May Institute and Military Families

Military families with ASD children have special challenges. A press release from the May Institute:

May Institute, a national nonprofit network of educational, rehabilitative, and behavioral health services for individuals with autism and other special needs, is among the selected beneficiaries of the U.S. Government’s 2011 Combined Federal Campaign (CFC). The CFC is the world’s largest workplace giving campaign that benefits thousands of nonprofit organizations.

Donations made through the campaign will provide specialized services to families who have a child with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD), especially military families living on bases with limited services. Last year, May Institute received pledges of more than $53,000 from federal employees around the globe.

A shortage of qualified providers and the lack of professional resources near installations mean that fewer than 10% of military children with ASD are receiving critical treatment and care. The Institute’s participation in the CFC strengthens its ability to provide vital services to these military dependents and their families.

“When a child is diagnosed with autism, the entire family is affected. For military families, the challenges multiply with deployments and transfers,” says May Institute President and CEO Walter P. Christian, Ph.D., ABBP, ABPP. “The tremendous generosity of CFC donors makes it possible for us to provide critically needed resources for families affected by autism.”