autism awareness

June 30, 2015  by

Planting seeds of hope for Loudoun’s autistic community

We are beside ourselves excited to be partnering with Legacy Farms this July by donating $1 from every haircut from Salon Khouri Fairfax and Salon Khouri Dulles to this new and budding non-profit.LegacyFarmsLogo Additionally, we are collecting bags of seeds of the following vegetables for Legacy Farms for their garden project they are building for the Paxton school: broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, mustard greens, radishes, pumpkins, squash, beans or spinach. To thank you for helping with this great project, we will take $1 off your service for each bag up to 5 bags!

Legacy Farms was formed in 2011 by a group of teachers, parents and professionals with a common vision: to create training for meaningful post-secondary opportunities for adults with autism and other developmental and social challenges. Legacy Farms envisions a community of people living and working together on the farm, in a way that will allow them to remain self sustainable and as independent as possible. It is the goal of Legacy Farms to not only teach their participants these skills, but to connect them with the rural community through a variety of outreach programs and services.

Legacy Farms hopes to raise $300k this year to allow them to lease a seven-acre parcel north of Purcellville, which will allow Legacy Farms to provide work for more adults with autism and other challenges. You can learn more about Legacy Farms via their website, or, we encourage you to attend their 2nd annual Legacy Farms Summer Garden Party on August 1 from 6-9 PM. Be sure to visit the Legacy Farms event page for more information.

 

Dedicated to placing Legacy Farmers on commercial Farms, vineyards, breweries and nurseries throughout Virginia.

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August 1, 2013  by

Our August Community Outreach: Autism Speaks

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and autism are both general terms for a group of complex disorders of brain development. These disorders are characterized, in varying degrees, by difficulties in social interaction, verbal and nonverbal communication and repetitive behaviors. They include autistic disorder, Rett syndrome, childhood disintegrative disorder, pervasive developmental disorder-not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS) and Asperger syndrome. An estimated 1 out of 54 boys and 1 in 252 girls are diagnosed with autism in the United States each year.

Jonathan and I have several friends whose children have been diagnosed. Having witnessed their diagnosis as an outsider, we’ve seen the grieving stages the parents go through as they grapple through denial, anger, bargaining, depression, then ultimately acceptance with the disorder. We are oftentimes at a loss with what to say or how to help. It’s frustrating for everyone not knowing the true cause of the disorder. It makes parents question every little thing of the child’s past, all the way to conception, which leaves parents’ minds on an eternal treadmill of questioning thoughts — which for anyone can be exhausting. What we do know about children with autism spectrum disorder is that they are each amazingly gifted and unique. We know they are loved very deeply by their friends and family, even though it may seem at times that these same family and friends are exasperated. The truth is autism is exasperating. It’s also, at times, wonderfully incredible. As our friend said of her sweet, adorable son, “He teaches us something new about ourselves and about the truly important elements of life.”

We’d love for you to take a moment to browse through the Autism Speaks website. For the month of August, Salon Khouri is donating $1 from every haircut to Autism Speaks.

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