Teach Autistic Children Today

Welcome to the Web site for Teach Autistic Children Today (TACT), a Maryland non-profit dedicated to combating autism by helping families pay for much needed therapeutic services for their child with autism. Please look through our site and contact us if you need more information. Also, if you are interested in helping us in the battle, please let us know by joining our mailing list or volunteering to help!

WHAT’S NEWS - June 9, 2008!

Midsummer Night Barbecue and Auction - TICKETS ON SALE NOW!

On Friday evening, August 1, 2008, Teach Autistic Children Today/TACT will host a Midsummer Night Barbecue and Auction to combat autism. The event will include a fantastic chicken and pit beef barbecue served under the Pavilion at Ceresville Mansion ( www.ceresville.com) Located near the beautiful Monocacy River, the beautiful pavilion set in a wooded meadow has ceiling fans to cool us down on a warm summer night.

Light snacks and a cash beer and wine bar will open at 6:15 so everyone can sign in and get their table assignments. The silent auction items will also be on display. At 7 pm, the fantastic barbecue buffet will be served. Later in the evening, we will have a few items offered at a live auction and announce the winners of the silent auction items. Tickets are $35 per person, regardless of age. Contact us soon to purchase tickets before they sell out! It's going to be a great dinner and a fun night!

Sponsorship Opportunities to help cover the cost of the event and raise money for the children are listed below. If you would like to be a sponsor or know a business or individual who would like to be a sponsor, please let them know about this opportunity to help!

Sponsorship Opportunities

Sunset Sponsor $5000+

• One table for 8 guests, full-page ad with preferred placement at event, logo and advertisement on TACT website for 6 months, table marker, photo opportunity and banner with logo.

Sunrise Sponsor $2500+

• One table for 8 guests, advertisement on the TACT website for 3 months, full-page ad at event and banner with logo

Moonlight Sponsor $1000+

• One table for 8 guests and ½ page ad at event

Sunlight Sponsor $500+

• Six reserved seats and ½ page ad at event

If you would like to volunteer to help with this event or would like to make a donation of goods or funds to sponsor the event, please contact the event chair, board vice-president Monica Kirkpatrick at 240-818-4613 or board president, Chris Patterson at 240-405-9161 or by email at tact2007@comcast.net.

Give Them Wings 2008 raised $25,000!

On April 19, TACT held its first fundraising walk and it was not only fun but a great success. With around 500 registered walkers and tons of fun for the kids and information for the families, we are just busting at the seams with joy! The Give Them Wings 2008 walk raised over $25,000 in gross receipts (of course we have expenses to deduct!) but we are very grateful to so many people, businesses and organizations that we just have to list some of them for you! And when you see businesses listed below, we really hope you will make an effort to patronize these businesses and thank them for their support. We could not have had such a fantastic and fun walk if it were not for their amazing generosity!

• Miss Frederick 2007 and current board member Jeanna Riscigno had the idea for a walk as part of her platform, Autism Awareness. Jeanna presented her idea to TACT in mid-2007 as we were just forming this organization and then laid all the ground work for the walk. Thank you, Jeanna!

• The Rest of Our Fabulous Walk Committee who worked like crazy to make it fun: Jennie Bobbitt, Kathy Boyce, Diann Devart, Laura Dieterich, Beth Johnson, Jennifer Needle, Monica Riscigno, Chris Patterson and Frank Patterson

• Our Monarch Butterfly level sponsors: Sir Speedy Printing, Autism Society of America, Frederick County Chapter, and Crossroads Valley Chapel of Frederick.

• Our Teams and Team leaders who raised so much that we couldn’t believe it! We particularly want to congratulate the two teams and team leaders who raised the most money: Alyssa Fowler of Team: Allysa’s Ravens and Kelly Connolly of Team: 4 Eric! These two teams combined have raised nearly $6,000 and they keep sending us checks!

• And our other very generous corporate and media sponsors: the Sertoma Club of Frederick, the Fredericktowne Sertoma Club, 24/7 Dance Company, The Gazette, The Dispatch Community Newspapers, WFRE, Debbie Williams and the Patty Pollatos Fund, David Spence of Spence Photographics (check out his web site with pictures of the walk you can buy! at www.SpencePhotographics.com), Bright Sign Company for our beautiful banners, R.S. Kinnaird Memorials for our fabulous signs, Frederick County Bank, MY GYM, Papa Johns Pizza of Frederick, Common Market, MOMs Organic Market, Applegate Farms, Home Depot, Boscovs, James Gang Pizza and many other businesses that donated items for our raffle baskets and door prizes!

• The many businesses and local therapeutic service providers who set up activity tables for the kids and information tables for the families! Wow, were they great or what??!!!

• Our Amazing Volunteers who came Very Early and stayed Late to help get everything set up and cleaned up. When we left the field you couldn’t tell anyone had been there!

• The walkers, families, teachers, teaching aids, therapists and all of you who came out for Frederick’s first-ever walk to defeat autism!

THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! YOU ARE ALL AWESOME!!!




New Office Phone Numbers
Please note that TACT now has phone numbers dedicated solely to the organization. Because we are an all-volunteer organization, our previous phone number was and is the private number of one of our board members. The new numbers are also cell phones dedicated solely to the organization and will be managed by at least two members, so you can call them when you need information or help with anything. Please update your records!

Frederick: 240-405-9161
Smithsburg: 240-818-4613

If you have any questions about Teach Autistic Children Today, please don’t hesitate to contact us at tact2007@comcast.net.

Teach Autistic Children Today
PO Box 487
Braddock Heights, MD 21714-0487

By phone:
Frederick: 240-405-9161
Smithsburg: 240-818-4613

By email:
Tact2007@comcast.net