April is Autism Awareness month and Hair Cuttery is teaming up with Easter Seals to spread awareness about their Make the First Five Count® program. This program builds awareness so parents can recognize the proper developmental milestones for their children. This ensures they can get the support they need during their most critical developmental years. Getting help during the first five years of a child’s life is imperative for children with autism and other disabilities. Now, we need your help!
You can support this life-changing program by stopping by any Hair Cuttery salon between April 1 and April 30 and making a donation. Hair Cuttery will be matching all donations received in-salon, up to $10,000! If you can’t make it in to a salon, please feel free to donate directly through the Easter Seals’ website: www.easterseals.com. Our goal is to raise $30,000 during the month of April and any amount makes a difference. Below is a story about 2 of the beautiful children whose lives were changed because of this program and donations from people like you.
Meet Audrey & JR
Siblings Audrey (age 3) and JR (age 2) had a rough start. Each was born prematurely at only 26 weeks. Each spent their first 3 months of life in NICU. After all this, they still needed extra care to help them develop properly. Because of the awareness generated through the Make the First Five Count® program, Easter Seals was able to step in to provide in-home therapy and support services.
Both needed extra support to develop physically, as well as mentally. Easter Seals helped them learn how to crawl, sit up and walk. Audrey advanced so well that when she turned 2, she no longer needed physical therapy! Through the continuous support of Easter Seals, both children are now jumping, running and playing with their friends. They are still undergoing speech therapy and making great progress with that, also. In fact, they are doing so well, that they are both on track to start kindergarten with their peers! them develop properly. Because of the awareness generated through the Make the First Five Count, Easter Seals was able to step in to provide in-home therapy and support services.
Audrey and JR’s parents had this to say about Easter Seals’ service throughout the years, “We are so thankful. Easter Seals has helped us tremendously through such tough times. Audrey and JR have truly amazed us with everything they have achieved in their development.”
Ways That You Can Help
1) Share, share, share! Share this post with your friends, family & coworkers. The more awareness we can raise about autism and other disabilities, the more help we can get for these children.
2) Donate. Go into your local Hair Cuttery to make a donation during the month of April. Any amount helps and is greatly appreciated. Remember, we will be matching every donation we receive in-salon, up to $10,000! If you can’t make it into a salon, you can donate directly to Easter Seals at: www.easterseals.com.
3) Educate Yourself. Autism is being diagnosed at a much higher rate than before and it’s important to learn about it and other disabilities, as well. What are the symptoms? How are they diagnosed? How do I know if my child is developing at the proper rate? All these questions (and more) can be answered by visiting the Easter Seals and Make the First Five Count® websites: www.easterseals.com and www.makethefirstfivecount.org.
Together, we can all make a difference.