2022 Fall IGNITE Newsletter

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

Fall 2022 • Volume 9, Issue 1

IGNITE Raleigh Has a New Space!

IGNITE Raleigh has moved into a new, bigger, better space! This move has allowed IGNITE Raleigh to be open full-time, 35 hours a week as they are no longer sharing space with another program. The expansion also allows for IGNITE Raleigh to serve more members.

“It’s bigger than our old space! It’s ours!” says IGNITE Raleigh member Suzanne Spofford.

The new space boasts more square feet of open space for group meetings and recreation; a kitchen with a full-sized fridge and loads of cabinet space; an exercise room with a treadmill, elliptical, and stationary bike; a rec room with a ping pong table; a comfy room; and offices for staff.

This move was made possible by a generous grant, which also allowed for new chairs, kitchen items, and tables. Members have adjusted well to our new space; with the additional

programming hours, they have more time to connect with peers and make progress on their goals.

Grant funds have also been used to purchase passenger vans for IGNITE Raleigh and Davidson. The vans allow staff to transport members to and from programming activities, like walks in parks, disc golf, and volunteering at various locations in the community! For members who do not have readily accessible transportation, the van has opened doors for new opportunities!

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: www.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

What’s Happening at IGNITE?

Employment

When asked why meaningful employment is important for one’s future, IGNITE members’ top responses were independence and financial stability and security. Most autistic young adults are underemployed or underpaid, prohibiting them from moving into their own place and paying common bills. At IGNITE, members are learning the key skills needed to live independently, and many report having the confidence and skills to do so, but the one thing holding them back is a livable income. Through employment groups at IGNITE, members are using the DO2LEARN Job Tips curriculum to target nearly every aspect of the employment process. We start with determining strengths and interests by analyzing social skills assessments, interest quizzes, and environmental demands. Then, we focus on networking, job descriptions, and finding and getting a job. We have created resumes and cover letters, filled out applications, and practiced interviewing. For many people, the most difficult part of keeping a job is knowing how to appropriately communicate, socialize, and cope in the work environment. With this instruction, combined with the determination and

Greensboro Member Spotlight:

Evan, a Greensboro native, has been a member of the SPARK program for a little over a year. When he first joined SPARK, Evan found it difficult to advocate for his needs at work and in his social life. He was working two jobs, at Lowes Foods and A Special Blend, but he rarely spoke up for himself. Through many of the SPARK groups, Evan has found it easier to verbally express his thoughts and emotions. His favorite groups include the cooking group (he posts all our recipes on his blog!) and the independent skills group, where he learned to schedule his own personal care appointments.

Some of Evan’s passions include cooking, tennis, and spending time with his friends and family. He has now

hardworking personality traits of individuals with autism, employers will hit the candidate jackpot!

The Autism Society of North Carolina has been working with Linking North Carolina to Innovative Talent (LiNC-IT) for a few years to connect young adults with competitive meaningful employment in NC. Through a grant, ASNC was able to work with a company to create an IT (Information Technology) dashboard. This dashboard pulls together IT courses from Google, Microsoft, IBM, Saylor, and more. Putting the options all together and covering the cost of the courses and IT certification tests helps remove the financial barrier to success. We’re able to offer members from across the state access to intensive courses in artificial intelligence, coding/application development, cyber security, IT support and more, followed by a certification exam building their skills and their resume. Upon successful completion of the courses, members are highly desirable candidates in the IT field, and they work with the ASNC Employment Supports program to land a competitive job!

Evanadded a third job to his resume and works with minimal support. Evan has lofty goals for his future that include moving out and living independently! He stated that he will need to perfect his financial and cleaning skills first but is thrilled for his future. Evan is a force to be reckoned with and won’t stop until he achieves his goals.

Member Spotlight: Alex

Alex joined IGNITE Davidson about a year ago and has made so much progress in such a short time, we couldn’t let this newsletter go by without recognizing his accomplishments! Alex and his family moved to the Charlotte area from Las Vegas in the fall of 2019. He was maintaining his friendships from Las Vegas and hoping to meet more at his new job. Alex landed a job at Regal Cinemas and one week in, the pandemic hit and shut down everything, including movie theaters. Alex was back to square one and didn’t know where to start.

Alex joined IGNITE and jumped right in! He made new friendships quickly and enjoys sharing his passions like movies, art, and Legos with other members. “This is the safest I’ve felt in ages,” Alex said. “I’ve learned a lot about seeing other perspectives and this place has been nothing

but good to me. This is a place where you can be yourself.”

Recently, Alex registered for Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) services and networked with Ray J, who works at a local theater. Shortly after that, Alex interviewed for a job, and less than a week later, he had his first shift! It’s not easy moving to a new state, and a pandemic made it so much harder. Alex showed a lot of determination and grit to overcome such adversity and keep making progress on his goals.

Social Connection Independence Skills

One major element to IGNITE programming is the social component. We have social groups throughout the week, including game time, leisure time, and movie night. During game time, we play board games, trivia, or Jackbox games, sometimes with all IGNITE centers participating together. Additionally, we go out into the community twice monthly for leisure activities like bowling, going to the movies, or shopping at local markets. Recently, all IGNITE centers met up at Carowinds for an all-day amusement park adventure! Over thirty IGNITE members gathered to enjoy a beautiful day full of roller coasters, water slides and social time together. This was a great opportunity to meet people from other IGNITE centers, starting new or deepening old friendships.

Friendship Group has been recently added to our curriculum to encourage social engagement between members. In this group we identify the traits of an authentic friend, as well as our own needs in a friendship. We focus on the key qualities that build healthy friendships such as affection, reciprocity, support, boundaries, and much more. We work on maintaining friendships through compromising and communicating, as well as how to recognize the signs of when a friendship is not a good fit. We have been encouraging friendships between centers through weekly engagements, games, and discussions together.

Transitioning to adulthood is difficult for autistic young people. Most adolescents get used to having ample support from parents, support persons, therapists, and teachers. After high school, young people experience a rapid change in support and assistance from adult figures and increasing demands to accomplish goals themselves.

Living independently is something most young adults dream of doing, but achieving that goal is easier said than done. Throughout this semester, we have revamped the Life and Practice group to focus solely on the skills needed to successfully live independently. We made it a priority to focus on skills such as activities of daily living, home safety, first aid, cleaning/organizing, car maintenance, and more. Within this group, we create an environment where we are all learning together through hands-on experiences. We can practice and teach members what they need to do when a crisis arises to prepare for reallife situations. Our goal for the end of the semester is for members to have the self-confidence needed to take that next step in life towards independence.

Being able to drive is truly a catalyst for independence and unlocks a new level of freedom. Another barrier to independence is transportation. Through a grant, we were able to organize and pay for behind-the-wheel driving classes to members in Davidson, Greensboro, and Raleigh. Many

What’s Happening at IGNITE? (continued)

Ray

Reviews

After Moving With His Family To New York City, Young Josh Primm (played by Winslow Fegley) Struggles To Adapt To The Fast Paced Movement Of The Crowds, And Making New Friends At School...But All Of This Is About To Change When He Not Only Discovers

A Crocodile Named Lyle (voiced by Shawn Mendes), But That Lyle Can Sing, After He Belts Out A Soaring Pop Tune! Let’s Just Say, Lyle May Just Be An Unspoken Prayer That The Primm Family Needed In Their Lives.

What I Liked About The Film:

• What A Delightful & Charming Family-Friendly Film

• There’s Five Original Songs (End Credits Included), However The Four Featured In The Film I Absolutely LOVED!! My Favorites Are ‘Top Of The World’ and ‘Rip Up The Recipe’, Which Is A Duet Between Lyle, And Constance Wu’s Character

• I’m Not Familiar With Any Prior ‘Lyle Lyle Crocodile’ Material, However, I Love The Concept That Lyle Isn’t A Typical Talking Animal & That’s Not What Makes Him Special. In Fact Lyle Doesn’t Talk At All. Lyle Helps Those Who’ve Lost Their Way Through Way Of Song Only, And I Highly Appreciated That

• The Entire Cast Was Great. Shawn Mendes Obviously Only Sings In The Film, But The Vocals He Provides For The Songs Matched With The Soaring Instrumentals Gave Me Chill’s And Had Me On The Verge Of Tears. Winslow Fegley Really Shines Here As Well, And Constance Wu Was Also Great

• The CGI Looks A Lot Better On The Screen Than It Does In The Previews

• I Could Totally Relate To Josh and His Anxiety With Large Crowds Moving At A Fast Pace

• What I Didn’t Liked About The Film

• The Only Thing I Was Kind Of Disappointed With Was That There Was Not One, Not Two, But Three Reprises Of The Same Song. The Song Is Good, And The 3rd Reprise Is Great, But I Just Felt Like That Was A Bit Excessive

What I Didn’t Like About The Film:

• The Only Thing I Was Kind Of Disappointed With Was That There Was Not One, Not Two, But Three Reprises Of The Same Song. The Song Is Good, And The 3rd Reprise Is Great, But I Just Felt Like That Was A Bit Excessive

‘Lyle Lyle Crocodile’ Has Enough Warmth And Charm To Delight The Entire Family! Shawn Mendes Gives It His All On Songs That Range From Soaring (‘Top Of The World’) To Cheeky (‘Rip Up The Recipe’) To Raw (‘Carried Away’) & Winslow Fegley (As Josh) Shines Like Never Before! Lyle Will Be On My Favorite Films Of The Year List!

@rayjsreviews_autismfriendly on Instagram

What’s Happening

(continued)

individuals with autism are excellent rule followers and therefore, make excellent drivers. After passing the written part of the permit test, members often need to increase their confidence by spending a few extra hours behind the wheel with a third party, and these classes help to provide the experience necessary for safe driving.

Health & Wellness

We always support and encourage our members to find creative ways to meet their health and wellness goals. Our regular exercise and walking groups provide opportunities to stay active while socializing with fellow members. During our exercise groups, we do cardio, weight training, and even

go to the YMCA for group fitness lessons. The goal of these groups is to introduce our members to alternative ways of exercising so they can stay active without having to commit to a gym.

Outside of exercise, we also focus on personal health skills and coping skills to maintain or increase the health and wellness of our members. Some coping skills we have discussed this session include music and meditation, as well as discussing why coping skills are important, how to use them, and different options. In personal health, we discussed hygiene skills, self-advocacy skills, and how to go to the doctor. In all the groups, we encourage our members to live healthy, happy lives.

Raleigh Member Spotlight:

Sarena

Sarena, a member at IGNITE Raleigh since 2021, has had a whirlwind of a year with many personal successes. She started the year off by applying for a few jobs and quickly got hired at Home Depot. Sarena has been an incredible advocate for herself at work, and even scored the “employee of the month” title during her first few months there.

An aspiring artist, Sarena connected with an employee of the Cary Arts Center through IGNITE, where she is now an intern and helps others enjoy art. This fall, Sarena started showing her art at a craft fair, sharing a booth with a mentor from the Cary Arts Center. Sarena has also accomplished her goal

Donor Spotlight: Jack Fanning Memorial Foundation

of moving out on her own, living with roommates.

“IGNITE is inspiring because you get to meet new people with autism with different skills sets,” said Sarena. We’re inspired by the new level of independence and personal success Sarena has reached during her time at IGNITE!

We are grateful for the support of the Jack Fanning Memorial Foundation, which awarded the Autism Society of North Carolina a grant to provide scholarships to IGNITE Greensboro.

The Jack Fanning Memorial Foundation is committed to aiding the autism community with the appropriate research and educational opportunities needed to advance their lives. The organization was founded in memory of Jack Fanning, Battalion Chief of Hazardous Operations at the Fire Department of the City of New York (FDNY). Jack understood firsthand the needs of families dealing with autism because he had two autistic sons, Sean and Patrick. Jack died while responding to the World Trade Center attacks on September 11, 2001. Shortly before his death, Jack discussed his desire to open a residential group home for children with autism; the foundation now works to fulfill his wish to provide resources to help autistic people build meaningful and productive lives.

“The Jack Fanning Memorial Foundation has supported several of the Autism Society of North Carolina’s programs over the years, and we’re extremely thankful for their ongoing partnership,” said Kristy White, the Autism Society of North Carolina’s Chief Development Officer. “We are so appreciative that this year they chose to make IGNITE possible for more members.”

IGNITE Staff

Mindy Govan, Director

Alicia Lenhart, Senior Program Director

Claire Dodd, Program Coordinator

Kiana Law, Program Coordinator Ray J Evernham, Program Coordinator

Greensboro Staff

Julianne Wade, Program Director Cole Nadeau, Program Coordinator

Raleigh StaffDavidson Staff

Dianna Padilla, Program Director Samantha Thomasson-Bless, Program Coordinator

Larissa Dodd, Program Coordinator