Autism Okanagan

As the first Half Week Highlight of the new year, AOK looks at education and turns the spotlight on Claro Centres Claro was founded in 2010 as a supportive place for students with neurodiversity to learn, grow and shine. Inspired by each student's unique abilities and pace, Claro learning centres offer individualized support in academic tutoring, life skills, self-regulation, therapeutic recreation and opportunities to develop social and emotional awareness. Claro students pa...rticipate in centre and community based social, recreation, volunteer and work experience opportunities. As active and engaged members of our community, they shine brightly as students and citizens. The Claro team shares the core belief that every child has the capacity to learn when they feel safe and that safety is cultivated in relationships. To learn more about Claro, please visit www.clarolife.com or check out our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/clarolife/ If you would like to recommend an organization, business, or person for a Half Week Highlight, send an email to [email protected]

AOK would like to say a huge THANK YOU to the TELUS Friendly Future Foundation . Their support is helping AOK to launch something new in 2021! Follow Autism Okanagan to stay up to date with us and hear more about what's coming in 2021. Thanks, TELUS Friendly Future Foundation You are helping us to make a difference here in the Okanagan!.

On Tuesday, we kicked off the Autism Okanagan Winter Raffle, where a $10 ticket could land you one of three amazing prizes! GET YOUR TICKETS AT https://trellis.org/winter-raffle-2020... Today, we take a look at Prize #1, a gift card package for 9 different restaurants around the Okanagan! Valued at over $900, the winner will be able to experience some of the Okanagan's best cuisine from Blu Saffron Bistro , DunnEnzies Pizza Co. , Kelowna Cruises , Home Block at CedarCreek Estate Winery , The Lookout Restaurant Gray Monk Estate Winery , @microkelowna , (can also be used at RauDZ Regional Table, Sunnys Modern Diner, or Okanagan Table) The Modest Butcher , OAK + CRU , Social 242 Lounge And Grill This prize is a great way to taste some of the best food the Okanagan has to offer!! GET YOUR TICKETS TODAY https://trellis.org/winter-raffle-2020

For this week's Half Week Highlight, Autism Okanagan turns to Barefoot Venus Barefoot Venus saw a growing need for support and understanding around Autism and, in response, created the Gingersnap Collection to support Autism Initiatives. A portion of the sales from every Ginger Snap product goes toward helping fund events like AOK's very own "Goddess on the Go." This seasonal collection is only available for a limited time and makes a great Christmas Gift.... Thank you, Barefoot Venus, for all you do for the local autism community. Be sure to checkout Barefoot Venus at barefootvenus.com on Instagram @barefootvenus or Facebook facebook.com/BarefootVenus/ If you would like to recommend an organization, business, or person for a Half Week Highlight, send an email to [email protected]

Today is Phelan McDermid Syndrome Awareness Day. Many of you have never heard of this syndrome before and the reason for this is because it is incredibly rare. There are only about 2000 cases globally, yet a young man in our community has this syndrome; Lucas is a 1 in 5 MILLION kid! The journey for Lucas and his family has been a challenging and frustrating one. With Phelan McDermid Syndrome being so rare, the family was not eligible for any type of funding when he was youn...g. It wasn't until Lucas was diagnosed with Autism at the age of 3 that the support and help finally came. Like many syndromes, Autism is an additional diagnosis that comes later on, and families wait for many years to get the support and services that they need. Today Autism Okanagan wants to "light" a green bulb on our page in support of Phelan McDermid Syndrome and for Lucas. A member of our Autism community and an amazing young man! See more

On this week’s Half Week Highlight, we shine the spotlight on AutismBC. Founded in 1975, AutismBC works to support individuals and their families living with autism. While AutismBC has offices in the Lower Mainland, Vancouver Island, and Northern BC, their Kelowna Office, with Regional Coordinator, Lisa Watson, continues to be a massive support for the local autism community. AutismBC provides parents and communities with knowledge and support to help create stronger and mor...e diverse communities while working to connect the autism community through empowerment and strength. The local person behind this amazing work is Lisa Watson. Lisa's knowledge, passion, hard work, dedication, and positive, friendly approach has been a huge resource for countless families and individuals within the Okanagan. We here at Autism Okanagan are so thankful for amazing local partners and individuals such as AutismBC and Lisa Watson. We look forward to serving our community, alongside Lisa and AutismBC for years to come. For any additional information, visit their website at https://www.autismbc.ca/. Follow them on social media to see what they are up to: Facebook: Autism BC Instagram: @autismbc Twitter: @autismbc If you know any person (living with autism or not) and/or business’/organizations that you feel we need to highlight, send us an email at [email protected].

Each day around the world, countless individuals, businesses, and organizations are doing outstanding work that positively impacts the autism community, be it locally, nationally, or globally. We here at AOK believe that those actions should be highlighted for the whole world to see. To do our part to highlight the good work being done, we have created our very own Half Week Highlights. Each Wednesday, we will use our platform to share the great work these individuals, busin...esses and organizations are doing. If you know any person, business or organization that is positively impacting the autism community that you feel could be highlighted, please send us an email at [email protected]. Be sure to check in next Wednesday for our first Highlight.

In Fond Memory Of Ian Wright, Longtime WildCats & Wild Manager It is with heavy hearts that the WildCats and Wild Special Hockey teams, and everyone at the Autism Okanagan Association, say goodbye to the team’s long-time Manager, Ian Wright. Since the beginning of the WildCats Special Hockey team, 13 years ago, Ian had been a staple around the program. Initially introduced to the team by his brother Brendan, Ian volunteered to take on the role of Manager in 2007 and held tha...t position until he passed away from muscular dystrophy on March 25, 2020. Ian was a huge help to the WildCats and Wild hockey programs and helped with a number of tasks. From ensuring that players and families were kept up to date with program specifics, to making proper arrangements and ensuring that the coaching staff was updated on changes and cancellations, Ian made everything better and did everything with a smile.

We are so excited to see some of our mama's on Saturday! We love that we will be able to see your smiling faces and wish you a Happy Mother's Day in person. We sure need a little pick me up more than ever this year! We still have some free tickets left so head on over to Eventbrite so you can get your gift from Barefoot Venus. https://www.eventbrite.ca/o/autism-okanagan-association-in-