Family and Friends, 

As many of you know, I ran the Boston Marathon for 6 consecutive years from 2009-2014. I am happy to say that after a 3 year hiatus I will be back running another marathon. This time I will be taking my running sneakers across the pond to London! I will be running in the 2018 London Marathon in April.

I will be running for OAR (Organization for Autism Research) located in Arlington, VA. OAR was founded in December 2001 by seven individuals whose lives and families had been directly impacted by autism. OAR’s singular focus is on applied research and the quality and practical value of its resource materials. The studies they fund and the information resources they provide have meaning in the day-to-day lives of persons with autism and their families. Rather than fund research relative to cause and cure, OAR funds pilot studies on topics of more every day relevance such as education, parent and teacher training, communication, self-care, social skills, employment, behavior and adult and community issues. In pursuing its efforts to change lives, our ultimate focus is quality of life.

1 in 68 children in the U.S. is diagnosed with autism. Your donations will support OAR’s mission to fund research and resources that help people with autism and their families today.

Here are some of the ways that OAR uses the funds raised by the RUN FOR AUTISM team:

$10 provides a Curriculum in a Box professional development set to general education teachers.

$25 provides 15 copies of A Guide to Safety to families and first responders.

$100 provides the Kit for Kids peer education resource to an entire elementary or middle school.

$150 provides 100 copies of a Life Journey through Autism guidebook sent to a community support group or military installation.

$1,000 provides a research grant for a graduate student studying autism.

$3,000 provides a scholarship for a student with autism to attend college.

$30,000 fully underwrites an applied research pilot study.

Thank you in advance for supporting me as I run my 7th marathon in a city I love so much for a wonderful organization. Any amount is greatly appreciated. Please feel free to explore the OAR website to learn more about the organization at researchautism.org!

"In running, it doesn't matter whether you come in first, in the middle of the pack, or last. You can say, 'I have finished.' There is a lot of satisfaction in that." Fred Lebow 

Love always, 

Lindsey