Autismoklahomaorg Inc

WE BRING HOPE AND EMPOWERMENT AS WE HELP OKLAHOMA BECOME MORE AUTISM- FRIENDLY AND AWARE BY 1. SUPPORTING FAMILIES WHO HAVE A LOVED ONE WITH AUTISM 2. SUPPORTING PERSONS WITH AUTISM WITH PROGRAMS THAT MEET SPECIFIC NEEDS 3. AUTISM AWARENESS OUTREACH TO OUR STATE AND COMMUNITY

HELP FAMILIES THRIVE WITH CONNECTION CIRCLE GROUPS AND SOCIAL MEDIA PARENT SUPPORT GROUPS AND GEOGRAPHIC SOCIAL MEDIA GROUPS PROVIDE PEER DISCUSSIONS, EMOTIONAL SUPPORT, LOCATION OF FAMILY RESOURCES AND FAMILY SAFE EVENTS. HELPING FAMILIES THRIVE HAS BEEN THE BACKBONE OF AUTISM OKLAHOMA SINCE ITS FORMATION IN 2002. WE HAVE GEOGRAPHY BASED SOCIAL MEDIA GROUPS AND INVEST IN A CONNECTION CIRCLE GROUP/SAFE FAMILY EVENTS STRUCTURE FOR HUB AREAS. WE ALSO IMPLEMENTED PIECE OF MIND, A PROGRAM FOR DISTRIBUTING GPS AND SAFETY EQUIPMENT TO FAMILIES WHO HAVE CHILDREN WITH A HIGH RISK OF RUNNING AWAY AS WELL AS A FINANCIAL NEED.

HELP INDIVIDUALS WITH AUTISM REACH THEIR POTENTIAL. AUTISM OKLAHOMA PROVIDES SOCIAL GROUPS, SUMMER EXPERIENCES AND PRE- EMPLOYMENT CLUBS TO ENGAGE CHILDREN, TEENS AND YOUNG ADULTS IN SOCIAL AND PRE-EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES. SOME OF OUR SOCIAL GROUPS INCLUDE HEROES, THE AVENGERS OF AUTISM, TEEN 2 TEEN, BOWLING FOR DIFFERENTLY ABLED, AND CONNECTIONS. WE ALSO PROVIDED INNOVATIVE CAMPS TO ENCOURAGE COMMUNICATION AND INVOLVEMENT WHICH INCLUDES SWANKY ART. OUR PRE-EMPLOYMENT CLUBS, BEE'S KNEES AND INVISIBLE LAYERS PRODUCTIONS CREATE LIFE-CHANGING EXPERIENCES FOR YOUNG ADULTS WITH ASD. THESE CLUBS MEET MULTIPLE TIMES PER WEEK WITH A PROFESSIONAL MENTOR WHO ASSISTS WITH CREATING A TEAM ENVIRONMENT AS WELL AS TEACHING SKILLS. THESE CLUBS PRODUCE AMAZING RESULTS IN CONFIDENCE AND IN COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION. HELPING INDIVIDUALS WITH AUTISM REACH THEIR FULL POTENTIAL IS A GOAL OF AUTISMOKLAHOMA. AUTISMOKLAHOMA PROVIDES INNOVATIVE PROGRAMS TO HELP INDIVIDUALS WITH AUTISM TO ENGAGE WITH OTHERS. WE CONTINUE TO MAKE INVESTMENTS BY OFFERING A PORTFOLIO OF PROGRAMS TARGETED TO INDIVIDUALS ON THE AUTSIM SPECTRUM.

PROVIDE AUTISM AWARENESS AND HIGHLIGHTED PROGRAMMING 2023 WAS A GREAT SUCCESS FOR US AS AN ORGANIZATION AND FOR THE THOUSANDS WE SERVE. A FEW HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE: 1 INCREASEED THE NUMBER OF PERSONS SERVED IN WEEKLY AND MONTHLY PROGRAMS IN 2023. WE ARE CURRENTLY SERVING APPROXIMATELY 500 PERSONS MONTHLY. WITH MORE PEOPLE BEING DIAGNOSED WITH AUTISM, THE NEED FOR OUR PROGRAMS CONTINUALLY INCREASES. WE CONTINUE TO SECURE ADDITIONAL COMMUNITY PARTNERS AND DONORS TO HELP US MEET THE GROWING NEEDS OF OKLAHOMA INDIVIDUALS AND FAMILIES IMPACTED BY AUTISM. 2 ADULT PROGRAM FOCUS PLUS EXPANSION TO NORMAN-OUR THREE-YEAR-OLD OKC METRO MIX N MINGLE PROGRAM FOR ADULTS HAS BEEN SO SUCCESSFUL, WE HAVE REPLICATED IT IN NORMAN. PROVIDING A LOW-STRESS AND SAFE COMMUNITY-BASED SOCIAL GROUP HAS TRANSFORMED THE LIVES OF MANY YOUNG ADULTS AND THEIR FAMILIES, WITH SOME DRIVING AS FAR AS THE TEXAS AND ARKANSAS BORDERS TO ENSURE THEIR FAMILY CAN MAKE CONNECTIONS. WE WILL CONTINUE EXPANDING THIS MODEL IN MORE COMMUNITIES IN FUTURE YEARS. 3 INVESTMENT IN LEADERSHIP FOR INVISIBLE LAYERS PRODUCTIONS RESULTING IN AN INCREASE IN STAFF. OUR MULTI AWARD-WINNING FILM PROGRAM, INVISIBLE LAYERS PRODUCTIONS, HAS TWO NEW LEADERS BEHIND THE LENS. WITH ADDITIONAL PARTICIPANTS AND RESPONSIBILITES FOR OUR ORGANIZATIONAL VIDEO STORYTELLING, THE NEWEST MEMBERS ENHANCE AND HELP ROUND OUT OUR COMMUNICATIONS TEAM. EVERY PIECEWALK OR AUTISMOKLAHOMA VIDEO THAT INSPIRED YOU, MADE YOU GIGGLE, LED YOU TO DONATE OR VOLUNTEER, WAS UNDER THEIR GUIDANCE. 4 SELECTED AS CHARITY FOR COMPLIANCE SOLUTIONS CHAMPIONSHIP. THIS IS A PGA KORN FERRY EVENT WITH A FIVE YEAR COMMITMENT AND SIGNIFICANT IMPACT IN OKLAHOMA. THE PRESENTING SPONSOR, COMPLIANCE SOLUTIONS INC. HAS IDENTIFIED AUTISMOKLAHOMA.ORG AS A BENEFICIARY CHARITY FOR ALL FIVE YEARS OF THE TOURNAMENT. OUR PARTICIPANTS, BOARD, STAFF, AND VOLUNTEERS HAD A MAJOR PRESENCE AT 2023'S TOURNAMENT. 5 OETA SEGMENT. IN 2023, THE PRODUCTION TEAM FROM OETA'S AWARD-WINNING SHOW, GALLERY AMERICA, SPENT MANY HOURS WITH AUTISMOKLAHOMA TO PRODUCE AN EIGHT-MINUTE DOCUMENTARY SHORT ABOUT OUR POPULAR DUETS ART EXPERIENCE. THROUGH DUETS, ARTISTS ON THE SPECTRUM ARE PAIRED WITH NEUROTYPICAL ARTISTS TO PAINT A COLLABORATIVE "DUET" ART PIECE. AO HELD A WATCH PARTY AND DINNER THAT HAD A FULL CROWD. THE SEGMENT HAS AIRED MULTIPLE TIMES AND WILL RERUN INTO 2024 ON PBS AFFILIATES. 6 THREE SIGNIFICANT ART SHOWS. IN 2023 VARIOUS ART PROGRAMS OF AUTISMOKLAHOMA PRODUCED MANY ORIGINAL WORKS, AND HELD THREE PUBLIC EVENTS THAT GAVE OUR ARTISTS A PLATFORM TO SHOWCASE THEIR WORK. WE HELD OUR DUETS SHOW THROUGHOUT THE MONTH OF APRIL IN THE PASEO ART DISTRICT, AND TWO ADDITIONAL FALL AND HOLIDAY SHOWS WERE HELD IN 7725 CONNECT ART HALL. OUR NEW LOOKOUT ARTISTS, THOSE BEING INTRODUCED TO AND BY AUTISMOKLAHOMA FOR THE FIRST TIME, WERE INCLUDED IN THE HOLIDAY SHOW. THE THREE EVENTS WERE WELL RECEIVED, WITH AUDIENCES NEARING 1,000. 7 FEIO/OCCC PARTICIPATION WITH INVISIBLE LAYERS PRODUCTIONS. INVISIBLE LAYERS PRODUCTIONS' PARTICIPANTS TOOK A DEEP DIVE INTO HOLLYWOOD-LEVEL FILMMAKING OVER FIVE PRE SESSIONS AND TWO FULL DAYS ON A MOVIE SET. LED BY THE FILM EDUCATION INSTITUTE OF OKLAHOMA'S CEO AUSTIN TAYLOR, EMMY AWARD- WINNING PRODUCER AND DIRECTOR OF WALKER TEXAS RANGER, DISNEY INSIDER, THE MANDALORIAN AND MORE AND CHRIS DOWLING, AWARD-WINNING WRITER AND DIRECTOR OF WHERE HOPE GROWS, RUN WITH IT, ASPERGER'S ARE US, AND MORE, PLUS A CREW OF 35, OUR FILMMAKERS WORKED ON OKLAHOMA CITY COMMUNITY COLLEGE'S SET AND USED THEIR PROFESSIONAL EQUIPMENT. FROM LIGHTING AND SOUNDS, TO GAFFING AND DIRECTING, OUR PARTICIPANTS RECEIVED A ONCE-IN-A-LIFETIME FILMMAKING EXPERIENCE FREE OF CHARGE. 8 PIECEWALK. WE WERE THE DREAMERS OF DREAMS IN OKC AND TULSA THOUSANDS GATHERED TO WALK IN THEIR FAVORITE TEAM T-SHIRT, WILLY WONKA OR OOMPA LOOMPA COSTUMES TO CELEBRATE THE UNIQUE GIFTS AND BEAUTY IN THEIR FAMILIES AND FRIENDS. MUSIC, FOOD, GIVEAWAYS, GOLDEN TICKETS, AND HONORING THOSE WITH AUTISM MAKES THE PIECEWALK ONE OF OUR VERY FAVORITE DAYS OF THE YEAR.THE PIECEWALK FUNDS THE DREAMS OF OUR PARTICIPANTS AND HELPS US KEEP OUR 80+ PROGRAMS FREE OR NEARLY FREE TO 500 PEOPLE EACH MONTH. 9 STORIES THAT INSPIRE. IT'S HARD TO PICK JUST A HANDFUL FROM THE THOUSANDS WE HAVE, BUT THE TRANSFORMATIONAL STORIES OF OUR PARTICIPANTS AND THEIR FAMILIES WERE CAPTURED AND SHARED THROUGH OUR CONNECT MAGAZINE COVERS. THESE INDIVIDUALS ARE INTEGRAL PARTS OF A VARIETY OF OUR PROGRAMS AND THEIR UNIQUE STORIES OF LIFE WITH AUTISMOKLAHOMA.ORG ARE THE REASON WE DO WHAT WE DO EVERY SINGLE DAY. LOOK FOR MORE STORIES OF HOW WE CONNECTHESPECTRUM WITH THE HELP OF PARTNERS, DONORS, VOLUNTEERS, AND COMMUNITIES, AND WHY CONNECTIONS MATTER SO VERY MUCH. 10 SPECTRUMMARKET.ORG WEBSITE. AUTISMOKLAHOMA LAUNCHED OUR THIRD, AND NEWEST, WEBSITE, WWW.SPECTRUMMARKET.ORG. THE SITE HIGHLIGHTS A VARIETY OF ARTWORK ON HIGH-QUALITY CANVAS REPORDUCTION PRINTS AND T-SHIRTS. EACH PIECE WAS CREATED BY EITHER AN INDIVIDUAL AUTISTIC ARTIST OR THROUGH COLLABORATION WITH A NEUROTYPICAL ARTIST PARTNER. PURCHASES MADE ONLINE ARE SHIPPED DIRECTLY TO THE PURCHASER. 11 FAMILY EVENTS IN OKC AND TULSA. PETTING ZOOS, WATER PARKS, AN EVENING WITH SANTA, AND AUTISMOKLAHOMA'S BIRTHDAY PARTY WERE JUST A FEW OF THE FREE FAMILY EVENTS THAT WERE OPEN TO ALL FAMILIES. THESE EVENTS ARE A PLATFORM FOR EXISTING AND NEW FAMILIES TO MEET, NETWORK, AND CONNECT. FOR US, IT'S A VITAL OPPORTUNITY TO CATCH UP WITH OUR FAMILIES AND LEARN ABOUT NEW INTERESTS AND NEEDS, KNOWING THAT OUTINGS AND EVENTS OFFER A RELAXED ATMOSPHERE FOR EVERYONE TO COME AS THEY ARE AND BE WHO THEY ARE.