Autism Speaks, Get Involved, Our Events, 2006 Events


		CIBC World Markets Miracle Day December 6, 2006 Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce held its annual CIBC World Markets Miracle Day. CIBC World Markets donates all trading commissions from the day to children's charities designated by participating traders and fund managers. Since 2001, CIBC has donated over $125,000 to Autism Speaks, which has included a research partnership.

		Autism Speaks Theatre Gala: A Christmas Carol November 30, 2006 A gala benefit at the Westport Country Playhouse in Westport, Conn., on Nov. 30, 2006, raised more than $500,000 for Autism Speaks. Hosting the event were Co-chairs Suzanne and Bob Wright, and Laurie Lister and Judd Burstein, honorary Co-chairs Joanne Woodward and Paul Newman, and Elaine and Christopher Plummer. Click here to read more. Click here for a photo gallery of the event.

		Yves Saint Laurent "Heart of Gold" November 16, 2006 Yves Saint Laurent hosted “Heart of Gold,” a special day of shopping at their 855 Madison Avenue store in New York City, on Nov. 16th, to benefit Autism Speaks. Shoppers enjoyed cocktails from 5:00 - 8:00 p.m. and each received a 15% personal discount available that night only. The event helped raise $7,000 to benefit Autism Speaks' mission of funding autism research, awareness and advocacy. The staff at the store showed their own “heart of gold” by eagerly sporting the Autism Speaks puzzle piece pin and distributing brochures that helped to inform shoppers about the staggering incidence rate of autism and its devastating effects on families affected by the disorder. Special thanks are due to the wonderful staff at YSL and to all the shoppers who kicked off the holiday shopping season in the true spirit of the holiday season.

		Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory's Inaugural Double Helix Medals November 9, 2006 Suzanne and Bob Wright received the Double Helix Medal for Corporate Leadership from the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CHSL) at CHSl's annual awards ceremony. Muhammad Ali receive an award for humanitarianism and Dr. Phillip A. Sharp received an award for scientific research. CSHL is a private, non-profit research and educational institution conducting groundbreaking research in cancer, neurobiology, genetics and bioinformatics. Click here to read more. Click here for a photo gallery of the event.

		Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy Foundation Celebrity Chef Tasting Dinner October 30, 2006 The Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy Foundation held a Celebrity Chef Tasting Dinner at New York's Roseland Ballroom to benefit the Nordoff-Robbins Center at New York University and Autism Speaks. Twenty-five chefs from some of the best-known restaurants in New York prepared and served tasting plates of signature dishes. Franklin Becker, executive chef of New York's Brasserie, spearheaded the event. Bob and Suzanne Wright served as co-chairs. The Nordoff-Robbins Center for Music Therapy is an internationally-renowned facility for treatment, training and research for individuals, mostly children, confronting severe disabilities, the largest percentage of which is autism. Through music, clients are provided with the means to break out of isolation, communicate their intelligence and artistic sensitivity, and establish human relationships that once seemed impossible.

		Bennigan's Dine to Donate October 20-22, 2006 Florida Bennigan's and Autism Speaks joined forces to raise awareness and funds for Autism Speaks projects. From Friday, Oct. 20, through Sunday, Oct. 22, Corporate owned Bennigan's donated 10% of checks for customers with an Autism Speaks flyer. Thank you Bennigan's for supporting autism awareness and Autism Speaks. Click here for more information.

		Concert for Autism Speaks Featuring Jay Leno October 20, 2006 Tonight Show host Jay Leno headlined a special night of comedy and music, raising almost $1 million to benefit Autism Speaks. Leno was joined by Grammy winner Natalie Cole and by NBC News' Tom Brokaw, who served as the evening's master of ceremonies. Read more and visit our photo gallery of the event.

		Comedy Central presents Night of Too Many Stars: An Overbooked Benefit for Autism Education October 15, 2006 Jack Black, Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Fallon, Mike Myers, Jon Stewart, Triumph the Insult Comic Dog and many more of comedy's elite helped raise over $2 million dollars at the Beacon Theatre in New York City for Comedy Central's Night of Too Many Stars: An Overbooked Benefit for Autism Education. The event benefits a variety of autism education programs and the funds raised will also support new and existing schools that are now developing innovative adult programs that provide vocational and life skills. A portion of the proceeds will go to Autism Speaks, helping us to further our biomedical research, advocacy and awareness efforts. To donate, please visit http://www.comedycentral.com.

		Inaugural Autism Speaks Celebrity Softball Game September 16, 2006 Two all-star teams of celebrities, including New York stars of sports and television, took to the field at Coney Island's Key Span Park, home of the Brooklyn Cyclones for the inaugural Autism Speaks Celebrity Softball Game. Among the players on hand to raise money and awareness were WPIX-TV anchor Jim Watkins; New York Access Hollywood correspondent Tim Vincent; Law and Order stars Milena Govich and Alana de la Garza; Josh Shaw, former contestant on The Apprentice and co-founder of GoSmile; O.A.R. bassist Benj Gershman; and WWE SmackDown wrestler Vito. Click here to read more. Click here for a photo gallery from the event.

		Back to School at Bloomingdale's September 9, 2006 Geffen recording artist Joanna performed a free concert at Bloomingdale's flagship New York City store on Saturday, September 9, in support of Autism Speaks. As part of the event, Autism Speaks received 10 percent of the proceeds from the day's sales in the B-Kids department. Joanna also visited the Bloomingdale's store at Roosevelt Fields, and Autism Speaks received 10 percent of all proceeds of sales from the B-Kids department at the Long Island store. Click here for more on the collaboration between Bloomingdale's and Joanna.

		GE Charity Golf Outing September 5, 2006 Autism Speaks was this year's beneficiary of the annual Charity Golf Outing organized by General Electric Company's Corporate Financial Services division. The day of golf , which took place at the Ridgewood Country Club in Danbury, Connecticut, raised over $84,000 for Autism Speaks. Click here to read more. Click here for a photo gallery from the event.

		The 22^nd Huggy Bears Invitational Tennis Tournament August 23-27, 2006 Autism Speaks was one of eight organizations benefiting from Teddy Forstmann's annual tennis pro am, which features some of the best doubles players in the world. This year's event raised $1.8 million for children's charities and featured a performance by Eagles legend Don Henley at the weekend's gala dinner.

		First Annual DuBois Autism Charity Golf Outing August 19th, 2006 Tim and Angie Schaffer held The First Annual DuBois, PA, Autism Charity Golf Outing benefiting Autism Speaks on August 19th at the DuBois Country Club in DuBois, PA. Their efforts on behalf of Autism Speaks raised over $10,000 for increased autism research, awareness and advocacy. Many thanks to Tim and Angie Schaffer; to event sponsor, Rescar Companies; and to all the participants, volunteers and sponsors whose hard work and commitment made this event such a success. This wonderful day of golf and sun helped unite the DuBois, Pennsylvania community in the common goal of bringing hope to the many families struggling with autism. Click here for a photo gallery from the event.

		Wiesen Family Annual Charity Event August 4, 2006 The Wiesen Family held its annual charity event in Woodbourne, NY, culminating a year of fund-raising efforts which raised over $6,500 for Autism Speaks. Click here to read more.

		The American Ireland Fund's Celebration in Support of Assistance Dogs for Children with Autism July 30, 2006 The American Ireland Fund held a celebration on Nantucket honoring Suzanne and Bob Wright and in support of Assistance Dogs for Families of Children with Autism, a project of Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind. Kingsley Aikins, President and CEO of The American Ireland Fund, spoke about the pilot program findings that assistance dogs improve the behavior of autistic children, lessening the child's isolation and safely increasing the child's independence for outings. Event co-chairs Maureen Orth and Tim Russert introduced the Wrights, who shared the video Autism Every Day with the attendees. Click here for a photo gallery from the event. For more information about the assistance dogs program, please click here to visit The Ireland Fund's web site.

		American Century Championship July 11 - 16, 2006 For the second year in a row, the American Century Championship chose Autism Speaks to be one of the charities benefiting from their fundraising efforts for a second year in a row! This star-studded golf tournament. in beautiful Lake Tahoe featured stars from the worlds of sports and entertainment. The five-day event attracted more than 25,000 spectators and was broadcast live by NBC Sports. Click here to read more about the event. Click here for a photo gallery from the event.

		Eighth Annual N.Y. Celebrity Golf Challenge at Winged Foot July 10, 2006 The 8th annual New York Celebrity Golf Challenge took place on July 10, 2006 at the acclaimed Winged Foot Golf Club in Mamaroneck, NY, site of the 2006 U.S. Open. The celebrity filled tournament raised over $1,000,000 to benefit children and adults with autism. Click here to read more about the event. Click here for a photo gallery. Click here for a list of sponsors.

		Modell's "Dollar Donation Days" May 28 - June 24, 2006 From May 28 through June 24, 2006, customers at all of Modell's 128 store locations throughout the Northeast were able to purchase $1 Autism Speaks puzzle pieces at check-out, with all proceeds being directed towards autism research.To find the Modell's Sporting Goods store nearest you, visit modells.com or call 1-800-ASK MODELLS.

		Translating Autism Spectrum Disorders: Bench to Bedside and Beyond June 12, 2006 Due to the complex nature of autism spectrum disorders and related developmental brain disorders, scientific research and clinical best practices face the challenge of translating far beyond the bedside to a wider community of caregivers. This conference, held at Fairfield University in Fairfield, CT, and co-sponsored by Autism Speaks, provided a forum to bridge the gap between science, medicine and effective treatment. Autism Speaks co-founders Suzanne and Bob Wright and Autism Speaks president Mark Roithmayr addressed the doctors, nurses, educators, therapists, advocates, families, and students on hand. Click here to read more about the event.

		First Annual Autism Speaks Golf Classic at Deepdale June 5, 2006 Autism Speaks' First Annual Autism Speaks Golf Classic took place June 5, 2006 at Deepdale Golf Club on Long Island, NY. The celebrity filled golf tournament raised almost $700,000 to benefit children and adults with autism. Hosted by NBC's Today Show Host Matt Lauer, the golf tournament featured 18 foursomes, and each foursome was paired with a star from the sports or entertainment world. The day finished with dinner and a live auction. Click here to read more about the event. Click here for a photo gallery from the event.

		Autism Speaks Tri-State Lecture Series May 20, 2006 Dr. James McPartland of the Yale Child Study Center provided two of three presentations at this lecture series in Edison, N.J. Dr. McPartland discussed face processing in social development and how it informs our understanding of autism spectrum disorders. He described the Let's Face It program, a game-based software platform that he has developed to improve children's ability to recognize and interpret human faces. In a second lecture, Dr. McPartland discussed social attention in autism, focusing on the use of eye-tracking technology to investigate the ways individuals with autism see and construct their social world. Teal Benevides of Thomas Jefferson University presented a lecture on understanding sensory integration in children with autism, which covered research on sensory integration for children with autism, including work being conducted at Thomas Jefferson University.

		Goodsearch Charity of the Day May 16, 2006 On Tuesday, May 16th Autism Speaks was honored as the Charity of the Day on Goodsearch. GoodSearch is a Yahoo! powered search engine that donates 50% of its revenue to the charities its users designate. Any search performed at any time with Autism Speaks as the designated charity will generate funds for the organization. Click here to visit Goodsearch.com.

		Proflowers Awareness and Fundraising Partnership April 1 - May 15 Between April 1 and May 15th, Autism Speaks partnered with ProFlowers to raise awareness and funds for autism research. ProFlowers.com and its sister brands, SecretSpoon.com and CherryMoonFarms.com donated $10.00 to Autism Speaks from each order made as part of this promotion. Donations will be used to fund critically-needed autism research.

		Pittsburgh Shoot Par for NAAR and Autism Speaks Golf Classic May 15, 2006 More than $80,000 was raised for Autism Speaks at the fourth annual Shoot Par for NAAR and Autism Speaks Golf at the St. Clair Country Club in Pittsburgh, PA. The event also included a dinner and a silent auction. For a photo of the hole-in-one contest winner, click here.

		A New Decade for Autism: Changing the Future Together May 9, 2006 "A New Decade for Autism," a special fundraising dinner on Tuesday, May 9 in New York City, raised over $2 million for children with autism. The evening featured a surprise musical performance by Tony Bennett. Proceeds from the event will be shared between Autism Speaks and the New York Center for Autism Charter School. Click here to read more about the event. Click here for a photo gallery from the event. Click here to view the film "Autism Every Day", which was screened at the event.

		YAI/NIPD Autism Workshop & Conference May 1-5, 2006 Dr. Celine Saulnier of the Yale Child Study Center presented a full-day workshop on autism and related conditions on May 5 at YAI/National Institute for People with Disabilities Network's 27th Annual International Conference. The week-long conference held May 1-5 at the Crowne Plaza Manhattan Hotel in New York, featured presentations on critical issues dealing with individuals of all ages with autistic spectrum disorders in sessions sponsored by Autism Speaks. Topics covered included assessment and treatment, ABA, sensory integration, educating children with ASA, psychopharmacology and social skills training.

		Author Signings on Autism Novel April 25 – Washington, D.C. May 2, 3 – San Francisco Bay Area May 4 – New York Novelist Marti Leimbach conducted book signings around the country for her latest work Daniel Isn't Talking, about a mother of a newly diagnosed boy with autism. Each of the stores agreed to donate 10 percent of the proceeds from its event to Autism Speaks. On April 25, she read and signed books at Borders Bailey's Crossroads, at Bailey's Crossroads, Va. On May 2, she'll was Great Good Place in Oakland, Calif., on May 3 at Rakestraw Books, Danville, Calif., and on May 4 the event took place at Manhattan JCC Literary Café in New York. Read an essay about the book by Leimbach, written exclusively for the Autism Speaks website, plus an excerpt and a reading group guide .

		Autism Update 2006 May 1, 2006 Suzanne Wright, co-founder of Autism Speaks, spoke at Autism Update 2006, presented by The Doug Flutie, Jr. Foundation for Autism and Children Making Strides, at the Westin Hotel in Waltham, MA. Mrs. Wright will discussed her experiences as a grandmother, fundraiser, and advocate for those with autism, in a presentation focusing on the journey of the last year.

		Build-A-Bear Autism Awareness Month Throughout April 2006 Autism Awarenesss Month kicked off in April with an Autism Speaks party at the New York City flagship store of Build-A-Bear Workshop, where the siblings of children with autism gathered to design special bears for their brothers and sisters. Click here for a photo from the event. Throughout the month, Build-A-Bear sold its special edition Nikki III bear in its more than 200 stores across the U.S. and Canada, with a portion of the proceeds benefiting Autism Speaks. The special purple bear wore an Autism Speaks ribbon (the ribbon was placed on the bears after they are purchased). Additionally, the sale of purple satin hearts ($1) also benefited Autism Speaks during this period. Stores offered customers printed information about autism, and Bearemy, the Build-A-Bear Workshop mascot, attended several Walk for Autism Research events. For more information about the Build-A-Bear campaign, visit the company's web site at www.buildabear.com.

		TJ Maxx Puzzle Piece Fundraiser April 9 - April 29, 2006 Autism Speaks and national off-price retailer TJ Maxx partnered on a month-long fundraising and awareness program. Beginning April 9th at 800 TJ Maxx stores nationwide, customers were invited to purchase an Autism Speaks puzzle piece at checkout for a donation of $1. No purchase was necessary to make a donation, and all proceeds benefited Autism Speaks. Autism Speaks and TJ Maxx also hosting an online auction of celebrity-decorated and autographed wooden puzzles, with all proceeds from the auction benefitting Autism Speaks.

		GoSmile Lemonade Smile Events April 21 -April 30, 2006 GoSmile sold their special edition Lemonade Smile toothpaste at "lemonade stands" in department stores across the country to increase awareness of autism and raise money for Autism Speaks. Autism Speaks will receive 5% of the proceeds from sales of Lemonade Smile toothpaste.Click here for a picture of the GoSmile stand at Saks Fifth Avenue in New York City.Click here to read a press release about GoSmile's Lemonade Smile toothpaste.

		Autism Awareness Day with the New York Mets April 9, 2006 Autism Speaks volunteers and staff joined other members of the autism community at Shea Stadium for a special Autism Awareness Month event, as the New York Mets took on the Florida Marlins. The sale of special discounted tickets from the game will benefit autism research. Gratitude is extended to the New York Mets for their ongoing support.

		Victory School Starry Night Gala April 8, 2006 Jaclyn Merens, our South Florida Regional Director, was honored by The Victory School in Miami, Florida on April 8, 2006. Before starting to work with NAAR in 2001, Jackie was an autism advocate in South Florida for over 15 years. Her son Danny, 21, has autism. Click here for a photo from the event.

		Calif. Institute for Regenerative Medicine's "Spotlight on Autism" April 6, 2006 Autism Speaks, along with Cure Autism Now and the Alliance for Stem Cell Research, co-sponsored the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine's “Spotlight on Autism” at USC on April 6th, 2006. This educational event was part of a series in which the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, California's stem cell institute, devotes the first hour of its board meeting to spotlight one of the 70 diseases that scientists believe can be helped with stem cell research. CIRM board member and CAN Founder and Vice President Jon Shestack led this Spotlight. He was be joined by Sophia Colamarino, PhD (CAN Science Program Director) and Anshu Batra, MD, a pediatrician specializing in autism and a parent of two children with autism.

		Dennis Miller Headlines a Night of Comedy to Benefit Autism Speaks April 2, 2006 Emmy award-winning comedian Dennis Miller headlined a benefit comedy night to raise funds for Autism Speaks. The sold out benefit took place at The Improv in Irvine, California. "The rising number of children being diagnosed with autism is simply staggering to me," said Miller. "All of us need to start paying attention to this problem and doing all we can to help find the cause and cure for autism." Click here for a photo from the event.

		Autism Awareness Day with the New York Islanders April 2, 2006 Autism Speaks joined the New York Islanders for a game at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale. Tickets were specially priced at $40 for our group, with $12 of each ticket rebated back to our organization in support of autism research. Ticket holders received a complimentary New York Islanders Yearbook as a souvenir. Gratitude is extended to the Islanders for the their support of this event during National Autism Awareness Month.

		Third Annual L.A. Celebrity Golf Challenge March 27, 2006 Stars from the sports and entertainment industries played a round of golf -- and raised money to benefit children with autism -- at the Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, Calif. The Riviera Country Club, noted for its spectacular beauty and uniquely challenging design, is perennially ranked among the finest in the world. Among the stars who came out and joined the drive against autism are Jonathan Antin, James Caan, Molly Culver, Josh Duhamel, Don Felder, Cheryl Ladd, Ricky Dean Logan, John C. McGinley, Joe Mantegna, Dougray Scott, Rodney Scott, and Billy Wirth. In addition to a day of golf in this stunning setting, the event included an evening gala and a live auction. Click here to read more about the event. Click here for a list of sponsors.

		Kickoff for a Cure March 14, 2006 Kickoff for a Cure raised more than $1.5 million to benefit Autism Speaks and The Gillen Brewer School of New York. The evening's honorees included Charlie Weis, head football coach the University of Notre Dame; John Mack, chairman and CEO of Morgan Stanley; Steve Tisch, chairman, New York Giants, and Jamie Houghton, chairman of Corning. Click here to read more about the event. Click here for a photo gallery from the event.

		Polo Club of Boca Raton Annual Run-Walk February 25, 2006 Each year the Polo Club of Boca Raton, Florida holds a Run-Walk for the families that live there and each year they choose a different charity to receive the proceeds from the event. Thanks to two dedicated grandmothers, Ellen Rosen, mother of Caryn Schwartzman, past Long Island Walk Chair, and Mady Millman, a board member for Organization for Autism Research (OAR) and a supporter of some of the earliest NAAR research, this year's Run-Walk proceeds were split between Autism Speaks and OAR. Although the actual Run-Walk was rained out, over 100 people turned out and crowded into the Fitness Center to show their support. Over $100,000 was raised from sponsorships, raffle tickets and race entrance fees with $50,000 going to Autism Speaks. Thank you, Polo Club. Click here to see photos from the event.

		"A Funny Kind of Love" February 14, 2006 "A Funny Kind of Love," NAAR and Autism Speaks' Valentine's Day fundraiser at Avalon nightclub in Boston, was a blowout success. Nationally-known, Boston-based comedians Steven Wright, Lenny Clarke and Tony V, and newcomer Joe Wong, had the sold-out crowd of 500-plus alternately laughing and bidding big bucks on a handful of auction items for the duration of the two-hour show. Based on preliminary figures, the event appears to have raised more than $50,000 for autism research. Thanks are due to event co-chairs Sammi Robertson and Margie Pascetta, the NAAR New England chapter staff, planning committee members and volunteers, as well as the many sponsors, among them presenting sponsors Avalon and Bass Ale. Special thanks go to Steven, Lenny, Tony and Joe, who donated their time and made the event possible. Click here to see photos from the event.

		Big City Moms Valentines Day Parties February 12, 2006 A record-setting snowfall did little to dampen spirits as Big City Moms held a fun-filled Valentines Day Party on Sunday, Feb. 12. Guests enjoyed sweet treats and a special performance by the Little Maestros, plus a raffle for amazing prizes, with 100% of the raffle ticket sales benefitting Autism Speaks. For a photo from the event, click here. For those who didn't brave the storm, a make-up event will be held Feb. 19. Click here for details. For more information on Big City Moms, please visit www.bigcitymoms.com or call 917-488-8542.

		NAAR Autism Awareness Day with the New York Knicks Jan. 8, 2006 When the New York Knicks battled the Seattle Supersonics at New York's Madison Square Garden on Jan. 8, NAAR ticket purchasers received a special group rate of $50/ticket - a savings of more than $10 off face value - along with a complimentary John Starks Knicks Legend jersey. Plus, $15 of each ticket purchased through NAAR went to benefit autism research. NAAR was to be announced on the Knicks scoreboard, and an autism information table at the game was to provide autism awareness for the 17,000 attendees. To learn more, visit www.autismwalk.org/longisland, call (516) 327-4646 or email longisland@naar.org.