A checkered flag for autism service - Bertram Rantin - TheState.com
This link will take you to the article in today's edition of THE STATE newspaper (Columbia, SC.) Please take 2 minutes to vote for autism!
Showing posts with label Ryan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ryan. Show all posts
9/13/12
9/6/11
So You Think YOU Had Fun on Labor Day????
If you think you had an exciting Labor Day weekend, read her account below. And if you were somewhat down because you had a boring Labor Day, read her account -- and be thankful!
So we’re trying to enjoy a little time in the backyard with the kids, who are running here, there and everywhere. After a while, we hear the doorbell ringing inside. It is a neighbor, bringing home Ryan (age 10), who was stark naked in another neighbor’s front yard, playing in the sprinklers. (We never saw him leave.)
Then we cooked steaks for dinner, which went fine until the grand flame, which set off the smoke alarm and caused the fire truck to arrive with sirens blaring and lights flashing. (The kids loved it.)
What does that have to do with this picture? Nothing, of course. The picture is Ryan locked in a friend’s BMW, where he’s been for more than an hour. We were finally able to coach him to push the unlock button; unfortunately, it has now been disabled. (Darn fancy cars.) AAA is on the way, possibly to tow the BMW and Ryan, who is wearing no pants, to the dealership to activate the lock.
How was your Labor Day weekend?
4/2/10
This Cutie!
This cutie is Ryan, one of my nephews.
Ryan is autistic. Today is World Autism Awareness Day and April is Autism Awareness Month.
Having a family member who is autistic has been an eye-opening and learning experience. Autism really is a puzzle.
Below are some of the family members participating in a Walk for Autism.
Ryan is autistic. Today is World Autism Awareness Day and April is Autism Awareness Month.
Having a family member who is autistic has been an eye-opening and learning experience. Autism really is a puzzle.
Below are some of the family members participating in a Walk for Autism.
Ryan is one of the sweetest kids ever, but, like many autistic children, he sometimes hits and bites out of frustration. We've all experienced bruises from being around Ryan.
We've also experienced much joy and love from being around Ryan.
There are always challenges. Going to a movie or to dinner, going to church, participating in ordinary activities -- these all present challenges for families.
Wear blue today for Autism Awareness.
* * * *
1/10/10
Women Who Make a Difference!!!
ALL women make a difference. Some make more of a difference than others and, sometimes, the difference made isn't positive, unfortunately.
Today I'm writing about one particular woman who has made a tremendous difference in a very positive way.
After church today, I went by the post office for the first time in a few days, and there was my very first issue of TOWN AND COUNTRY magazine. Even though it's only January 10th, this is the February issue, and it features Cindy Crawford on the cover.
That woman is my baby sister, and she's one of my heroes - AND she's one of four women honored by Longines in TOWN AND COUNTRY as "Women Who Make a Difference."
Here's the introduction in the magazine:
At Longines, "Elegance is an attitude." It reminds us that grace, style, and soul are the qualities that make a women elegant. Nowhere are those traits more on display than when a woman devotes herself to making a difference in someone else's life. The following four women are the epitome of elegance. They champion those less fortunate and tirelessly work to make this a better place to live.
The four who are recognized are these:
1) tennis star Stefanie Graf as the founder of of Children for Tomorrow, an organization which helps children and families who are victims of various kinds of violence; she is the Longines Ambassador of Elegance;
2) Deloris Jordan, mother of basketball great Michael Jordan, as founder of The James Jordan Foundation, which supports academic opportunities and academic excellence through several of its programs;
3) Leila de Bruyne, founder of Flying Kites, an organization which provides care for Kenyan children who have been abused, orphaned and/or abandoned; and
4) Lorri Shealy Unumb, my above-pictured hero.
And because she is, of course, my favorite honoree, I'm sharing what was published about her, for fear of doing too much gushing on my own:
Lorri Unumb is the driving force behind Ryan's Law - the single most influential piece of legislation for families living with the hardships of autism. Lorri's son Ryan was diagnosed with autism in 2003. Early in their journey, Lorri learned that insurance companies did not cover treatment for autism. Lorri, a practicing lawyer, soon began her historic battle with insurance companies and state governments to get autism treatment covered. Her first victory was in her home state of South Carolina, where insurance companies are now compelled to pay for the treatment of autism.
Lorri has played an active role in changing legislation in other states, and today 15 states have enacted their own versions of Ryan's Law. In 2008 Lorri joined Autism Speaks as its senior policy advisor and counsel, a role in which she supports and advises other activists in this worthy cause.
Lorri and the many, many volunteers she recruited worked hard for over two years to get Ryan's Law passed in South Carolina. Then, when it was finally passed, Governor Mark Sanford vetoed it! Once again, Lorri and troops rallied; the House of Representatives voted unanimously to override the governor's veto!! As of former state legislator, I know that it is very unusual for a legislature to do much of anything unanimously and almost unheard of for a legislative body to override a governor's veto unanimously.
During this same time period, she was voted "Professor of the Year" by the student bar association at the Charleston School of Law and was honored with the Jefferson Award by The Post and Courier, Charleston's daily newspaper. All the while, she was traveling to other states to help with legislative efforts in those places AND she and Dan added to the family with Christopher and then Jonathan.
If you ask me, Lorri should have been on the cover instead of - or along with - Cindy Crawford!
I used to take care of Ryan a lot. This collage shows several pictures of us together. The second photo is a close-up of Ryan a few years ago; the third is about two years ago at Jonathan's baptism, then one of Lorri and Ryan, followed by shots from the Autism Walk in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Today I'm writing about one particular woman who has made a tremendous difference in a very positive way.
After church today, I went by the post office for the first time in a few days, and there was my very first issue of TOWN AND COUNTRY magazine. Even though it's only January 10th, this is the February issue, and it features Cindy Crawford on the cover.
I quickly flipped through the pages, because I knew this issue was paying tribute to specific women who have had an extremely positive impact on others. Finally, I found what I was looking for on page 44:
That woman is my baby sister, and she's one of my heroes - AND she's one of four women honored by Longines in TOWN AND COUNTRY as "Women Who Make a Difference."
Here's the introduction in the magazine:
At Longines, "Elegance is an attitude." It reminds us that grace, style, and soul are the qualities that make a women elegant. Nowhere are those traits more on display than when a woman devotes herself to making a difference in someone else's life. The following four women are the epitome of elegance. They champion those less fortunate and tirelessly work to make this a better place to live.
The four who are recognized are these:
1) tennis star Stefanie Graf as the founder of of Children for Tomorrow, an organization which helps children and families who are victims of various kinds of violence; she is the Longines Ambassador of Elegance;
2) Deloris Jordan, mother of basketball great Michael Jordan, as founder of The James Jordan Foundation, which supports academic opportunities and academic excellence through several of its programs;
3) Leila de Bruyne, founder of Flying Kites, an organization which provides care for Kenyan children who have been abused, orphaned and/or abandoned; and
4) Lorri Shealy Unumb, my above-pictured hero.
And because she is, of course, my favorite honoree, I'm sharing what was published about her, for fear of doing too much gushing on my own:
Lorri Unumb is the driving force behind Ryan's Law - the single most influential piece of legislation for families living with the hardships of autism. Lorri's son Ryan was diagnosed with autism in 2003. Early in their journey, Lorri learned that insurance companies did not cover treatment for autism. Lorri, a practicing lawyer, soon began her historic battle with insurance companies and state governments to get autism treatment covered. Her first victory was in her home state of South Carolina, where insurance companies are now compelled to pay for the treatment of autism.
Lorri has played an active role in changing legislation in other states, and today 15 states have enacted their own versions of Ryan's Law. In 2008 Lorri joined Autism Speaks as its senior policy advisor and counsel, a role in which she supports and advises other activists in this worthy cause.
Lorri and the many, many volunteers she recruited worked hard for over two years to get Ryan's Law passed in South Carolina. Then, when it was finally passed, Governor Mark Sanford vetoed it! Once again, Lorri and troops rallied; the House of Representatives voted unanimously to override the governor's veto!! As of former state legislator, I know that it is very unusual for a legislature to do much of anything unanimously and almost unheard of for a legislative body to override a governor's veto unanimously.
During this same time period, she was voted "Professor of the Year" by the student bar association at the Charleston School of Law and was honored with the Jefferson Award by The Post and Courier, Charleston's daily newspaper. All the while, she was traveling to other states to help with legislative efforts in those places AND she and Dan added to the family with Christopher and then Jonathan.
If you ask me, Lorri should have been on the cover instead of - or along with - Cindy Crawford!
I used to take care of Ryan a lot. This collage shows several pictures of us together. The second photo is a close-up of Ryan a few years ago; the third is about two years ago at Jonathan's baptism, then one of Lorri and Ryan, followed by shots from the Autism Walk in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Visit http://www.autismspeaks.org/ for more information about autism.
` ` ` ` ` ` ` `
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
