Spare Some For Autism Announces Sponsors and Chairperson for 2009 Bowling Challenge

USA (SANEPR.com) February 17, 2009 -- Spare Some for Autism (SSfA), a non-profit dedicated to improving the quality of life for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) has announced the Chairperson and Presenting Sponsors for the second annual Celebrity/CEO Kids Bowling Challenge. The Carolina Hurricanes and NBC17 will return as Presenting Sponsors for the 2009 event.

This year’s Honorary Chairperson is Jason McElwain, a young man with Autism who made national news in 2006 when he played for four minutes during a high school basketball game and scored twenty points. McElwain was serving as team manager for the Greece Athena High School basketball team. On February 15, 2006, Greece Athena was playing Spencerport High School for a division title. Greece Athena got a large lead, so coach Jim Johnson decided to let McElwain play in the last four minutes. After initially missing two shots, McElwain made six three-point shots and one two-pointer. The incident became national news, and resulted in McElwain meeting President George W. Bush on March 14, 2006.

“We are grateful to the Carolina Hurricanes and to NBC17 for agreeing to be our Presenting Sponsors for the second consecutive year,” said Beth Jarvis, Executive Director of Spare Some for Autism. “Along with Jason’s participation as our Honorary Chairman, this year’s event promises to be even more successful than last year.”

Last year, the SSfA Bowling Challenge raised $25,000 to benefit the Wake County Public School System’s special-needs area in the form of a grant which will further their work with students who have autism.

This year’s event will be held on March 29 at the AMF Bowling Lanes at Pleasant Valley in Raleigh. Jason McElwain will hold a book singing from 4:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. and bowling will begin at 4:30 p.m. Celebrities, including members of the Carolina Hurricanes and NBC17 personalities will team up with local CEO’s and kids for the bowling challenge.

Sponsorships are still available for the event. A child bowler can be sponsored for $600 or an entire team can be sponsored for $2,000. Lane sponsorships are available for $350. Additional sponsorship packages are available for $5,000 and $10,000.

Spare Some for Autism also seeks to support families affected by ASD by educating them on such topics as literacy and coping with disabilities so that families will be better prepared to support each other.

“The purpose of Spare Some for Autism is to encourage those in the community to give whatever they can to help find answers and, ultimately, a cure,” stated Jarvis. “Our desire is that people will be moved to spare some time, spare some love and spare some hope for those individuals who deal with this disorder on a daily basis.”

One in every 150 children born in the US has autism. It is estimated approximately 1 million in the US have this disorder. A new case of autism is diagnosed nearly every 20 minutes There are 24,000 new cases diagnosed in the U.S. per year. The economic impact of autism is more than $90 billion and expected to more than double in the next decade. Autism receives less than 5% of the research funding of many less prevalent childhood diseases. (Source: Autism Society of America).

About the Spare Some for Autism
Spare Some for Autism seeks to improve the quality of life for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. We are dedicated to funding programs that will directly impact the individuals that suffer from ASD and allow them to achieve their highest level of independence within their home, school, and community, all while gaining respect and support for themselves.

Spare Some for Autism also seeks to support families affected by ASD by educating them on such topics as literacy and coping with disabilities so that families will be better prepared to support each other. Spare some time… spare some love… spare some hope. For more information about becoming a sponsor or how to take part in the 2009 Spare Some for Autism Bowling Challenge, visit www.sparesomeforautism.org or email Beth Jarvis, Beth@sparesomeforautism.org.

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