The contest has been extended until the 14th, next Friday, so please check back then for the winner! Your understanding is appreciated more than you will ever know.
Well, here we are. The last day of Autism Awareness Month 2010. I can’t think of a better way to end this month of more awareness than with a contest for a signed copy of Classic American Cuisine by Stephanie Hemenway.
Over the past year as I have gotten to know Stephanie much better, she has become a dear friend and a fellow autism mom who makes me proud! With each book she writes, Stephanie chooses an outreach project in the autism community that needs and deserves funding, and donates a portion of the sales from each book to that project.
There was only one book of Stephanie’s I could choose to contest off this month; The Autism Mom’s Survival Guide. Why, you ask? The outreach project Stephanie chose to support through the sales of Classic American Cuisine was The National Autism Association’s FOUND Safety Initiative.
Our children with autism wander and elope, and far too often the consequences are tragic as they were this month. Three year old Aiden Johnson, a child with autism, died of drowning on April 20th. Eric Lippmann, a 30 year old adult with autism was found on April 29th, his body washed up on a California beach. Eric had been missing for 8 days. Kevin Kwok, a 17 year old young man with autism was missing for nearly 24 hours before being found safe. Nadia Bloom, an 11 year old child with autism, went missing on Friday afternoon, April 9th. She was found alive almost 5 days later about a mile from her home, in an alligator filled swamp. Christian Dejons, a six year old little boy, went missing on the afternoon of Wednesday, April 7th. Christian was found hours later, drowned in a nearby lake.
This April Awareness Month has had some very fortunate families have their children returned to them safely, but other families with children or adults with autism had absolute tragic outcomes. I personally am glad that Autism Awareness month is over. We don’t need more awareness. We need help, our children need help, and we need solutions. The National Autism Associations FOUND Safety Initiative is one of many solutions, and we need more like it.
Classic American Cuisine is packed full of useful information for stocking your GFCF pantry. The recipes are so yummy; a few of my favorites? The Onion Rings, Roasted Potato Medley, Sandwich Bread, The Chicken Salad (reminds me of Waldorf Salad), The Breakfast Scramble, and of course The Decadent Fudge Brownies. With the exception of a few, the recipes have alternatives so they can be made corn, soy, and nut free.
Please enter a comment to win. The winner will be announced next Friday morning so make sure you check back. While you're waiting, hop on over to Stephanie’s site HERE and click on the picture to order your copy. Order one for yourself, a parent of a newly diagnosed child, or a friend. You’ll be making the difference between possible life and death for our children and their families.
