Autistic Resilience Network selects clients to meet their specific needs

RENO, Nev. (KOLO) – The Autism Resistance Network supports people with autism and related conditions by meeting their unique needs and empowering their resilience.

They operate two programs to support people with autism or related conditions:

Emergency Program – The Emergency Program allows us to respond to small, emergency needs throughout the year. These can include things like a bus pass, a co-pay for a doctor’s visit, or help with an electric bill.
Sue Milos Joy Program – Applicants seek help purchasing an item or service that will make a positive, long-term difference in their lives. Community members review requests and decide how they want to help!

Executive Director Cady Stanton stopped by Morning Break to talk about this year’s chosen recipients for the Sue Milos Joy Program.

Antonio (he/him)

Antonio is a young autistic boy who currently shares a double mattress on the floor of the room he shares with his two brothers. His service provider contacted us to let us know that she was concerned that this was negatively affecting all three siblings, as none of them are able to get enough quality sleep to function well during the day.

Antonio writes: “My name is Antonio, I’m 18 years old and I live with my aunt, cousins and two 3 brothers. I am currently working on my high school diploma. My favorite class is English because it is the most interesting and easiest for me. I will be working at a dog shelter Monday and Friday through my school to start saving money for the future. When I finish high school, I would like to go to college to study computer programming. I really like playing video games, my favorite game right now is Call of Duty which I like to play on PlayStation 5. My favorite color is green. I love watching movies, especially Spiderman: Across the Spiderverse. Since I’m still in school and can’t work full time, having enough money for the things I need and want is sometimes difficult. I would really like posters and a new TV to decorate my bedroom. I would also like to have a closet to put my clothes in and a new bed that I don’t have to share. Sometimes I stop breathing in my sleep, so it’s very important to have a good bed where I can sleep in a proper position.”

Asking: $1,400 for the following: ● Bunk bed (twin bed over a full bed) that would allow all three youngsters a place to sleep (about $600); ● Twin mattress and a full mattress (about $600); ● Bedding consisting of two sets of sheets, two comforters and four pillows (about $200). Antonio is excited to share before and after photos of the room he and his siblings share!

Alyx (they/them)

Alyx is a young adult with autism who is in the process of completing her four-year degree and obtaining her teaching certification with the goal of becoming a high school teacher. They work as a substitute teacher for two years both to cover their living expenses and to gain real-world experience to prepare them for their careers. Alyx is deeply passionate about their own education, as well as the education — and lives — of the students they teach. The students they have taught often seek them out, despite having only known them for a limited time as a substitute teacher, because Alyx is so empathetic and attuned to each student’s individual needs.

Alyx’s high level of empathy is a natural characteristic of their personality, which has been amplified by their own lived experience and awareness of how challenging life can be for 4 students. They went through many serious health problems in childhood. They were subsequently placed in foster care. Their childhoods were characterized by pain, fear and chronic stress. They are now living independently while managing their autism, finishing their degree and working. They have two dogs and a cat that provide a critical level of emotional connection and support that helps keep them going despite the long days, exhaustion, and constant financial stress.

Supporting Alyx through this process will not only help them, but will also help the many students they will teach in the future. Alyx’s deep concern for their students, combined with their own love of learning and ability to persevere under very difficult circumstances, will be a gift to every student they meet.

Asking: Donations of food and other supplies for their three animals (details of type of food and bedding will be provided) and $800 to be held in reserve by the Autism Endurance Network to go toward regular veterinary care and any unexpected health problems that may arise for their animals in the future.

Are (they/them)

We hope the community can come together to give Ari a working laptop. Their laptop broke three years ago and they couldn’t afford to replace it.

Ari writes: “I’m a writer, editor, and visual artist who sells self-published work, writes articles, and does painting commissions, and it would be life-changing to have a laptop to work on. I just used physical notebooks and the notes app on my phone. I hope to one day switch to writing and painting full-time to quit the customer service job I’m dealing with.”

Ari has been fighting since childhood.

Ari says, “I couldn’t get my mouth to make the sounds and I would form my sentences the wrong way. I was in and out of speech therapy. When I was five, my kindergarten teacher wanted to hold me back or put me in special placement. She literally used the ‘r’ word to describe me.”

As teenagers, they had trouble connecting with their peers. Like so many autistics, they rarely had friends; the people they thought were their friends will make fun of them. When they came out as weird, their family rejected them. In recent years, they’ve worked minimum wage customer service jobs that leave them constantly on the financial sidelines. They share a two-bedroom apartment with three other people.

Ari loves visual art, sculpture, painting, writing and editing. I am an avid reader and has an incredible personal library with a bookshelf of DI books spanning the entire wall.

They write: “I would use it every day. I would bring it almost everywhere. I’m currently trying to wrap up all my writing in two or three themes and potentially publish a book of all the writing I’ve done and a novella. Having a laptop would make trying to do this much easier and faster, as well as improving my creative outlet. My mind doesn’t work well with my phone as the only way to write poetry. My hope is that if I can work on my writing better, and ideally if I can run art programs, that would be fantastic. If I could do both of these things consistently, hopefully I could move away from doing customer service jobs a bit. This would ease my workload and stress. A laptop would also be useful for going back to school and having access to my school documents in one place.”

Request: $1,000 to purchase a laptop that can run Windows 11 and Photoshop or a similar program to do digital art commissions. They are about to go back to school so the laptop needs to be of reasonable quality that will last a few years.

Michael (he/him)

Michael is a 23 year old autistic adult who is a delight to talk to. During our conversation, his eyes are bright and he laughs a little, but he covers his mouth most of the time and I never see his smile. He explains that he is ashamed because he is missing a front tooth.

Michael lives in a group home and is eager to find a job. He would like to be a technician or a digital artist. Right now, though, he’s open to any job opportunity. His mentor reached out, explaining that he had seven interviews but no job offer. His mentor said, “Despite the best haircuts and outfits I can help him wear to look work-ready, he won’t be able to get a job with a gaping hole in front of his mouth. Living in 2024 is already hard enough being a black, young man with autism, but once you see he’s missing a front tooth a lot of assumptions can be made that aren’t good for his self-esteem or his future.”

Insurance has rejected her request to replace the tooth five times, saying the missing tooth is only a cosmetic issue and therefore not covered. He has no access to other resources to help him replace his tooth.

Ask: About $1,500 to replace his front tooth. His mentor is working on getting a final estimate from the dentist and we will update his information with the exact amount as soon as it is available.

To help the Autism Resilience Network with any of these requests, click here.