Parents Of Autistic Children (POAC) Needs Your Help!

What is POAC? POAC is a non-profit organization that is dedicated to helping New Jersey families that are impacted by Autism Spectrum Disorder. This year marks the 20^th anniversary of this wonderful organization. POAC not only provides free events for children and their families, they also provide support and training via workshops for parents and professionals alike. Most importantly they have the “Autism Shield Program” which provides training for first responders who interact with an autistic person.

Unfortunately, due to the Coronavirus, POAC’s fundraising season has been severely impacted. Fifty percent of the donations POAC receives are via their annual “Walk For a Difference”, along with other major fundraising events that happen during the month of April, have been cancelled due to mandated social distancing. They will now be hosting a virtual “Walk For A Difference” on July 19, 2020. If the fundraising goal that is needed is not met, POAC will be forced to close their doors in 2021.

As a mother of an autistic child, POAC has made a strong impact on me and my family. There are a vast majority of free events for children and their families that we have attended, like “Fun on the Farm” at Allaire farm in Wall township where we got to explore the farm and pick pumpkins, their annual Easter Egg Hunt, and our favorite, Surfing with POAC. Not only has POAC taught hundreds of children to surf over the years, it  has helped our son make significant progress to overcome sensory issues in regards to water.

We have attended the monthly parent support meetings where we received valuable information, and have made close friends, and as a result, so has our son. We immediately were welcomed into the POAC family and are grateful for all they have done for us. We will lose something near and dear to our hearts that has made a huge difference in our lives. Please help POAC! Every dollar counts!

You can find more information and donate at https://www.poac.net.