Raise Money for Charities Like Autism Foundations. Have Fun with Drawtism for Autisitc Children's Charities.

Charities worldwide spend many hours fund raising to help find a cure, assist people afflicted with certain illnesses, help the needy, make others aware of suffering, as well as many other worthwhile pursuits. Charitable causes abound and it seems there isn't a day left in the year without a charity based fundraiser such as 'Pink Ribbon Day', 'Biggest Morning Tea', 'Daffodil Day', 'Jeans for Genes', 'Red Nose Day','World Aids Day', 'Walk against Want', World's Greatest Shave', MS Rideathon and Readathon', 'Movember', as well as charity golf days, tennis days, girls' nights and oh so many more.

Volunteers take on these challenges and help charities to raise funds for their causes, and even though you may not think so, these events can become full time jobs for the organisers. Some of the larger charities have paid employees to organise events but many of the smaller ones rely on volunteers to assist them. Whether you are volunteering or being paid it is still a job... and a worthy one at that.

One particular event which I was involved in this May was "Drawtism", an event which involved people playing 'pictionary' to raise money for Autism and Aspergers. It was a true family event as teams of kids and adults donated money to play a round robin of games with first and second place-getters vying for the title of "Pictionary Champions". There were a lot of laughs, crazy and unusual drawings (some hilarious, others just strange), a small amount of cheating (trying to bribe the judge, namely, me) but most of all a good time was had by all. The event was held in my home with 16 players and we raised close to A$300, not bad for an inaugural event.

This year Drawtism had a competition for volunteers to 'win' Tony Attwood. Well, not actually win him, just have him attend the function. Anyone who raised more than A$500 went into a draw to have Tony Atwood at their event. Tony Atwood is a leading authority on Autism and Aspergers and having him attend your event would certainly raise its profile.

High profile charities such as Cancer, Aids, Multiple Sclerosis and the like have the capacity to raise millions but the Autism Foundation had a target of A$200,000. To date they have raised approximately A$20,000. It is obvious that the condition of Autism just doesn't have the profile of 'more serious' illnesses even though people afflicted with the condition have it for life. It is a condition which causes lifelong challenges, for both the sufferer and immediate family, however the profile of its charities just isn't as high as some.

The donation $ is spread very thin by the time the Cancer, Heart & Aids charities, ie; the larger ones, are given their share of the public's purse. How they tug at the heart strings of donors is important and it's easier to pull the money if the affliction tends to kill people.

This is not to say that these causes are not worthy, they certainly are, and the funds raised have helped in discoveries of drugs which ease pain, bring about a better quality of life, and in some cases, have been able to research a cure. The road to curing these diseases is fraught with failures but without fund raising, research into trying to find cures would not be possible.

Every cent counts and even small advances in research are a step towards a cure. Volunteer fund raisers are an integral part of reaching such goals and it is a job (sometimes thankless) but oh so rewarding when you are able to see results.

Drawtism is just one event that assists Autism foundations in raising money for their special schools and many of the other resources they offer. Teams of players have fun, lots of laughs and funds are raised, all going towards making life a little more bearable for people with Autism. Large and small events all contribute to the cause with the ultimate goal being to find a cure, or at least, the cause of the disease.

To our friends who attended the Drawtism night a very big thank you. To others who couldn't attend but still donated, thank you to you too.

Also a big thank to Luke (I wrote his story in "Growing Up With Aspergers") for taking all the fabulous photos.

Raising awareness of any cause is never easy but I have found with support of family, friends and Autism Spectrum Australia not only am I learning and growing from the experience I know my efforts are appreciated and doing some good.

Also, to everyone on hubpages who read and comment about Autism and Aspergers, know that you are assisting in raising awareness as well.

TO EVERYONE A HUGE THANK YOU

In April each year Autism organisations all over the world work especially hard to raise funds and awareness of Autism and Aspergers. Help out where you can or help someone you know who needs help looking after their Autistic child.

Click on the following links to see how you can help -

Autisim Spectrum Australia

The National Autistic Society (UK)

Autism Society (USA)

Action For Autism (Worldwide)

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