Eat @ Shrimpy's Sketch-A-Thon for Autism

Happy Tuesday!

            About a month ago, my son Logan was officially diagnosed with Autism.  His pediatrician had whispered about it for a while (which is what pushed us to have him tested) but she seems pretty hell-bent on every kid having a diagnosis so we didn’t take too much stock in her opinion.  He was not given a specific spot on the autism spectrum, given his unwillingness to complete all of the activities assigned to him, but he showed them enough that he was given the general diagnosis.

            Logan is a four year old boy that is incredibly happy and self-directed.  He loves music, Angry Birds, and his older brother.  He is in no way unhealthy or a burden either emotionally or financially (any more than any other very active four year old would be).  Not including his birth, he has been to the hospital once in his life (the infamous TV incident of a couple summers ago).  He does not have unreasonably high medical bills and the only additional expense is tied into his slowly developing lactose intolerance.

            What I am getting at here is that he is healthy and happy.  Not all autistic children are though, and they may need things from time to time including advocacy for their rights as human beings.  These kinds of things can and are provided by Autism Speaks (www.autismspeaks.org) as well just basic information for parents that may have just got their diagnosis, or may be concerned about a disorder that touches one in eighty-eight children. 

That is why, on May 4, 2013 Eat @ Shrimpy’s (www.eatatshrimpys.blogspot.com) is teaming up with Autism Speaks and Avalon Document Services to hold the first All Day Sketch-A-Thon for Autism.  This will be an all day affair (if you couldn’t tell by the title) that is held at Destiny USA from the time they open (10am) to the time they close (930pm).  The specific spot in the mall is currently being worked out but as soon as I know that information I will pass it along.  I will be there all day long doing sketches on the spot of whoever or whatever your heart desires, all for free.  There will also be a limited number of color sketches available to purchase.  All money, from art sales, commissions and donations will go straight to Autism Speaks.  That’s right, 100% of what you give will go to help individuals with autism. 

            If you are an artist yourself and would like to stop down and sit for an hour or so to provide some sketches, please get a hold of me at shrimpman53@yahoo.com and we will set up a time.  If you are an artist that is not in the area and would like to donate some artwork, please contact me and I will gladly give you an address to mail your work to.  For those of you that are in the area, please stop out, give a dollar or two, read some literature on autism and get a sketch for yourself, your kid, or someone you know.  If you are unable to make it out that day, for whatever reason, and would still like to make a donation and receive a sketch, or commission a piece of artwork, please contact me and I will make that happen.  It won’t take any time at all and your donation will surely make an impact. 

            Last but not least, I ask that you share this post and the details of this event with as many people as you can so that word gets out about this.  I would ideally like to run out of sketch cards by the middle of the day and have to start doodling on napkins I steal from the food-court.  That would make this a rousing success.  The more people that show up and donate, the better it will be and the more of a chance that we continue the sketch-a-thon tradition into the future.  I know that we have close to two months until the event, and believe me; I will be blowing up your facebook/twitter/email when it gets closer, but please consider this an official save the date card.  I hope to see you all there.

-Matt