2020 Fall IGNITE News

IGNITE is a program of the Autism Society of North Carolina, with founding support from the Evernham Family-Racing for a Reason Foundation.

Fall 2020 • Volume 7, Issue 2

IGNITE is a unique ‘peer-to-peer’ community center for young adults with high-functioning autism (HFA) or Asperger’s Syndrome (AS) offering activities, skills training, and educational workshops that foster social, financial, educational, and employment independence for its members. More importantly, IGNITE offers a social environment where members can connect with others and experience a sense of community.

For more information:

autismsociety-nc.org/ignite You can donate to IGNITE online or send a check made out to the Autism Society of North Carolina: Attn: IGNITE 5121 Kingdom Way, Suite 100 Raleigh, NC 27607

New IGNITE Opens in Greensboro

By Mindy Govan, Transition and Employment Services Director

IGNITE Greensboro is located in Revolution Mill, a live-work-play complex that includes many businesses and restaurants. This location allows us to be in the midst of a vibrant community, offering opportunities to practice social interactions and make connections. It’s also conveniently located on a bus line.

I’m delighted to announce that Allison Butwinski is joining us as the director of the Greensboro location. Allison has more than 30 years of experience in the autism community, first working as a teacher and then with the TEACCH Autism Program in Greensboro.

As a native of the Triad, she brings valuable knowledge about the area. She has tremendous enthusiasm for working with our IGNITE members and we’re thrilled to have her onboard.

IGNITE Greensboro will offer 40 hours of programming each week, with the same great curriculum we have at our other locations. Members will work toward financial, educational, and employment success, all while enjoying social opportunities and fun activities.

While opening during a pandemic offers some challenges, we are looking forward to connecting our Greensboro members with the other IGNITE members through virtual programming. When possible, we’ll start planning socially distant field trips.

For small group programming that occurs in-person, all members and staff are required to follow robust COVID-related safety protocols.

We are currently accepting interest forms for the Greensboro location and will start interviewing potential members in mid-November. Given the current situation, we’ll start with a small cohort of 10-15 members and grow from there. If you know someone who is interested in becoming a member of IGNITE Greensboro, please direct them to the interest form on our website.

Davidson Member Spotlight:

Allison Shapley

Allison Shapley has been a member of IGNITE since its inception in 2013. Diagnosed at 19 years old, Allison was looking for a social group of folks who shared her interests.

Growing up, she struggled with socialization and did not have much in common with her peers. Since joining IGNITE, Allison feels like she has grown immensely and is now surrounded by people just like her. Some of her favorite groups include movie night, girls’ groups, and cooking group.

When asked how IGNITE has helped her, Allison said, “If I didn’t have IGNITE, it would have taken me so much longer to achieve my goals. You pushed me to grow.”

Allison is a Kannapolis native with a passion for baking.

Allison’s grandmother was a bread maker for Pillsbury, so Allison learned from the best. Allison regularly assisted her grandmother in the kitchen, picking up many skills along the way. To pursue her passion and skill for baking, Allison worked at Bojangles’ as the head biscuit maker. After five years, she felt it was time to move on to bigger things.

IGNITE was presented with an opportunity to collaborate with FeedNC (previously known as The Mooresville Soup

Kitchen). As part of FeedNC’s mission to provide meals in North Carolina, they offer a 12-week culinary program for individuals who are unemployed or underemployed. The program includes life-skill classes, hands-on field training, and real-life experience in the culinary world. When IGNITE learned about this program, we knew it would be perfect for Allison, and she jumped at this opportunity. With the help of IGNITE, Allison made a smooth transition out of Bojangles’ and into the program. Being back in a classroom setting was fun for her, and she says it felt good to grow and learn new things. She quickly became a shining star in the program!

“I wish all our students were like Allison,” the head chef of the program said at the graduation. After completing the program, Allison was offered a position in the dining services at Davidson College.

“If I didn’t have IGNITE, it would have taken me so much longer to achieve my goals. You pushed me to grow.”

“I was stagnant in my old job, never really growing, so I am grateful for FeedNC’s program because it got the ball moving again,” Allison said. Allison is anything but stagnant now after recently getting a brand-new smart phone and purchasing her very own vehicle! Allison came to IGNITE for advice on car loans but did the researching and price negotiating all by herself. With these new purchases she feels like she fits in more with society and has ample amounts of freedom. With all these changes Allison stands tall as she enters a room, head held high and a visible sense of pride. Her future is bright, and we can’t wait to see how she accomplishes her many goals!

Virtual Run/Walk Team Social distancing couldn’t stop the fun of participating in the Virtual Run/Walk for Autism. The Raleigh and Davidson programs decided to have a six feet and fun run/walk! Although we could not walk together physically, both programs set a plan to participate in the 5k at 11 a.m. on Monday, October 5th. IGNITE members and families crushed our team goal of $500 by raising raised $775! When a young adult joins IGNITE, they are joining much more than a social group; they are joining a family across the state. This walk, and many other IGNITE activities, create a sense of unity. One member said, “The event showed me that I’m not the only one who struggles in this world. It meant a lot to me because we are all one team and not two teams divided. We conquer this area together.”

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What’s Happening in Davidson?

Manners “Manners are a social construct of today’s society, and we no longer need to follow these unwritten rules of society.” This is one of our member’s favorite rebuttals when we discuss a very abstract topic like manners. We use the words please, thank you, or excuse me often throughout the day, and this societal norm is second nature to many of us. But imagine if we lived in a society with no manners or if the thought of saying “excuse me” after a burp at the dinner table did not make sense to you. It would be as if we lived in a world where you could do anything you wanted whenever and wherever, without regard to those around you. Manners are a set of conventional rules of personal behavior in polite society, usually in the form of expected and accepted social behaviors.

Many of our members find these set of rules difficult to understand and process. That is why we created the Social Skills-Manners Group. During this group we break down this difficult concept and explain it in with a very hands-on, relatable approach. We use teaching methods such as role-playing, scenario analysis, and more to make the concept more concrete. Topics we have discussed so far include respecting other opinions, using polite words, apologizing, and understanding when to take responsibility. Members are then able to practice these concepts without a societal pressure placed on them in the moment. This skill is extremely important because it can be applied in all areas of life -- at work, in public, or at home. Being polite and respectful of others can get you a long way, and we want our members to know this. So although manners can feel like a “social construct” and be difficult to process, they are required to keep our societal peace, and we use this group to ensure our members to see the importance of that.

Life 2.0 Life 2.0 is a brand-new group at IGNITE! It focuses on the members finding their passions and improving their quality of life. The IGNITE group Self-Advocacy focuses on members’ autism and understanding their diagnosis, but Life 2.0 allows them to understand who they are as a whole person. We want our members to know that they are more than just their diagnosis, which is so important to know as an adult. The journey from transitioning to adulthood can be difficult but understanding who you are and what you like can help you along the way. Ultimately, to live a fulfilling life you must feel satisfied in these six main areas of life: leisure, finances, social relationships, health, home environment, and career. For the remainder of the semester, IGNITE will use this group to discuss these six areas. We will encourage members to learn what career paths they would like to explore. We will discuss how relationships in their lives can be healthy and unhealthy, and we will introduce them to leisure activities that can also help them work on their health. Topics we have covered already the past few weeks have been self-awareness, values, stress management, and sleep. During the lesson on values, the members took part in an activity where they listed sixteen values; we slowly crossed them off until there were only five values left. It allowed the members to identify what they value most in life. We then talked about how to apply those things we value most to our future jobs and hobbies. It is amazing how much different parts of our life intertwine! This group is unique because it allows the members to improve their quality of life by looking within themselves and determining what they not only want, but what they also need to have a fulfilling life.

OurTown Private Showing Over the past six months, many of our members have been missing going to the movies, a very social event for young adults. The cool, dark theater, the smell of the freshly popped popcorn, relaxing, and sipping on your favorite ice-cold beverage. Covid-19 took movie theaters away from us for a while, but they are slowly starting to come back into our lives. Our very own avid movie buff, Ray J Evernham, who is also employed with Our Town Cinemas here in Davidson, was able to rent a theater, and organize not one, but two, free private movie showings for members to attend. First, members were treated to the high energy Disney+ movie version of the Broadway smash-hit “Hamilton,” and on our second trip, we kicked off spooky season while enjoying the 1993 classic Halloween comedy “Hocus Pocus.” During these private movie showings, members were able to get a sneak peek of all the precautions cinemas are taking to keep everyone safe. Members at both movie showings were required to wear their face masks in the lobby, and inside the theater, unless eating or drinking. They noticed that there were taped squares on the ground in front of the concession stand, to indicate social distancing at six feet apart, and there were also multiple stations to IGNITE NEWS • Fall 2020 – Pg 3

What’s Happening in Davidson? continued apply hand sanitizer. When we entered the theater auditorium, there were a certain number of seats removed so that we, and future movie-goers, may social distance accordingly. Members felt relieved and excited to see friends in person at a familiar, fun community gathering. A community gathering brings a sense of normalcy! - written by Ray J Evernham

Outside Six Feet and Fun and other Fun Fridays Social distancing is our world’s new norm and was a difficult transition for all of us. In the beginning, members struggled to adjust to things like not being able to see their friends, being isolated at home, and learning to socially distance from the people they enjoyed most. Being isolated can cause anxiety, loneliness, and a vast number of physical and mental health struggles. As North Carolina began to open back up, it allowed IGNITE the opportunity to add a group that all members could attend without a capacity restriction. So, how did we do that, you ask? We took IGNITE outside and made it our place to have fun, learn new things, and work on our health. These new outside gatherings have given our members something to look forward to each week that is as close to our old normal as possible. Our very first outside gathering was a lovely picnic filled with food and games played with friends.

This outdoor Six Feet and Fun event had been some of our members’ first time being outside their homes in months! Along with the picnic, we had an art in the park day where members were able to express themselves through painting. Through creating art outside, members could improve their moods and reduce anxiety. In the future, we plan to try more fun activities such as bike riding, hiking, karaoke in the park, and others. Fun Fridays have really been the highlight of many of our members’ weeks during this difficult time.

Nutrition Along with independence, health and wellness is one of the top tier foundations at IGNITE. Among the autism community, picky eating is a common problem. Textures, taste, convenience, routine, and smell play an enormous role in eating habits for our members. We think to ourselves, what do we need to learn to live independently? Well sure, you don’t need to be a gourmet cook to live independently, but can you survive on peanut butter and jelly, chicken nuggets, and McDonald’s for the rest of your life? For many years we have taught healthy cooking groups of all levels. We focus on teaching meal planning, budgeting, and a variety of skills to cook healthy meals. With our new Nutrition Group, members learn the ‘why’ behind all of it. Why do we need to eat “healthy”? What is cholesterol? Which foods give me energy? Which foods make me lethargic? Each week we gather virtually and pick a new health-related topic to discuss. Using online tools such as MyPlate and Eat Right make this group interactive for all. Topics have included sodium usage, healthy snacks, and energy supplements. Each section dives deep into members’ eating habits and how we can tweak them to make healthier choices. We then put into practice what we discussed and virtually cook an item together from home!

Employment Employment plays a pivotal role in the independence of young adults and the members we serve at IGNITE. With that in mind, IGNITE provides several opportunities with our employment support staff, Julianne and Sarah, to help with this difficult goal. One opportunity is job placement, meaning assistance finding, applying, interviewing, and succeeding on the job. IGNITE has successfully helped over ten members find and excel in their positions in the past year. We also build relationships with local contacts made from networking at multiple events. FeedNC is great example; they are a local food bank that provides a 12-week culinary course for individuals who are interested in the culinary arts. We have recommended two members for the program and assisted in the interview process for both.

One member successfully finished the program with glowing reviews and is now working at Davidson College in the kitchen. The other member is still in the process of the classes but is enjoying the program immensely and learning many new skills. As an employment specialist for IGNITE, Julianne also attends many career fairs to learn about new job opportunities, make connections, and build rapport with many employers and hiring managers. Recently, staff and members attended a virtual job summit put on by the University of North Carolina. The summit catered specifically for adults with autism and had over ten employers who were interested in making their workforce more inclusive. With the help of all these organizations, being gainfully employed is not out of reach for anyone.

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feels a lot better about his ability to socialize: “IGNITE helped me interact with people outside of my parents and interact with people without losing my temper and dealing with difficult situations. I always wanted to interact with others, it’s just the way I go about it, it’s different now. Before, it was just all sarcasm. But now, I’ve learned more social cues and restraint.”

Raleigh Member Spotlight:

Jon Boulo

Jon Boulo has been a member of IGNITE Raleigh since day one, and he has definitely made the most of his time with us!

From personal growth to attending various events out in the community, like the ASNC Run/Walk, bowling and other Fun Friday nights, to cooking a variety of meals -- Jon is always open to trying new things! When an ASNC staff member taught a five-week line dancing class and when volunteers from the NC State Ballroom Dance Club led a five-week ballroom and salsa dance class, Jon was front and center. He was open to stepping out of his comfort zone and learned so many new moves!

Jon’s fun fact is that he is from Alaska. He is also an avid reader! On his free time, he also enjoys playing video games and taking his two pups, Winston and Fin (“Win and Fin,” for short) for a walk.

Jon’s desire to be more social was one of his biggest goals when he joined IGNITE. “My biggest problem was social interaction,” Jon said about his life before IGNITE. “I was difficult to deal with because I was very anti-social, and a lot of my humor was off-the-rails. I didn’t know much about self-control, so I was all over the place.” Now, he says, he

Others describe Jon as a fun and caring person who does a great job of making others feel comfortable to share and be open. He has been a leader and encourages others around him to do the same. He has especially stepped up during this era of virtual programming. During COVID, it has been

“IGNITE helped me interact with people outside of my parents and interact with people without losing my temper and dealing with difficult situations.” difficult for some to stay connected and make friends. Every time Jon has been in a group, he participates and shares his opinions with others. He shares links for members to play games together outside of IGNITE and is always spreading positivity when others feel down. Jon has even saved up money and recently bought an online game that he was excited to share with members.

Jon shared that one of his other goals in joining IGNITE, aside from social interaction, was to get some direction in his life. Jon now has a job at Wal-Mart in the maintenance department and does an excellent job. “It’s a super important job especially right now due to COVID,” he says, with a lot of pride. His supervisors rave about how punctual he is and how well he works his shifts. Way to go Jon -- keep it up, and we are so proud of your growth and journey with IGNITE!

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americarnalive.com IGNITE NEWS • Fall 2020 – Pg 5

What’s Happening in Raleigh?

IGNITE Book Club Brand new to IGNITE Raleigh is our Book Club! Members in Raleigh identified a similar interest in reading and have started a book club thanks to one of our volunteers, Kaitlyn! Members meet once a week via Highfive to critically discuss what they have read, become familiar with new terminology, and read together. Members volunteer to read pages and others will follow along. Once they finish each book, members have the chance to give suggestions on books to read and vote on their favorites. So far members have read “The Maze Runner” and have started to read “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime.” After finishing “The Maze Runner,” members gathered virtually to watch the movie. Book Club gives members the chance to express their opinions and view different interpretations of what they have read. Book Club will continue to be a great opportunity for members to come together and work on various skills while learning from each other and having fun!

New Wellness Group Wellness is for everyone! Whether you enjoy peaceful meditation, easy chair yoga, mastering new breathing techniques, or breaking a sweat, Wellness Group is for you! Prior to each session’s wellness exercise, members begin with an educational piece to help understand how the activity will impact our brains and bodies. So far, members have learned the importance of breathing and practiced different positions/exercises to improve breathing. They have also learned a fun new way of doing yoga – chair yoga! Afterward, members shared that they felt like they had both broken a sweat yet felt so relaxed they were ready to sleep.

Wellness Group is all-encompassing, all-inclusive, and members are excited to learn something new each week!

Ray J’s Reviews Check out IGNITE member Ray J Evernham’s movie reviews online: www.facebook.com/pg/rayjsreview

Wow!!!! “Enola Holmes” is without a doubt one of the best, and most enjoyable movies I’ve seen this year! Millie Bobby Brown (from Netflix’s “Stranger Things”) proves once again that she is one of the most talented young actresses of her generation! Absolutely loved her performance.

The film revolves around, yup, you guessed it, Enola Holmes (played by Millie Bobby Brown)! She is the youngest Holmes sibling, in addition to her older brothers, Sherlock (played by Henry Cavill), and Mycroft (played by Sam Claflin), and has a personality unlike most of the other women of her time. The film starts out as we learn that Eudoria Holmes (played by Helena Bonham Carter), the mother of the Holmes siblings, has suddenly disappeared on the day of Enola’s sixteenth birthday. With no to little help from her brothers at first, Enola sets out to find her mother, but soon finds herself in the mix of another mystery.

Let me tell you all, this is the kind of movie that I would have loved to watch in the movie theater! It has outstanding performances all around, especially from Millie Bobby Brown, it’s exciting, intriguing, and is just an all around enjoyable film.

I think that young girls will also take away a wonderful message after viewing this movie!

“Enola Holmes” is now streaming on Netflix, and I absolutely recommend giving it a watch! It’s rated PG-13, but it’s like barely PG-13 if you know what I’m saying. I think that the rating is more for the mild violence & mild language. I think it’s a film that the entire family could watch!

I give “Enola Holmes” 5 out of 5 stars

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Virtual Healthy Cooking COVID has not stopped IGNITE members from coming together virtually to cook a meal!

Members bring their laptop or phone and prop it up in the kitchen, gather the necessary equipment and prepare to make a new healthy recipe! Healthy Cooking has focused on various skills that include knife skills and safety, different ways to chop vegetables, how to hide vegetables in our favorite dishes (such as mac-n-cheese), and the importance of eating a variety of fruits and vegetables. Due to the nature of virtual cooking classes, we began with simple, no-bake, 3-ingredient recipes, but members have now moved to using the oven and stove to make fun recipes! Members smile as they hold their bowls and plates of food up to the camera to share their final products with each other! You can follow our cooking journey and try some fun recipes at our new blog, ignitecooks.com.

Morning Walks and Socializing IGNITE’s first community outings since COVID have been weekly walks at Bond Park, in Cary, NC. Members can socially distance, as well as wear masks when appropriate. Bond Park is a great place to gather due to numerous trails, wildlife, fields and several shelters in case of rain. Prior to our walk, members discuss and choose which trail they would like to hike. We have done more than five different hikes already, and most of the adventures have been between 2.5 - 3.5 miles long! During our walks, we have shared many laughs and found an abundance of cool creatures! After our walks, we cool down with stretching, followed by game time! Meeting at Bond Park gives members a great opportunity to socialize, exercise, relax, explore, and enjoy the outdoors.

New Safety Group Empowers Members How do you make sure you are signed up for local emergency alerts on your phone? How you do ensure your emergency preparedness kit has everything you need? How do you best advocate for yourself when in a high-stress situation? What do you do if you get pulled over? Let’s face it: Parents worry, and that concern never stops. They often worry that their loved ones will fall victim, get taken advantage of, or they will be in situations where they are at a greater risk. Young adults also worry, and often, the uncertainty of a situation prevents or inhibits our members from achieving their goals.

group. It makes me more aware and confident in being ready for high-stress situations!”

Along with increasing awareness and independence skills among the members, we also want to increase awareness and education among emergency personnel in the community. In Davidson, we have invited many members from nearby fire and police agencies to take part in Safety Group. We have learned skills from retired officers, and they have learned skills from our members. We brought cookies and pies to the town hall and took tours of fire stations. Because “I’ve learned quite a At IGNITE, our goal is to prepare the members autism among many of our members is bit in safety group. It and take the uncertainty out of these highdifficult to see, encounters with emergency stress and potentially scary situations. Safety makes me more aware personnel can escalate rather quickly.

Group has provided a space where members and confident in being Imagine getting pulled over and an officer can come together, share their experiences, asking, “Have you been drinking?” A true ready for high-stress and learn new skills to stay safe at home and in literal response from an individual may be their communities. Members start every Safety “yes,” referring to a sweet tea at dinner. The situations!” group reciting their “Personal Empowerment Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department Pledge” loud and proud. With September being “National (CMPD) recently created a voluntary Registry for Vulnerable Preparedness Month,” we discussed the importance of having an Populations called “Safe Outcomes.” In an emergency situation, emergency preparedness plan and played a game to determine the program will “flag” addresses and provide information to what items are crucial to have in an emergency kit. We also officers when encountering an individual with disabilities, illness, discussed the value of disclosing their autism when in certain or special conditions. Many of our parents have already registered emergency situations and roleplayed how to do this. After each their loved ones in the program, bringing much-needed peace of group, members report feeling stronger, safer, and much more mind. Safety Group is now one of the most popular and highly independent. One member said, “I’ve learned quite a bit in safety attended groups at IGNITE! IGNITE NEWS • Fall 2020 – Pg 7