Wednesday, July 25, 2007

A Great Big Blessing

A few months ago, CJ and I attended a conference about the Son-Rise autism therapy program. We knew from the first 10 minutes that this is a program that would work well for our son and the rest of our family. We felt we had been inspired to attend and listen to Raun Kaufman explain Son-Rise. We immediately applied for scholarships for a therapy training program. Our chances were slim- several hundred applicants and 100 scholarships. The first round of recipients were notified, and we weren't on the list. I wrote in and plead my case, and was told to wait a few more weeks for the final list, and warned that the chances of two members of the same family getting accepted was very slim.

Well today we got the answer- and we were both accepted!! This means we get to attend the week-long start up program and learn the basics and how to implement it in our home. We have the workshops and classes, free room and board, all included in the scholarship. The total for this if we were paying ourselves is around $2,000 per person.

Did I mention it is in the beautiful mountains of Massachusetts? CJ and I have spent exactly one vacation alone since kids, and now we get to go to a beautiful place, learn from amazing teachers, and start down a new path for our family. I am beyond thrilled. I am so incredibly grateful. I know the scholarships given to Oregon residents were provided by a local home builder and I hope to be able to meet him someday and thank him in person.

We are going to start focusing on raising money for two round-trip tickets, car rental, and 2 nights hotel stay to attend the event (this September in MA.) We are a last minute approval, so we only have 5 weeks to save until we are off. Any donations for this wonderful cause would be whole-heartedly appreciated. Great fund-raising suggestions would be welcomed!!

I just know that this is going to help us to understand and connect with JJ. I believe it will help him to come out of his own world a little bit more. I am so optimistic that Son-Rise will make a difference for my sweet boy.

YAY!!!

Catch me if you can-
~AJ

9 comments:

Misty said...

Oh my goodness! That is SO COOL! I'm so happy for you!

Elozia Marie said...

Wow, that is so great! What a blessing.

Heidi said...

I can hardly wait for you to go. What a wonderful experience for your family!!!!

smart mama said...

congrats that is great! where in MA?

The Mathews Family said...

Oh yay! Not only does it sound like you guys are going to learn so much but you get to go alone... and for FREE! I'm so happy for you!
-J

Anonymous said...

That is so incredibly AWESOME!! I am so excited for you guys!!

Nettie said...

What a wonderful thing for you and your family, in many, many ways!

The Mathews Family said...

Just a thought. I know that there are so many people who would like to help you guys. Set up a paypal account and we can donate to it.
-J

Anonymous said...

Set up the paypal account and let the ward know too. I'm sure lots of people would love to help. Any chance we can have TJ while you're gone? That is wonderful news!!