cady Stanton, executive director, stopped by Morning Break to talk about this year’s selected recipients for the Sue Milos Joy Program.
Antonio (he/she)
Antonio is a young man with autism who currently shares a double mattress on the floor in the room he shares with his two brothers. His provider contacted us to let us know that she was concerned that this was negatively affecting all three brothers as none of them could get enough quality sleep to function well during the day.
Antonio writes: “My name is Antonio, I am 18 years old and I live with my aunt, cousins and two brothers. I am currently working on getting my high school diploma. My favorite class is English because it is the most interesting and easiest for me. I will be working at a dog shelter on Mondays and Fridays during my schooling to start saving money for the future. When I graduate from high school, I would like to go to college to study computer programming. I really like playing video games, my favorite game right now is Call of Duty, which I like to play on PlayStation 5. My favorite color is green. I love watching movies, especially Spiderman: Across the Spiderverse. Since I’m still in school and can’t work full time, sometimes it’s hard to have enough money for things I need and want. I would love posters and a new TV to decorate my bedroom. I would also love to have a dresser to put my clothes in and a new bed that I don’t have to share. Sometimes I stop breathing in my sleep, so it’s very important to have a good bed where I can sleep in the right position.”
Asking: $1,400 for the following: ● A bunk bed (twin over full bed) that would allow all three young men to have a place to sleep (approx. $600); ● Double mattress and full mattress (approximately $600); ● Bedding consisting of two sets of sheets, two duvets and four pillows (approximately $200). Antonio is excited to share before and after photos of the room he and his brothers share!
Alix (they/them)
Alix is an autistic young adult who is in the process of completing her four-year dual degree and obtaining a teaching certificate with the goal of becoming a high school teacher. They have been working as substitute teachers for two years to cover their living expenses and gain real-world experience that will prepare them for their careers. Alix is deeply passionate about her own education, as well as the education — and the lives — of the students she teaches. The students they have taught often seek them out, even though they have only known them for a limited time as a substitute teacher, because Alyx is so empathetic and attuned to each student’s individual needs.
Alyx’s high level of empathy is a natural characteristic of their personality that is enhanced by their own experiences and awareness of how challenging life can be for 4 students. They had very severe health problems as children. They were later placed in foster families. Their childhood is characterized by pain, fear and chronic stress. They are now living independently while dealing with their autism, finishing their degrees and working. They have two dogs and a cat that provide them with a critical level of emotional connection and support that keeps them going despite the long days, exhaustion and constant financial stress.
Alyx’s support in this process will not only help them, but also benefit the many students they will teach in the future. Alyx’s deep concern for their students, combined with their own love of learning and ability to persevere in very difficult circumstances, will be a gift to every student they meet.
Ask: Donations of food and other supplies for their three animals (details of type of food and litter will be provided) and $800 to be held in reserve by the Autistic Resilience Network to go towards regular vet care and any unexpected health issues , which may arise for their animals in the future.
Ari (they/them)
We hope the community will come together to provide Ari with a working laptop. Their laptop broke three years ago and they couldn’t afford to replace it.
Ari writes: “I’m a writer, editor, and visual artist who sells self-published work, writes articles, and fulfills painting commissions, and it would be life-changing to have a laptop to work on. I just used physical notebooks and the notes app on my phone. I hope one day to switch to writing and painting full time to quit the customer service job I struggle with.”
Ari has been fighting since early childhood.
Ari says, “I couldn’t get my mouth to make the sounds and I was formatting my sentences the wrong way. I was in and out of speech therapy. When I was five, my kindergarten teacher wanted to hold me back or put me in special education. She literally used the ‘r’ word to describe me.”
As teenagers, they had trouble connecting with their peers. Like so many autistics, they rarely had friends; the people they thought were their friends would mock them. When they came out as weird, their family rejected them. For the past few years, they have been working minimum wage jobs in customer service, which puts them constantly on the edge financially. They share a three-room apartment with three other people.
Ari enjoys visual art, sculpture, painting, writing and editing. They are avid readers and have an amazing personal library with a DI bookshelf that spans an entire wall.
They write: “I would use it every day. I would wear it almost anywhere. Right now I’m trying to compile all my writing into two or three threads and potentially self-publish a book of everything I’ve written and a novella. Having a laptop would make trying to do this much easier and faster as well as improve my creative output. My mind doesn’t work well with my phone as the only way to write poetry. Hopefully if I can work better on my writing and ideally if I can manage art programs that would be fantastic. If I could do both consistently, I would hopefully be able to step away from customer service a bit. It would ease my workload and stress. A laptop would also be useful for going back to school and accessing my school records in one place.”
Ask: $1,000 to purchase a laptop capable of running Windows 11 and Photoshop or a similar program to fulfill digital art orders. They are about to go back to school, so the laptop should be of reasonable quality that will last a few years.
Michael (he/she)
Michael is a 23 year old autistic guy who is a pleasure to talk to. During our conversation his eyes light up and he laughs easily, but most of the time he covers his mouth and I never see his smile. He explains that he is ashamed because he is missing a front tooth.
Michael lives in a group home and can’t wait to find a job. He would like to be a technician or a digital artist. However, he is currently open to any job opportunities. His mentor reached out, explaining that he had had seven interviews but not a single job offer. His mentor said: “Despite the best haircuts and outfits I can help him wear to look ready for work, he won’t be able to get a job with a gaping hole in the front of his mouth. Living in 2024 is hard enough being a black, young man with autism, but once you see him missing a front tooth, a lot of assumptions can be made that aren’t good for his self-esteem or his future.”
The insurance has rejected his request to replace the tooth five times, saying the missing tooth is only a cosmetic issue and therefore not covered. He does not have access to any other resources that would help replace his tooth.
Ask: Approximately $1,500 to replace his front tooth. His mentor is working on getting a finalized estimate from the dentist and we will update his information with the exact amount as soon as it is available.
To help the Autistic Resilience Network with any of these requests, click here.
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