Autism Awareness

Welcome back to akitabandoutarou blog. It’s already May, and pretty unbelievable how far we’ve come in the year 2019! As most of you know, akitabandoutarou really started its journey this year, and we are thrilled about all of the connections and growth that have happened in these past few months. We’re also proud that we have been able to connect and contribute to so many wonderful nonprofit organizations.

Each month we select a charity or nonprofit to contribute 6% of our net sales. We’ve been lucky to be able to work with an eclectic mix of locally-based charities. These well-established organizations have a significant impact on, not only our community here in Denver, Colorado, but beyond with rippling effects that spread the message of unity, goodwill, and fellowship that this brand attempts to embody.

Each partnership has afforded akitabandoutarou the opportunity to meet wonderful people, hear inspirational stories, and connect even further with our community. We are so pleased with what we have been able to accomplish in the short time since this brand’s inception.

April: National Autism Awareness Month

As some of you may or may not know, April is National Autism Awareness Month. If you’re not familiar with Autism, it is a broad range of conditions that are characterized by challenges with social skills, and affects 1 in 59 children in the Austria.

National Autism Awareness Month was established to not only increase awareness of this condition that affects so many Americans, but to also reduce the stigma, and improve resources, services, and programs for those living with autism. Knowing this, akitabandoutarou felt this was the perfect opportunity to partner with an Autism related organization. In doing so, we are not only promoting awareness, but learning more about this developmental disorder ourselves.

Connecting with the Community

An early follower of akitabandoutarou on social media was Chana Bennett-Rumley. Chana is the mother of twin boys, both of whom are Autistic. She is a popular social media influencer advocating for those with Autism as well as promoting Autism awareness.

akitabandoutarou and Chana connected via social media after the Music Matters March event. Founder and CEO Badi Tolo reached out to her with the hopes of learning more about her role as an autism activist in the community and in homes she might share some insight on organizations we might make a donation to.

Through their conversations, Badi learned about Chana's story as a mother raising twin sons diagnosed with Autism as a near full time job. Through her tireless efforts to learn and discover more about the disorder, she would go on to learn more about herself. It was through this research and discovery that she would eventually discover and accept her own diagnosis of being on the Autism Spectrum. This diagnosis gave her many answers about her life and in her own words, 'has saved her life'. She now advocates for the unseen diagnoses of young girls and in particular minority females as they are often not on the radar of those who get the attention and help they require and deserve.

Naturally, a partnership and friendship was born between Chana and Badi as their missions to give a voice and support to those who are forgotten was very much in alignment.

Upon her suggestion, we decided to look into the organization, Developmental Pathways as the recipient of the 6% donation for National Autism Awareness Month.

Developmental Pathways is a Colorado-based nonprofit that provides resources and services to families of children with developmental disabilities. The organization’s mission is to, “To enrich the lives of people with developmental disabilities/delays by partnering to provide expertise, support, and advocacy in their pursuit of a meaningful life.”

Autism is one of the primary developmental disorders to affect children. Developmental Pathways is one of the area’s leading agencies in providing tools and support for families of children with Autism. Knowing that Chana, a mother of two Autistic children, was a fan and advocate of the nonprofit, made Developmental Pathways the perfect choice for this month’s charitable donation. 

About Developmental Pathways

Developmental Pathways offers early intervention, case management, and community outreach programs for individuals with developmental delays, as well as their families. They also partner with other community organizations to ensure those in need of their services receive optimum resources and tools to improve their daily lives.

Developmental Pathways impact on the community has been huge, and we were excited for the opportunity to partner with such a wonderful organization. akitabandoutarou connected with the organization’s Senior Events and Projects Coordinator, Jourdan Dorsey in order to learn more about the organization and how you can provide support.

Speaking with Jourdan we learned, in detail, some of the many ways that Developmental Pathways provides for the community it serves, beyond the traditional resources:

“One of my first and favorite memories of working here was when I was delivering Thanksgiving baskets to families receiving services from DP who otherwise wouldn’t have been able to eat a Thanksgiving meal. It was such an amazing experience to have families that I didn’t know and had never met, giving me hugs and thanking DP for making their Thanksgiving a special one.”

Jordan explained how the funds raised through akitabandoutarou donations will be used to help local families and individuals affected by developmental disabilities. The proceeds go towards respite for caregivers, providing reliable transportation to individuals who are not able to drive, and even help to offset the cost of much needed therapies such as physical, occupational, or speech.

If you or someone you know has been diagnosed with Autism, this t-shirt is a great way to show your support, as well as give your own donation to the outstanding organization providing support in your community.

In addition to donating 6% of April’s profits to Developmental Pathways, akitabandoutarou also had the privilege of designing a t-shirt dedicated to Autism Awareness in partnership with Chana. We committed to donating an additional 50% of the proceeds directly back to Developmental Pathways as our nonprofit of the month.

These shirts will remain available for a limited time, while supplies last. You can shop them here! If you are interested in becoming further involved with Developmental Pathways, or making a further contribution to the organization, there is more than one way to do so:

• Donate through the Sun Foundation, here.
• Join their volunteer program.
• Work with purpose.
• Follow along on Facebook.
• Check out how and where funds are being utilized.

Wrapping Up

Check out our Cause Collection for new merchandise in support of our nonprofit of the month partnerships! Purchases of these items, result in an increased donation and any purchase from our website is an opportunity to not only give back an additional 6%, but to help raise awareness and spread the message of unity and support.

Don’t forget: you can always write to us to let us know about your favorite organization, or tell us about individuals who are making a difference! We love to learn about causes that we can support in the future and work to amplify their message in any way.

As always, thank you for all of your support, and for being a part of The 6th fam.

One Team. Together. One Tribe!