The Autism Society of Boulder County is a non-profit, all-volunteer organization that offers free services to the public. We depend on committed individuals to help shepherd special programs that serve our community. If you can’t afford to donate money, perhaps you can afford to donate your time. Following is a current list of programs the ASBC has agreed to fund, but that are in need of a volunteer to execute them. If you have a talent and passion that fits, let us know — and if not yet, check back often to see what’s new:
Family Camping Trip: Many families would like to try camping, but are afraid of spending money on equipment and campground fees if the family member with ASD cannot handle sleeping in a tent. We are exploring the idea of booking five cabins and two yurts at Golden Gate Canyon State Park for one night in late June through early August. We would need a volunteer to work with the parks service to secure the facilities, promote the event, take family reservations and attend the campout. Please contact Emmy Conroy at info@autismboulder.org for more information.
Volunteer Coordinator: We receive many kind offers of time and services from community members such as yourself. We could use a point person to funnel these requests to, who could then speak with them by phone and match an open position with the right person. Please contact Emmy Conroy at info@autismboulder.org if you would like to volunteer for this position.
Sibshops: Siblings of children with special needs can get lost in the daily shuffle of therapy appointments and interminable calls to insurance companies. Moreover, creating a strong sibling relationship may need support to work through such issues as tantrums, hitting or not sharing. The ASBC seeks to create a monthly support group called “Sibshops” and needs to identify someone in the community who is willing to attend a two-day training seminar (January) and then lead the monthly support group. Who is the ideal candidate? Someone who may have grown up as a sibling of a special needs child themselves. Sound like anyone you know? Let us know. Further information can be found at www.siblingsupport.org. Please contact Emmy Conroy at info@autismboulder.org if you would like to volunteer for help with this program.
Young Adult Blogging and Social Media User Group: The advent of social media has created an unprecedented avenue for HFA adolescents and adults to connect with others in their community — and across the country — in a deep and meaningful way. We would need a volunteer that could organize and staff a user group; this would entail identifying a meeting room with free wifi that we could use on a regular monthly basis, reaching out to the community (through our enewsletter and Facebook feeds) to elicit interest, and develop the content of each meetup — a how-to focus for the month, or what have you. What is also imperative is to organize an “internet safety” class for parents or caregivers so they understand how to protect against online predators. Please contact Emmy Conroy at info@autismboulder.org if you would like to volunteer for this position.
If you only have very little time, here’s other ways you can help:
- Check out our provider resource list and let us know if we’re missing any good contacts
- Join us on Facebook and encourage others you know in the community to do the same; repost event posts on your own Facebook wall
- Volunteer to staff the April National Autism Awareness Month wine tasting fundraiser
