Become a Fundraiser and Champion!

Our walk exists because we want to celebrate our achievements in the autism community. The goal is to not only raise donations, but to continue raising awareness, advocacy, and resources for families living with ASD and other developmental disabilities.

What is my role?

After registration, you can set up your own personal page and your team page! Your Champion Page is for recruiting and managing your team. Send emails, track team donations, and get updates on team member's status.

My Champion Page

Create your own personal and team page with photos and content. Share your story and reasons for walking.

Share on Social Media

Share your story and update your friends and family on your team's progress through emails, fun photos and stories on social media!

You can also send emails, recruit team members, send updates, and request donations.

Fundraising Updates

Keep everyone in the loop by emails and updates your on Facebook and Twitter.

Coffee and Community

Remember to tell everyone about the Day Out For Autism, why you’re walking, and invite them to join you.

Spread the Word in Your Community

Out Shopping

When you are out shopping in your local store or business, ask the manager if you can put up posters promoting the event. Ask them if they would like to support you by donating or setting up a Champion team at their work.

Member of a Club, League, Group or Organization

Let everyone in your circle know that you are walking and ask them if they would take a poster to put up in their workplace and local stores. Ask if they would like to support you by joining your team, or donating or volunteering at the event.

Tell Your Storry

Submit your team photo and story to your work newsletter, school newsletter, your local newspaper, community webpage (nextdoor.com), favorite radio or news station. Share the love!

Other Ways to Support Us - Every little bit helps!

Company Matching

Microsoft is a great example of a company that matches their employees’ donations. This a great way to increase your donations. Check with your company human resources to see if they offer company matching! Check out our page that lists some employers with matching-gift programs: Matching Gifts

Shop for a Cause

Fred Meyer Community Rewards Card: Link your Fred Meyer Rewards card so we receive donations at NO COST to you!

AmazonSmile: The AmazonSmile program will give the Washington Autism Alliance & Advocacy 0.5% of your purchases made at Amazon.com, at NO COST to you! Go to AmazonSmile at: http://smile.amazon.com/ch/35-2440624

Doing Good together PayPal Giving Fund: 100% of every donation on eBAy will reach us. To start selling for WAAA please see: http://givingworks.ebay.com/charity-auctions/charity/washington-autism-alliance-advocacy/57116/

You can give through iGive: Help us receive a $5 bonus donation per person year round! Every time you shop at any of the 1,000+ online stores in the iGive network, up to 26% of your purchase price will benefit our nonprofit! It’s a FREE service, you’ll never pay more, and you’ll also have access to special deals and coupons via iGive. Go to: www.iGive.com/ - See more at: Shop to Give

Support a Champion

Check out our Champions' personal fundraising pages at https://charity.gofundme.com/o/en/campaign/2020doa 

As you know raising a child with autism can sometimes feel like the loneliest job in the world.

The diagnosis can be distressing for parents - and finding the resources and support to help a child with autism succeed can be very challenging.

At Washington Autism Alliance and Advocacy, our goal is to ensure that every child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) gets the health benefits and education needed to thrive and succeed in life, regardless of the family's socioeconomic status.

That's why I'm asking for your help.

There are more than 15,500 school-age children in Washington who have ASD. They are entitled to special programs to help them become successful, yet as you know these services are extremely difficult to obtain and negotiate with schools.

Without direct help, these children may face ineffective schooling and lack preparation for graduation and success in life. You know how effective we are with helping families access health insurance benefits. We would like to create a similar network to help families with navigating the special education maze.

We are looking for champions to join our Virtual Day Out For Autism, form a team of walkers, and help raise funds.

Best of Luck!

Sincerely, Arzu Forough, CEO & Founder at WAAA

Who We Are

Washington Autism Alliance & Advocacy is a personal advocate and legislative champion for children and adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

What we do

Our mission is to ensure that all children and adults with ASD have every opportunity to thrive and become productive members of society.

We do this by helping families access autism health insurance benefits, effective services in schools, and supportive community-based services, regardless of their personal financial situation.

How we do it

Our organization works diligently to bridge the gap between the many health and education policies that exist to serve children and adults with ASD, and the educators, politicians, and medical providers who want to support these policies but don't always succeed in doing it.

We focus on

1. Providing pro bono guidance, counseling, coordination, training, resources, and legal support to families and professionals, to help them attain effective autism treatment and socially significant rehabilitative programs statewide.
2. Offering pro bono community services such as support groups, a respite care program, and peer social communication portals so families of children with ASD can connect, share experiences, and feel less overwhelmed by the intensity of caring for an autistic child.
3. Lobbying for legislation that directly supports and improves the health, safety, and education of children and adults with ASD, then working to connect the dots to make sure the policies are actually implemented to support those in need.

What your funding makes possible

Washington state has an estimated 15,500 children with ASD, and many of them are from low-income families. We want every one of them, rich or poor, to have an equal chance to thrive and succeed in life.

With your financial support, WAAA can:

• Provide both full-service health law and full-service education advocacy free of charge, enabling families in need all across Washington to receive critical health and education benefits to care for their autistic children.
• Triple our statewide network of advocates from 10 to 30, thereby shortening the time between a family's need for support and receipt of that support.
• Develop a statewide network of autism healthcare providers (including behavioral and allied health treatments) who will serve all patients, regardless of their funding source (Medicaid, private insurance) or ability to pay.
• Continue our push for laws to expand funding and training for all public school teachers, not just special education instructors.
• Pursue litigation to hold public and private insurers and institutions accountable to provide the kind of care that families, children, and adults who are dealing with ASD deserve.

Become an advertiser

Registration deadline is April 3rd, 2020.

Day Out For Autism is an inclusive and family friendly celebration to provide resource information for families, raise funds for Washington Autism Alliance & Advocacy (WAAA), and celebrate World Autism Awareness Day on Sunday, June 14th. Join WAAA as we build community and increase awareness to support improved insurance access and effective services in schools and communities for families impacted by autism and developmental disabilities.

Levels

Presenting: $10,000

Impact: Provides pro-bono, end-to-end special education advocacy to support two low income families with linguistic and cultural barriers.

Leadership: $5,000

Impact: Provides pro-bono insurance appeal by an attorney that specializes in denied claims.

Benefactor: $2,500

Impact: Allows a teen to attend Friendship Matters for one year.

Ally: $1,500

Impact: Funds a special education or insurance training workshop for 80 families and professionals.

Advocate: $1,000

Impact: Supports civil legal aid and family navigation.

Become a Sponsor

Please email all completed Sponsor Applications to events@washingtonautismadvocacy.org.

Poster deadline and program deadline is May 29th 2020.

FUN is a big part of the Family Fun & Resource Fair! All booth vendors and corporate partners are requested to bring a kid-friendly activity as part of your booth set-up.

Thanks to the generosity of people like you, this is what WAAA has been able to accomplish in the past year:

• Empowered 2,800 + families through counseling, trainings and resources to secure treatment funding through private insurance and to secure effective services in public schools throughout the state.
• Made headway with the Office of Insurance Commissioner to issue regulations on how insurance companies should cover autism spectrum disorders.
• Advocated for better training with school districts and a career path for para-educators.
• Advocated for 1.256 million dollars in funding developmental and autism screening for toddlers suspected of having autism.

• Raise $150 and receive a T-shirt
• Raise $300 and receive a T-shirt and a bag
• Raise $500 and receive a T-shirt, a bag, name on program, honor on social media
• Raise $1000 and receive a T-shirt, a bag, water bottle, name on program, honor on website and social media to represents your commitment to raising funds to support the autism community.

Day Out For Autism is an inclusive and family friendly celebration to provide resource information for families, raise funds for Washington Autism Alliance & Advocacy (WAAA), and celebrate World Autism Awareness Day on Sunday, June 14th. Join WAAA as we build community and increase awareness to support improved insurance access and effective services in schools and communities for families impacted by autism and developmental disabilities.

Become a Vendor/Resource Fair Provider

This year we will celebrate our event virtually on facebook, this permits us to promote our vendors in advance of the event and also reshare content form the event long after it concludes.

Please see our sponsor vs. vendor information to decide what criteria your organization is.

Please apply here: Vendor Application

If you have any questions about becoming a vendor please email us at events@washingtonautismadvocacy.org

Registration deadline is May 29th, 2020.

Virtual Resource booth fees on sliding scale:

• Non-Profit Rate: $50 (*Sponsor vs Vendor rule applies to nonprofits)
• For-Profit Rate: $75

FREE – Register a Walk Team and raise $2,250 (for profit organization) or $500 (non-profit organization) and the virtual booth is free!

*SPONSOR VS VENDOR RULE:

• Any company with more than $1 million in gross annual revenue must be a sponsor and not a vendor
• Healthcare companies and healthcare non-profits must sign up as a sponsor

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Day Out For Autism?

This year our Day Out For Autism will look different. We will come together virtually as a community to honor and recognize the 2,800 families and 12,000 individuals that WAAA has helped Statewide. It is a day to celebrate the unique gifts that each individual and family touched with Autism brings into our lives.

How does Day Out For Autism Work?

We are gearing up for our Virtual Day Out For Autism event coming up on June 14th, 2020 with our goal to raise $75,000 so WAAA can continue to help and support families and individuals touched by Autism throughout our state. Each Champion and their team will set their own goal in honor of the families that WAAA continues to support.

Where does my money go?

Your generous contribution will go to these projects this year:

• Providing technical assistance and trainings to school personnel that promote the use of positive interventions and reduce reliance on restraint and seclusion.
• Improving access to effective education programs for students with autism that include: Individualized assessment, Functional curriculum, Research-based teaching, Data-based staffing ratios, Family involvement, Data Tracking, Training and supervision.
• Promoting an adequate network of healthcare providers (including behavioral and neurodevelopment therapies) with bonafide autism experience statewide, regardless of the funding source (Medicaid, private insurance).

What if I receive cash donations?

The best and safest way is to record and organize your donors' names and amounts and then converting your cash total to a check or a money order. If you can, cover the entire amount with your personal check along with all donation information so credit is applied to all of your generous donors. If this is unattainable, you can bring your cash donations and information to the walk.

Is there a fee to participate?

No.There are no fees to participate.

What if it rains?

TSince we are virtual this year. It is up to you and your family when to complete your 3K.

What if my donors don't want to donate online?

Donations can be mailed directly to our address. Please have them submit the corresponding donation forms with their check for credit and for your fundraising efforts. Our Address:

Washington Autism Alliance & Advocacy
16225 NE 87th St. Suite A-2
Redmond, WA 98052

Do I have to fill out one donation form for each check?

Yes. We need to give credit for all of your fundraising efforts.

Who should checks be made payable to?

Please ask that check donations be payable to: WAAA or Washington Autism Alliance & Advocacy

Other questions

Please read our Event FAQ

Day Out For Autism: Event Timeline

Virtual Day Out For Autism: Sunday, June 14th, 2020

Stay Tuned for more Details of our Virtual Day Out For Autism