What is ‪#‎GivingTuesday‬?

A day TUE give!

Help Us Raise Our Goal of $20,000

In honor of our 20th Anniversary, your donation of $20 or more will help us provide leadership, education, and funding to ensure the success and inclusion of individuals with neurodiversity in everyday routines, activities and places.

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Your Support Makes a Difference:

To date, we have awarded in excess of $3,100,000 to support various initiatives around the world, including:

$1,000,000 Endowment to the Mailman Segal Institute for Early Childhood Studies at Nova Southeastern University, Ft. Lauderdale, FL, to promote research on best practice interventions for clinicians, educators, and parents.

$1,000,000 in grants for research and education at universities and organizations:

• York University, Toronto, Canada
• Angels Reach Developmental Enrichment Centers, Hialeah, Florida
• University of Maryland
• Gallaudet University, Washington, D.C.
• Ann Stork Center of Fort Lauderdale, Florida
• Florida State University
• B'Nai Torah, Boca Raton, Florida
• Lynn University, Boca Raton, Florida
• Commission Scolaire English-Montreal, Montreal, Canada
• University of Miami, Miami, Florida
• Dimensions Therapy Center, Davie, Florida
• Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton
• Florida Federation CJA, Montreal, Canada
• Amapei, Monaco
• Mission Enfance, Monaco
• Interdisciplinary Council on Developmental and Learning Disorders, Washington, D.C.
• Peter Blum Family YMCA, Boca Raton, Florida
• Sulam, Jerusalem, Israel
• Miriam Foundation, Montreal, Canada

Over $800,000 to fund the development and construction of Unicorn Village Academy, an innovative high school where youth who think, communicate and learn differently can develop life-long personal, social, and career skills based on their own strengths, interests, and preferences. This safe, non-threatening, and supportive learning environment will provide students with an opportunity to prepare them to live independently, obtain and sustain employment, pursue continued academic endeavors and participate in the communities in which they live.

Over $200,000 to fund Unicorn Children's Foundation Mobile Community Developmental Clinics that promote awareness of the early warning signs of developmental, communication, and learning disorders by providing developmental screenings and parent consultations at no charge to families, especially those in traditionally undeserved areas. Currently these clinics are operated in partnership with University of Miami and Florida Atlantic University.

Over $50,000 to fund 211 Palm Beach/Treasure Coast Special Needs Hotline, the first call for help, connecting families with available resources and service organizations in the community.

Nearly $25,000 in grants to community organizations to promote awareness and education as well as provide opportunities to participate in community activities.

Initiatives:

Collaborative Community Needs Assessment and Build Data Warehouse - capture data on the “state of special needs” in the community and streamline data sharing data amongst organizations

Social Capital Conference – introduce the concept of interdependence to the South Florida community

211 Special Needs Hotline – the first call for help, connecting families with available resources and service providers in the community

Training - develop a series of online pediatric trainings to educate on the importance of early screening and resources for referral

Fund innovative and emerging programs 

• Unicorn Village Academy
• Mobile Developmental Clinics
• Mobile Phone Applications

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Statistics 

• 20 percent of children who have older siblings with autism also develop autism spectrum disorder (2015)
• About 6 percent of U.S. children use stimulants, up from about 2.4 percent in 1996
• Approximately 1 in 25 US children is taking medication for ADHD (University of California, Berkeley, 2007)
• Use of drugs to treat ADHD has more than tripled worldwide since 1993 (University of California, Berkeley, 2007)
• 5% of US children aged 6-17 have been diagnosed with ADHD (Center for Disease Control, 2008)
• There has been a 3% average annual increase in childhood ADHD diagnoses from 1997 to 2006 ADHD (Center for Disease Control, 2008)
• Most recent statistics indicate that the percentage of children with learning and communication disorders has steadily increased over the past decade.  Specifically, a 31% increase for infants and toddlers and a 46% increase for preschool-aged children (U.S. Department of Education, 2005). 
• Approximately 17% of children have some type of developmental disability, including more mild conditions such as speech and language disorders, learning disabilities, and ADHD, which appear to be more common than the Autism Spectrum Disorders (www.cdc.gov)
• 1 in 150 children have an ASD (www.cdc.gov)
• 1/3 of youngsters diagnosed with autism are prescribed psychotropic drugs to control their symptoms. (upi.com, April 19, 2007)
• From 1993-2003, there was a 657% increase in autism cases nationwide according to the US Department of Education and a 435% increase in Florida
• 4 million children are born in the United States every year, approximately 24,000 of these children will eventually be diagnosed with an ASD. (www.cdc.gov)

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WHAT IS #GIVINGTUESDAY?

We have a day for giving thanks. We have two for getting deals. Now, we have #GivingTuesday, a global day dedicated to giving back. On Tuesday, December 2, 2014, charities, families, businesses, community centers, and students around the world will come together for one common purpose: to celebrate generosity and to give.

It’s a simple idea. Just find a way for your family, your community, your company or your organization to come together to give something more. Then tell everyone you can about how you are giving. Join us and be a part of a global celebration of a new tradition of generosity.

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