Life with my brother, Al.

My name is Jon and my brother, Joe, has autism. He was diagnosed with autism at the age of six but it took the doctors quite some time to figure out what it was that he had, because children at such a young age don’t often exhibit particular behaviors that would immediately suggest that they had autism.

My brother is nine years older than me, so I have always known him to be exactly how he is today. He’ very self-sufficient, and absolutely loves music, especially old music, 60’s, 70’s and 80’s genres. He loves cassette tapes and has a mountain of them in his room that he likes to listen to, and my brother Sean always converts music for him since he’s good with computers and technology.

During the day my brother works at a company that is very friendly to those with disabilities. He works in assembling and absolutely loves it. His typical work day starts at about 8:00a.m. and will last until 2:00p.m. with weekends and Wednesday off every week. Watching him come home from work every day makes me so happy because he always has such a huge grin on his face and always says ‘Good Day’ as soon as he gets home, it’s really heartwarming.

Unfortunately there are some days that things aren’t always as good as others. My brother on occasion will have seizures due to his disability, which can be really frightening. The first time I ever witnessed him having on I immediately froze up and didn’t know what to do, even though n my heart all I wanted to do was help. It just took me by surprise.

At the end of the day my brother may have a disability, but he’s really just like everyone else. Smart, intelligent, fun-loving guy just trying to have a normal life, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Fuzzie Funnel Cake Success

Despite the very wet and rainy evening, the sisters of Alpha Xi Delta had a very successful Fuzzie Funnel Cake event on Thursday April 11^th, 2013.

The preparations for the event started on Wednesday April 10^th by prepping all of the batter needed to make funnel cake perfection! Approximately 15 sisters gathered in the Alpha Xi Delta kitchen on The University of Toledo campus to mix up the delectable batter.

Thursday evening was pure madness, but for such a great cause! The event opened to the community from 8:00p.m. to 10:00p.m. for anyone who wanted to come and show their support for Autism Speaks. At 10:00p.m. to 2:00a.m. The event was open for business to all students. Within the first hour of being open for business the girls raised $1,000!

By the end of the night the girls had raised $1,700, $300 short of their goal of $2,000, but still an amazing effort and job well done! Can’t wait for more delicious funnel cakes in the fall from the Alpha Xi’s!

AXID & Autism Awareness Month

As an active member of Alpha Xi Delta sorority on The University of Toledo campus I have a very special place in my heart for our philanthropy organization, Autism Speaks. Autism Speaks is the world’s leading autism science and advocacy organization and is dedicated to funding research into the causes, prevention, treatments and a cure for autism; increasing awareness of autism spectrum disorders; and advocating for the needs of individuals with autism and their families.

Here on campus our sorority hosts several events to raise awareness for autism and Autism Speaks, specifically during the month of April which is Autism Awareness Month. On April 2, 2013 our chapter was able to persuade the university into lighting up our clock tower and school blue for World Autism Awareness Day. This was such an incredible milestone for our chapter to celebrate in participating in and we hope to have the opportunity to keep the tradition of this event alive in the future.

On April 11^th, 2013 we will be hosting our semi-annual event, Fuzzie Funnel Cakes, an all you can eat event and all proceeds are donated to Autism Speaks. The event is open to the community for $5 from 8p.m.-10p.m. and 10.pm.-2a.m. for students. RockStar Energy Drink is also sponsoring the event and a live DJ will be present as well. We’re so exited to raise awareness and money for a cause that is so close to our hearts! Come out to the event and show your support for this amazing cause!