The Journey - the aascg blog

Huntsville/Madison Co. Is Moving Forward

15
Sep
2009

The month of August was an exciting month in North Alabama.  Mayor Tommy Battle of Huntsville, AL and Mayor Paul Finley of Madison City, signed the very first proclamation in the state, perhaps the nation, too, proclaiming August as Asperger Syndrome Awareness Month.  The proclamation will soon be posted on this website for others to view.  Next year, we will make sure to change some of the wording to correctly emphasize Asperger's instead of Aspergers' Syndrome.

In addition, one of the young adults in our group (Aaron) received recognition for an article he wrote for the Huntsville Times entitled "Asperger's Can Work".  It was an outstanding article and we will look at posting on the website. Aaron and his mom, along with several others in the area, will be part of a series of articles in the Huntsville Times explaining Asperger's Syndrome and its broad effects on families in our area. 

Also this month, many of our high school students, young adults and adults, displayed their art work at the Arts Stroll in Huntsville.  It was an exciting and entertaining evening.  Unfortunately, we were rained out after approximately an hour and a half, however, we did make our presence known and many people were excited about the art work created by young adults and adults with AS.  Chuck, one of our artists, sold his first painting on the day we displayed.  The date coincided with his 48th birthday.  It was a wonderful experience for all of us. Congratulations, Chuck.  There were approximately 8 young people who participated in this event. 

The next major event for Huntsville/Madison Co. and North Alabama will be a fundraiser for the non profit:  www.aspergerconnection.blogspot.com .  We will BAND TOGETHER on November 7th to raise funds and share in a delightful afternoon of entertainment. Gracie Newsum will perform the song she co-wrote with Bill Wells, the song "Autism is Speaking".  Her mother, Karen Newsum, will also perform.  In addition, Joel Monet, a local artist  will entertain us with some very special music.  The featured bands include:  Second Hand Lincoln, Shane Baker and Jenny Ray.  Second Hand is a local band while Shane and Jenny reside in the Florence area.  Feel free to check out their music on myspace or facebook.  At least three of our young adults will share the stage as they emcee the event.  Continue to look for more information on the website listed above.