Connor S. is a student at Balanced Life Skills. This Saturday on June the 9th he will be taking part in a fundraiser for Bello Machre, ” Every Step Counts” with his team – Dust Off Your Dreams. Why is this so special? Here is a letter from his mom and a video of Connor speaking to nearly 200 Middle Schools Students at Severn School about autism.
For the last 40 years, Bello Machre, a locally based non-profit organization, has dedicated their energy to helping children and adults with developmental disabilities. The “Every Step Counts” fundraiser is their biggest of the year, and it accounts for a large portion of the money used to fund their services. Bello Machre provides much needed support to families and group homes to hundreds of people of all ages with disabilities of all types. For the last 9 years, Bello Machre has supported our efforts in bringing Connor out of his autistic shell by providing us with a yearly grant that we use to help defray the costs of his treatments. Half of every dollar we raise in “Every Step Counts” is added to Connor’s grant account to be used specifically for his treatments.
We have been blessed that all of the medicines, doctors appointments, therapy appointments, specialized medical tests, friends, family, aides and teachers have come together to bring Connor to a very high functioning level. It is a wonderful thing to be able to dream of a future for Connor not totally dominated by the world of autism. Unfortunately, for every one like Connor, there are 10 others who haven’t been so lucky. We would love to have your support once again as we attempt to raise money for a very worthy organization. Any donation, big or small, is greatly appreciated. If you wish to donate, you can send a check to us made out to “Bello Machre/Every Step Counts” to our home address listed below. If you would prefer to donate online, go towww.bellomachre.org/events/every_step_counts.php. Our team name is “Dust Off Your Dreams,” and that name would need to be included on the online donation form in order for us to receive credit.
We thank you in advance for your support, and the hundreds of other individuals served by Bello Machre thank you as well.
Gratefully,
Bob, Lori and Connor Skalitzky
2513 Windy Oak Court
Crofton, MD 21114
P.S. If you would like to see Connor’s amazing speech given on World Autism Awareness Day (which also happens to be his birthday), check out this video:
