2011 Steps of Hope

Thank you for visiting Team Silvester's Steps of Hope fundraising page!

Twin brothers Nicholas and Andrew are in 2nd Grade this year. Nick is in a special Autism classroom and is integrated into a regular classroom for part of the day. Andrew is in a regular classroom with a shared aide. They have been very busy boys with therapy appointments before or after school on most days, but they are making some great progress!

Our family is participating in the Steps of Hope for our sixth year in a row. AuSM is a great organization that has really taught us a lot about Autism and how to both understand and help Nicholas and Andrew. The funds raised at the Steps of Hope are used in part to provide grants for families who need special supports for their children on the Autism Spectrum, like special childproofing/security items or specialized educational tools. Your donations help to make these grants possible.

We know we are not alone in our journey; they say 1 in 100 children in the U.S. today are diagnosed with Autism. The numbers are so high--a new case is diagnosed every 20 minutes. We are grateful to live in Minnesota where we have an organization like AuSM to help us find our way along this often challenging path.

Many thanks for your support -- and please feel free to forward this to anyone who you think might want to donate too!

Love,

The Silvesters

Dave, Michele, Andrew & Nicholas