April is National Autism Awareness Month. In preparation of this annual event, The Simpson Baber Foundation for the Autistic is reaching out to the business community and asking for participation in its most aggressive fundraising campaign of the year, the Hand to Hand campaign.

 Along with dedicated Hand to Hand sponsors, BCB Bank and the Bayonne Board of Education, participating businesses will be supplied with “Caring Hands Cards” to display your customers’ name when they make a donation to the Simpson Baber Foundation.  Join the growing list of participating businesses committed to making a difference in the lives of those affected by autism.

 This event links the community for a common goal – to help continue the mission of educating the public on the spectrum of Autism and provide educational, social and recreational opportunities to children with Autism.  Autism covers a spectrum of disorders that affects 1 in every 94 children in New Jersey..

 

To accomplish these goals and to meet the ever-changing needs of the current population, The Simpson Baber Foundation has supported a wide range of activities, programs and educational opportunities.  The Foundation has funded the construction of three Life Skills Centers in the Bayonne Public Schools, with the latest being dedicated this week at The Washington Community School.  Each center, an approximately 375 square foot room, includes a stove, refrigerator, dishwasher, washer/dryer, dining table, and work desk area. They are designed to facilitate instruction by providing hands on experiences for the students.  Foundation support has also including funding for a self-contained playground designed to provide safe, independent outdoor activity for students with autism, funding for field trips, social events, a speaker’s bureau, self-help group, recreational sports teams, educational technology and research.

 The Busy Bee Center for Children with Autism is a joint project of the Bayonne Board of Education, the Bayonne Medical Center and the Simpson Baber Foundation, The Busy Bee Program is an early intervention program specifically targeted to meet the needs of the growing autism population.  Housed at Bayonne Medical Center, it was the  first of its kind early intervention program whereby the educational community, the medical community and the community at large joined together to provide necessary, but previously unavailable services to some of the most vulnerable members of our community—developmentally disabled young children.  Over 10 years of operation, the Simpson Baber Foundation has spent over 1.5 million dollars on Busy Bee and has been able to maintain the program without cost to the parents. The Busy Bee Program recently welcomed its 100^th participant into the program.

 To participate in Hand to Hand or to make a donation during Autism Awareness Month, please contact the Simpson-Baber Foundation at 201-858-9933 or visit the website at www.simpson-baber.org.