Masquerade ball raises money for local autistic children
Raising a child is hard. Throw in all the expenses and it can be overwhelming. But raising a kid with autism can be a real challenge and the costs that add on with the condition can leave families stressed beyond their limits. The Metro Friendship Foundation is an organization that gives scholarships to children with Autism Spectrum Disorder so they can learn the social skills they need to eventually become independent and relieve parents of the financial burden.
The Metro Friendship Foundation hosted a masquerade ball on April 13 at the Semple Mansion in Minneapolis. The purpose was to raise money for scholarships for autistic children in the Twin Cities. Social education at a young age is critical in preparing a child with ASD to become self sufficient.
The masquerade ball sold tickets for $50-$60 and held a silent auction to raise money for the cause. The theme was black and white, so guests were encouraged to dress in black and white and wear masks.
The Metro Friendship Foundation’s website describes the origins of the theme, “Life is not black and white and neither are the lives of kids with autism. We have the power to rewrite the future.”
“When your child is labeled as special needs, everything becomes more expensive.
— Lisa Potter
The foundation serves kids living in the metro area, age 21 and under with an annual income of $75,000 or less. The annual cost of having a child with ASD is estimated between $29,000 and $43,000.
Lisa Potter is a reading teacher at Oak Park Elementary. Her son, Adam, is a sixth grader at Stonebridge Elementary and has autism.
“When your child is labeled as special needs, everything becomes more expensive,” said Potter.
Autistic kids need special education to prepare them to become self sufficient.
“When he was first diagnosed, we put him in a university for $40,000,” said Potter. “It was like sending him to Harvard.”
It is more than just education. Sports and activities have to be tailored to Adam’s needs as well.
“He swims and does horseback riding, which are each $170 for a session,” said Potter.
Even in the summer the family invests in tutors for Adam.
“He learns speech, social and play skills from the tutors,” said Potter. “Those are $15 per hour.”
The Potter’s receive very little help from their insurance. Special needs are not covered by most companies.
“It does not cover any behavioral research benefits,” said Potter. “Our insurance paid for a little speech therapy, but even that was tricky.”
Clearly, the expense is enormous. It is fortunate that there are organizations like the Metro Friendship Foundation to provide help to those who need it. No family wants to have to worry about their child becoming self sufficient. It all begins with fundraisers such as the Black and White Masquerade Ball to feed the growing need for financial support.
Katelyn Weisbrod is the head copy editor for the Pony Express Newspaper. She plays the cello in the Stillwater Concert Orchestra and is involved in National...
Jasmine hearne • Jun 1, 2014 at 9:33 pm
I thought you did an awesome job at handling a rather difficult topic. I would have to agree with the previous comments that you only had one primary source and those quotes were not very strong. My suggestion would have been to try email someone who was organizing the ball or from the foundations you mentioned? However, I thought you had a very strong lead and facts, you just needed some stronger quotes!!
Gordon • May 20, 2014 at 8:30 am
This is truly a difficult but important subject to write about. Your article was very comprehensive is pointing out the financial and emotional aspects of raising an autistic child. I can see that you thoroughly researched the subject before writing. You did great ~ thank you.
Fiona Montie • May 7, 2014 at 9:07 pm
This article presented information about raising an autistic child that many readers probably had not priorly known. You handled the topic very well and cast light on an important issue. Good job!
Orjana Stepien • May 7, 2014 at 11:02 am
I loved how you wrote this article! It was informative and I liked reading it because I learned about the event. I think this is a great event and it’s great to hear that it is happening. The quotes used were also great.
Alex Magler • May 7, 2014 at 5:44 am
This article is very well written and very informative. It was probably hard to find information about this topic, but you did a really good job searching for things about this and made it interesting too.
Alex Pierson • May 6, 2014 at 9:38 pm
Difficult topic to write about but it was pulled off well. It’s interesting to see the real cost for raising a child with autism.
Christine Corcoran • May 6, 2014 at 8:58 pm
Really good job! I had the secondary to this article and i had a very difficult time finding any one who knew of the ball. I think your quotes are great and inject a lot of emotion into the article. It is an article more about raising awareness of autism than it is about the ball which is great. Wish I thought to take that angle!
Madeline Ek • May 6, 2014 at 5:19 pm
Good article! I really liked your introduction. The links were all really helpful and went along well with the article.
Kenzie Monson • May 5, 2014 at 1:47 pm
This was a really well written article. it is difficult to talk about this topic, and i think that you handled it very well. the quotes could have been stronger, but overall it was a well written article.