Hello all,
I am proposing an idea that I had to raise some money for my daughter who was just diagnosed as having AUTISM. My name is Dustin Efird, for those of you who do not know me, and my daughter is two year old Ashlynn Efird. I was a stay at home dad and part of your organization for about a year and a half until I had to go back to work and my wife stays at home with the children now. I really miss being at home with my daughter and wish that I could stay at home but I can not especially now that my daughter was just diagnosed as Autistic. I have to keep my job so that my daughter will have insurance, as autism is an uninsurable condition, and pay for therapies for her to get better. The problem is that her therapies will cost us 110'000.00 for a year worth of therapy plus her pediatrician, and DAN specialist that we will have to go to, her special allergy free food and medicine. All of this, minus some of the medicine and some of the pediatric doctor’s visits, is considered "alternative medicine" and is not covered by insurance. This label of alternative is beside the fact that the government has endorsed this therapy for children with autism and recommends at least 25 hours of ABA therapy BUT will not pay for any of it through the states early intervention programs. ABA therapy is the leading therapy at “recovering” children with autism to a normal life. An intensive 1:1 program of at least 40 hours a week for two years has in many cases led to children being included into regular education classrooms, indistinguishable for their peers. I can only hope that one day Ashlynn might be included in a regular education classroom and the research findings from ABA trials give me that hope. How do I pay for a program that is so expensive and yet so vital for my daughter? So I had an idea…
I was doing some research online about fundraising and saw that a group of men in Vermont who raised 500,000.00 for a local charity, and another group of women in south Carolina who raised 180,000.00 for Aiken council on aging. In the U.K. 100 women made 26’000.00 euro for posing in a calendar for an austic girl named Rosie. Again and again I found large amounts of money being raised for charity’s by simple making ‘naked’ calendars of their members for charity. Yes I did just say “naked” but before you picture playgirl we are talking about modest naked and not exposing anything other than what you might show at a beach. I thought a “naked” calendar of the Chicago Stay At Home Dads Group might bring in some money that I could then put into my daughters special needs trust fund that can only be used for ABA therapy and related doctors visits. I will also donate a portion of all the money raised to a research lab that is studying the autism gene for a cure the symptoms. This could be a great opportunity to raise some money for a great kid and to get your group in the news as a group that helps and supports a former member. All that I ask of you is that you help me by posing “nude” in my calendar and possibly help me sell as many calendars as possible by 2009. I will arrange for all the accommodations and photographers and pay for it all up front BUT of course I would love any and all input from the collective whole on the project, this can include some great ideas for posses and or locations. All of this should be done modestly really playing up the idea of stay at home dads, such as a photo of naked cooking or running bath water, ect. See these sites for some funny examples of photo’s that I thought we would use as a guide for our calendar.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/northeast/guides/halloffame/arts/images/fron-choir-naked-400x255.jpg,
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/graphics/2006/12/05/calendar.jpg
http://www.chanceforrosie.org.uk/full_monty_girls/calendar.php
I would like to get this calendar together and in production by Sept. or Oct. so that I can be selling them as soon as October for the New Year. I am open to any and all ideas that anybody has to help my adventure and would love to count on all of the support of the Chicago stay at home dads group.
Thanks in advance for considering my crazy fund raising idea and please e-mail me at design@dustinefird.com if you have questions or comments.
Hi Dustin, Sorry to hear
Hi Dustin,
Sorry to hear about Ashlynn's diagnosis, I hope she is able to get the help she needs.
I'm not sure what the consensus would be in the group regarding your idea, it is like herding cats to get more than two of us to turn up for a beer - nevermind be immortalised naked.
Are you associated with an autism charity and do you have a fundraising goal?
calendar idea
Dustin,
I was in another city for the past year, although I think I met you once at a playgroup at the church in Logan Square.
I'm also sorry to hear about Ashlynn's diagnosis and would like to do what I can to help. I know this is a difficult time for you. I have a good friend whose son was diagnosed about 4 years ago. Early on, they had to jump through a lot of hoops to get therapy and tutors from their local school district. They eventually moved to another school district so that their son would get more services. We participated in an autism walk fundraiser on his son's behalf twice.
When I showed your post to my wife, she thought of a naked AHD calendar was a bit "creepy." I hadn't initially thought of it that way, but it's not like we're a bunch of hunky, single firefighters. Plus, I'd have to do one hell of a lot of shaving before anyone could take a picture of me even half-naked. ;-)
I also read about these women (on a different website) recently which would make me a bit leery of the financial viability of a calendar:
candykirby.com/2008/04/22/spanish-moms-lose-clothes-money-in-calendar-project/This is just my two cents. We'll discuss this at the next few playgroups and at the DNO later in the month.
Jim
.
A Naked Calendar?
Jim,
You'd have to start running up Mt. Wilson many more times to get to get in naked shape. Seriously though, maybe a calendar of kids would sell and you could open it up to the entire AHD site. Just a thought.
Bill
let me clarify
I know I am asking a lot seeing as how it is your image that I might be selling but for charity it is a different situation then selling it for just kicks. I added another image so that you could see what I am talking about more in depth.
the calender is just men at home in comedic situations NOTHING to do with the kids as that would be a bit creepy and not cool. it is more of a man cooking dinner "naked" in an apron with a funny saying, or a guy doing the laundry, or vacuming the rug ect. . . I was going to play up the comedy of the situations and that we all were and or are stay at home dads who take care of the house ect. I was not going for sexy firefughter or serious photos it was always more about the comedy and the fact that it is real people not chizzled models. believe me that the last thing I want to do is be naked on a calender BUT for a good cause I would and will be "naked" to make money for my daughter or a friends.
I will take all of you comments in consdiration and maybe it is all a bad idea that will just cost me alot of money and not really sell like I think it would and maybe it would be bit creepy so think of these "dads" posing nude I dont know tha tis why I posed it to the group.
I am currently associated with TACA (talk about curing autism) and they are the ones that gave me the idea to raise money for her and try to get the community involved. I was going to get two loans and pay them off the rest of my life while I still rent a small two bedroom flat. Ashlynn is not in a school district for another year so they are not going to help in anyway to pay for her therapy or to help set it up. Early intervention, the organization setup to help 0-3 years of age toddlers, also said that they will not pay for her specialized therapy.
It is very frustrating as everybody says you have to HIT it HARD and HIT it early enough so that she will have a normal life. BUT I am trying to pay for it yet not go broke and save some of my life saving for the long haul of this condition.
I will find a way some how to pay for it and if this does not work out I will have no hard feelings asI am very determined to help my daughter and find a fundriaser that will pay for her therapy.
Thanks
Oh and I will be at the thursday playgroup as this week is my vacation from my job and I will be there to talk about this in person!
Charity
Hi Dustin. I met you today at Adams Park. First of all, my family and I wish your family and your daughter the best in fighting this disease. Hopefully the community around you can help find a way to get her the treatment that all families in your situation deserve.
If I can be so bold while being so new to the group, it sounds like the guys aren't comfortable with the calendar idea. Everyone does seem ready and willing to help (just not naked.) I have a couple of ideas.
First, a friend of mine put a golf outing together in honor of his late cousin. They seem to have been very successful with this endeavor. How about a bowling event? A mile/5k/10k run/walk? These are all popular things that people spend money on anyway. Plus, they are good for corporate sponsorship.
I hope that this has helped, as I can only empathize with the strain on every facet of your family's lives this has been. It looks like the one thing that hasn't been lost is the love in the family. That and a lot of hard work by yourselves and your family and friends will see you through this.
Autisim help
Hey guys,
Haven't been around for a while as I am back at work. I am designing a logo for an orginization called Lend 4 Health. They collect money for children with autisim and loan it to the families. It is a great way to get the help needed to care for your child. Right mow the site is just a blog http://lend4health.blogspot.com is the site as it is now but plans are in the works to evolve from here. Take a look, it couldn't hurt.