The Fearless Angel Project (TFAP) held their annual luncheon at Greenwich Country Club, with featured guest speaker, Judith Newman, award-winning writer for the New York Times & Washington Post, as well as author of the award-winning book To Siri with Love. Judith delivered a warm and humorous story with donors/attendees about living life with her son diagnosed on the autism spectrum and how “Siri” opened up a world of curiosity and improved communication with her and others.
Founder Izabela O’Brien shared her personal path having a daughter on the autism spectrum and her inspirations for starting the foundation. She noted how early intervention is key in allowing children and their families to live a better quality of life. Unfortunately, the therapeutic and biomedical treatments that are recommended come at a very high cost and are often not covered by insurance. She stressed the prevalence—1 in every 59 children today is diagnosed on the autism spectrum—and how we all have a responsibility to show respect, kindness and compassion to all living with autism and to be an example to younger children by our own positive actions and behaviors. Autism comes with an extremely high emotional and financial cost and it is also TFAP’s mission for more families to come out of isolation and have the opportunity to participate in extra-curricular community activities such as swim therapy and hippotherapy in addition to traditional biomedical treatments and Applied Behavioral Analysis therapy.
Eight families from Connecticut, Massachusetts and Nepal received scholarships being applied towards Angelfish Swim Therapy, Endeavor Therapeutic Horsemanship, Applied Behavioral Analysis with Michelle Ragozzine & Associates and biomedical treatment by Dr. Nancy O’Hara & Associated in Wilton, CT. In addition to scholarship recipients, attendees included guests, donors, vendors and sponsors from 5 Squares Inc., Mary Jane Denzer, Something Special Florist, Dr. Sharon Giese, Lili Fiore of Celia B, Whispering Angel, By the Way Bakery and entertainment by DJ April Larken. The 5th anniversary gala of the foundation will be celebrated at Greenwich Country Club on September 28, 2019 with a theme of “Dancing with the Angels” chaired by Izabela O’Brien, Dianna Smith & Jennifer Seidel.
The mission of The Fearless Angel Project (TFAP) is to award therapeutic and biomedical scholarships for economically challenged families raising a child on the autism spectrum.
Photographs by Cheryl Moss
