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Finding Community through YES Day for Autism

Finding Community through YES Day for Autism

Our second YES Day for Autism event is right around the corner! We are so grateful to all the teams that have been eagerly fundraising and getting everyone excited for the big day!
 
To help add to the excitement, we wanted to share one team’s story, who has not only found support through SARRC’s Community School’s program but YES Day for Autism as well. Read more for heartwarming inspiration!
 
My name is Grant Joiner and I am the parent of Jack, who attends the Community School.
 
Just over a year ago, Jack was formally diagnosed, and my family decided to relocate from the East Coast to Arizona for him to receive services at SARRC. Between a cross-country move and trying to cope with the diagnosis, it was an incredibly challenging time. Who do we tell? How do we tell them? How much do we talk about it? Even though we were getting support from family and friends, it was an extremely overwhelming, isolating, and lonely time for me and my family. We felt alone, and worse than that, we felt like we would be alone on this journey forever.
 
I’m grateful to say that things have been getting consistently better since then and that is largely thanks to the support from the team and SARRC families we have met along the way. Last October, we attended YES Day as a family and were immediately overwhelmed, but this time it was in a positive way. For the first time in a long time, we didn’t feel alone, or the need to hide or explain ourselves to the people around us.
 
I was so impressed, and because we had such an amazing experience, I joined the YES Day for Autism event committee. This is why I’m reaching out to share that you, too, might find the event to be an enormously inclusive, positive experience and a great opportunity for your family. Not to mention, it’s a wonderful way to get involved with this signature SARRC event!

Join us on October 23!

YES Day for Autism is not only a fun, family event — it is a meaningful celebration of community and the powerful impact that happens when people come together! There is still time to start a team, join a team, or register as an individual and start fundraising at yesdayforautism.org. We hope to see you there!

 

All stories, testimonials, and photography shared on SARRC’s website have informed consent.
Material and experiences may not be reshared or reused without express permission.