Autism Serves – Helping Hands
Empowering Neurodivergent Teens & Young Adults Through Volunteerism
🎉 The Next Generation of Service is Here!
A few years ago, Autism Empowerment hosted a nationally award-winning fun volunteerism initiative called the Autism Serves Kids Care Club. During the pandemic, our club had to close down, but recently, one of our original founding members, Sumi Dyment, came to us with a plan to evolve the group into something new that still focused on helping others but was designed for a wider age range of volunteers.
Are you or someone you know a neurodivergent teen, young adult, or someone with a disability? Would you like to give back to our community while making friends and learning new skills? Whether you’re on the autism spectrum, neurodivergent, or simply want to provide service to others, you are invited to Join our NEW Inclusive Volunteerism Program, Autism Serves – Helping Hands 💜💚
Who Can Join?
✔ Teens 13+ and young adults of all ability levels
✔ Family members, siblings, and peer mentors who want to volunteer
Why Volunteer?
- 🎯 Make a difference in your community
- 🤝 Meet like-minded friends
- 📖 Gain leadership & teamwork skills
- 🏆 We all have gifts to give and it feels great to help other people!
What Kind of Projects Will We Do?
Our neurodivergent-led group will participate in a variety of fun and meaningful community service projects throughout the Vancouver, WA area. We plan to partner with a wide range of Southwest Washington nonprofits using our gifts and talents to support their missions and values. We want to include our group members in the decision-making and brainstorming for what kind of projects are of interest to us and of need in our community. Some of the areas we will be looking at include: Animal Welfare, Disability Advocacy, Environment, Homelessness, Hunger, Kindness, Seniors, Social Justice, and Veterans. Together, we can create meaningful change and grow stronger as a community.
Examples of possible upcoming projects include:
- 🌿 Environmental clean-ups and park beautification
- 🍎 Food drives and Walk & Knock for those in need
- 📚 Literacy and education support for local schools and libraries
- 🐾 Animal welfare and support for shelters and rescues
- 🎭 Sensory-friendly events and disability advocacy programs
- 💌 Holiday service projects, including caroling at Stephen’s Place
📢 Join Our Kickoff Zoom Meeting!
📅 Date: Sunday, February 23rd, 2025
🕓 Time: 4:00 PM (Pacific Time)
📧 To RSVP or ask questions about this group, please email our Group Founder: Sumi at sumi@autismempowerment.org
For general Autism Empowerment questions, please contact Program Director John Krejcha at info@autismempowerment.org
You are also invited to our Facebook Group: Autism Serves Helping Hands
