As part of April being Autism Awareness Month, I am happy to announce an initiative that I am involved with in an effort to raise money for a charity I believe in, Autism Speaks. Autism is a neural development disorder which impairs social interaction and communication. Autism displays itself in varying levels of severity ranging from mild social quirks to those who are unable to speak and care for themselves. The number of children being diagnosed with Autism has dramatically increased since the 1980's with 1 in 110 kids being diagnosed with a form of Autism today.
So I'm sure you may have a few questions. I will try to answer a few of them ahead of time, otherwise feel free to post your questions here, or send me a PM and I will do my best to answer them for you.
What is Autism Speaks?
Autism Speaks was founded in February 2005 by Bob and Suzanne Wright, grandparents of a child with autism. Since then, Autism Speaks has grown into the nation's largest autism science and advocacy organization, dedicated to funding research into the causes, prevention, treatments and a cure for autism; increasing awareness of autism spectrum disorders; and advocating for the needs of individuals with autism and their families.
What's your interest in this particular charity?
Autism is a disorder that hits close to home for me. I have two brothers, both of which are Autistic. One is mildly Autistic, the other quite severe. I know the difficulties and obstacles that this disorder can pose not only on the Autistic person, but their family as well. I like to help where can, to try to make a difference for this cause.
How can I contribute?
Well there are a couple of ways that you can help out and make a difference.
The first is to donate directly to Autism Speaks, using their donation page HERE. They have teamed up with Serve, who is matching all donations made from now until May 15th.
The second is to take a reduced cost permit to carry class that we are offering on June 5th, with all of the proceeds being donated directly to Autism Speaks.
How does a permit to carry class relate to Autism?
Well, obviously the two aren't directly related. But, this is something that we felt we could offer that would generate support in the local firearms community, and would give someone an incentive to contribute towards this cause.
Who is the 'we' that is offering the class?
Blue Line Defense is a local company that provides training for law enforcement agencies, security companies, and the general public. They have a staff of roughly six instructors including guest instructors that offer a variety of classes. Among the courses offered are permit to carry classes.
Blue Line Defense will be supplementing the facility and range costs, and the instructors volunteering their time, so as much money as possible can go to the charity.
So, what's your involvement with Blue Line Defense?
Well, as some of you already know, I am one of the owners of the company. Some have described me as being facially shy, and while I do enjoy a certain amount of online anonymity, I believe strongly enough is this cause that I felt compelled to come forward, be up front with you all, and offer this class.
In addition to being a co-owner of the company, I am also an instructor, primarily focusing in law enforcement courses, as I teach a lot of training courses through my employment as a police officer.
Who else will be teaching this class?
Well as of now, there will be at least two other instructors at the class, both of which are local forum members.
The first is someone who most of you probably haven't met, tjpretz. Terry is also an owner in the company, as well as a police officer and law enforcement instructor.
The second person is monschman, who most of you know pretty well. Don has been an instructor with us for a few months, and has been a great addition to our team. He primarily does permit to carry classes, and specializes on individual and small group firearms training.
When and where is this class?
The class will be held on Sunday, June 5th at Bill's Gun Shop in Robbinsdale. The class starts at 10:00 am and is scheduled to run until approximately 5:00 pm.
I should note that I have a call into the management at Bill's to see if they will donate the classroom space, or offer it at a reduced cost for this event, so we can send more money to the charity. I haven't heard back from them yet, but if they are able to come through, I'll be sure to let you know so I can give credit, where credit is due.
Moving on...
We will provide muffins and bottles of water for the class. Additionally, there will also be an opportunity to break for a brief lunch run to Subway, for those that are interested. Of course, feel free to bring your own snacks and beverages to consume during the class.
What does the class cost?
We are asking for a minimum donation of $30 to take the class. If you wish, you are obviously free to pay more than the $30 and we will include that in the donation.
Who can attend the class?
Well, anyone who is eligible to obtain a Minnesota Permit to Carry may attend the class. Due to the classroom size restrictions at Bill's we are going to limit our class to 30 people. Given that we are a fairly close, local community, we decided to open this up to the members of the local forums first, before advertising it to the general public next week.
This a great, low cost opportunity for those to take an initial or renewal class, and to help out a great cause at the same time.
So, what's your goal?
Our ultimate goal for this project is to try to raise $1,000 for the charity between a combination of money collected from class tuition, and personal contributions on our part.
Where can I sign up?
You can register for the class by visiting our registration page - HERE. We can either process your payment over the phone by credit card, or will accept cash or checks the day of the class. If you prefer, you can also mail us payment prior to the class.
On a side note, given our limited space/attendance, I would ask that if you register for the class, and are unable to attend, that you would let us know so we can open up the spot to another person.
Anything else?
I think that's about it. I appreciate all of you taking the time to read this. And even if you aren't interested in attending our class on June 5th, I would encourage you to consider donating directly to Autism Speaks.
Thanks in advance!
- Paul
