From Lake Oswego Review
http://www.lakeoswegoreview.com/news/index.php
Autism benefit April 10 features Journey members
Apr 1, 2010
http://www.lakeoswegoreview.com/news/st ... 5284934600
An April 10 charity event is shaping up as bigger than ever for A Hope for Autism Foundation.
“It really got big when Journey band members got involved,” said Lake Oswego’s Gayle Woodruff, founder of the foundation. “I think that it’s amazing that they’re coming.”
Deen Castronovo and Jonathan Cain are set to perform some of 1980s super group’s biggest hits, such as Who’s Crying Now, Anyway You Want It and Don’t Stop Believin’.
But there is much more for the event at the Benson Hotel in Portland, including a black tie charity dinner, fashion show and silent auction.
The benefit is truly a major step for Woodruff and her partner Robbin Sobotka-Soles, whose purpose is to provide scholarships for direct support and services to families affected by autism.
That is a lot of families in Oregon, because this state has the highest rate of autism in the U.S. And the challenge of autism is becoming ever greater because it has had an incredibly sharp rise over the past 30 years.
In 1980, one out of 5,000 children were afflicted with autism. In 2010, one out of 110 children are afflicted with autism, according to National Statistics of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder. The cost of proper care runs about $3,500 a month.
“It’s pretty scary,” Woodruff said.
Still, these children can be helped. Woodruff’s own son Miles has made tremendous advances due to a program designed by Sobotka-Soles, a behavior analyst of autistic children.
“This is our big inaugural event,” Woodruff said. “Our goal is to help as many people as possible.”
A key feature of A Hope for Autism Foundation is that it is one of the few foundations that provide direct financial assistance to families dealing with autism.
For ticket information, go to the Web site
www.ahopeforautism.org. Tickets are $125 if purchased in advance and $150 when purchased at the door.