Pucks for Autism

On Saturday, February 12th, the Laredo Bucks will be playing against Bossier-Shreveport at the Laredo Energy Arena. The game will be not just another game night, but the Pucks for Autism will be a fundraising event for Families for Autism Support and Awareness. If the Bucks manage to sell out their game tickets for the night, the Bucks will donate $10,000 to the FFASAA. The event was organized by the Buck´s and President Veronica Orduño along with her husband Ramon Orduño. The Pucks for Autism came together as a result of the Buck´s organization having a child diagnosed with Autism. When questioned about the game not selling out, Veronica Orduño responded, ¨ If the game does not sell out, we will not be receiving the $10,000. There is a "magic" quota that we need to meet, from the funds are pro-rated according to how many people actually attend.¨ Orduño continued to explain how the event was put together, ¨We worked hand in hand with the Laredo Bucks to try to sell the vouchers, notes were sent to the parents in our organization, and we even hit some local stores to try to sell the vouchers to the customers. I would like to thank Mr. Orduño and Gabbi Ramirez for undertaking his massive event¨. This will be the first game held in Laredo and for the Buck's in to order to provide funds for the FFASAA.

The FFASAA has been in existence for 12 years now, and during their existence, they have been able to experience the growth of Autism among children in Laredo, with 10 kids in 1992, to a total of 257 this year. It´s creation was inspired when their son Ramon, ¨Tito,¨ was diagnosed with Autism in 1995. The inspiration stuck when nothing was available to help the children and the families, and because of a lack of Autism units in the classrooms in the schools. A group of 6 families formed what was called the Border Area Autism Team, BAAT, as a way for communication to spread between each other to discuss what they were going through; but being a small group of only 8 active members, the group remained small, and families were left alone to experience the symptoms of Autism.

On January 20 and 21st of 2011, the FFASAA recently hosted their Eleventh Annual Autism conference which broke the attendance record. They had two award winning authors present at the conference, and they were able to bring Eustacia Cutler, who portrays Temple Grandin´s mother in Temple Grandin. They had nearly 400 participants attending the conference, being their biggest fundraiser yet. According to the Internet Movie Database (IMDb), Temple Grandin is a film based on the life of an autistic woman, Temple Grandin, who becomes one of the top scientists in the humane livestock handling industry. The film has won multiple awards, among them The Golden Globe.

The Families for Autism Support and Awareness will be hosting the annual walk on May 21, 2011. They are also currently trying to organize something else in union with the Sheriff's office. This idea is still in the works but they want to plan something that is big, extraordinary and that has never been seen in Laredo, Texas before. There is also the Autism Intervention Center at Texas A&M International University (TAMIU) that services the children in the areas with therapy. The FFASA services two aspects of the autism journey therapy and support.

Unfortunately, the FFASA did receive their quota of $10,000 awarded to them during their second intermission of the Buck´s game on February 12th. Parents can visit FFASA´s webpage at www.familiesforautism.org for more information and for information on future fundraising activities