
Dip Into Your Heart
Discover how Pathfinders for Autism supports individuals affected by autism through recreation, resources, and training.
Pathfinders for Autism
(PFA) is a Maryland-based nonprofit that supports and
improves the lives of individuals affected by autism. It
provides recreation, resources, and training to parents
and caregivers, educators, first responders, clinicians,
and others. As with so many organizations, Pathfinders
felt the need to shift its focus in the face of the
pandemic to find new ways to reach and support the
community.
We recently caught up with Katie
Ramirez, the Development Director for Pathfinders for
Autism. She's been a professional fundraiser for more
than 20 years and has been with PFA since 2017. Her focus
is squarely on cultivating donors and identifying new
ones. As we learned, 2020 proved to be an eventful and
record-setting year for Katie and her team - helped along
the way by DipJar.
Pathfinders for Autism
started in 2000 when a group of parents of children with
autism sought information and support following their
child’s diagnosis. These parents came together to share
their stories and exchange resources they had discovered.
This evolved into a database of experts and ultimately
into the one-stop-shop for families facing an autism
diagnosis it has become.
Pathfinders for Autism
provides support in three areas: recreation, resources,
and training. Those services have expanded over time to
meet the changing needs of the community - particularly as
the needs of adults with autism are better understood.
As
parents of autistic children know, family outings can
quickly spiral into stressful occasions. To help with this
stress, Pathfinders for Autism organizes events - free of
charge - for families to enjoy. A trip to the National
Aquarium in Baltimore, Maryland, saw 1,500 people visit.
For many families, events like these are the first time
they’ve been out in a group setting with their child.
While
not an explicit goal of these excursions, a sense of
camaraderie is present. Many family friendships have been
started because of Pathfinders for Autism events. “Raising
a child with autism can be really isolating, so creating
paths for people to make connections is something our
families value,” said Ramirez.
Providing access
to resources has been at the core of Pathfinders for
Autism’s mission from the beginning. Today, the
organization maintains a live call center where people can
ask questions, be linked with the information they need,
and know they’ll be listened to. For many, the resource
center line is their first point of contact with PFA.
Helping
individuals and organizations understand how best to serve
and work with people with autism is integral to PFA's
mission. Through its training and educational programs,
Pathfinders for Autism helps families, educators, law
enforcement, first responders, and others engage with
people on the spectrum more effectively.
Pathfinders
for Autism is currently the only organization in Maryland
training first responders on this issue. The training they
provide focuses on communication, safety, and how to
respond appropriately. They also provide safety training
focused on wandering and elopement (or running away in
common parlance).
As people with autism grow
into adulthood, their needs change. The original cohort,
whose families started the organization, are now in their
twenties. To recognize and meet the needs of this group,
Pathfinders for Autism recently created the Self-Advocacy
Advisory Committee. This group - which has grown from 10
to 40 members - has planned movie nights, happy hours,
yoga, and more.
“The social aspect of these
events is amazing,” said Ramirez. “It’s empowering for
anyone to make choices. These people are choosing things
that matter to them and have brought in experts on job
interviews, dating, etcetera.”
Through these
services - and more - Pathfinders for Autism is relied on
by the community it serves. It also relies on that
community for support, and in 2020, that support came
about in some "wild" and wonderful ways.
For
the past 20 years, Pathfinders for Autism has held three
annual signature events. There’s a golf tournament that
has grown over time. The 5K Run Wild is family-focused,
and runs through the Maryland Zoo. While the event was
virtual in 2020, it’s back for 2021! The final annual
event has been the Fashion Show, featuring a runway, a red
carpet, and everything. In 2020, the event was held as an
“ungala” and was a tremendous success, raising $300,000.
MediaStar, a promotions company, helped organize the event
and would play a crucial role in making 2020 a banner year
for Pathfinders for Autism.
As Ramirez and her
team considered 2020, they wondered how they might be able
to host events in person. They knew activities would need
to be outdoors and - ideally - touchless. Pathfinders had
already acquired some DipJars and realized they would be a
perfect contactless system. But how to do it outdoors?
Well, as it happened, MediaStar just happened to have a
48’ tour bus that wasn’t being used due to the
pandemic.
The bus was wrapped in Pathfinders
branding and hit the road for the
Dip Challenge Bus Tour! The theme was “dip into your heart.” The bus tour
rolled across the state. When it arrived in a town, a
popup resource center was set up and the team would spend
the entire day answering questions, sharing resources, and
providing support. Ten DipJars - set for donation amounts
of between $5 and $250 - were set up, along with signage
explaining Pathfinders for Autism and its mission.
The
tour was a smash hit. It made it possible for Pathfinders
to reach rural parts of the state in ways impossible in
the past. “We were able to get back into the community,
and that was so important,” said Ramirez. “You had
families that were dealing with all of the challenges of
the pandemic, layered on top of having a child on the
spectrum. To be able to be there for people, to assure
them they’re not alone, and to let them know that help was
available - to be able to do this in these times was
amazing.”
Looking forward, Pathfinders for
Autism is applying the lessons learned over the course of
2020-21 to inform future activities. While the bus is no
longer available, the organization is planning and hosting
more community-based events. There have been state-wide
treasure hunts with local partners, cultivation events at
car dealerships, and more, smaller events all around the
state. In February 2022, Pathfinders will be hosting a
“Sweetheart Soiree” with a winery that will continue to
use the “dip into your heart” theme. We at DipJar love
this!
“We’ve been so fortunate,” said Ramirez.
“Thanks to our donors, the autism community, and partners
like MediaStar and DipJar, fundraising actually increased
during COVID-19. In times like these, I’ll look for the
silver lining every chance I can.”
DipJar is pleased to partner with Pathfinders for
Autism - and to share inspiring stories like this one.
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