Update for Minnesota Event

We've been on the road a couple days so far and today we're blogging from a free wi-fi hotspot outside Indianapolis - thank you Panera Bread. We've got some updates about our Minneapolis event to pass on. We will be at Lake Nokomis in Minneapolis on Aug. 1st from noon to 4pm. The Autism Society of Minnesota will be represented at the event so this will be a great oppurtunity for people to learn about both local and international work being done on behalf of kids with autism!

The journey begins...

Last Tuesday was a beautiful day in Dublin for the first event of the Paddle for Autism Awareness. EMS donated eights kayak rentals for the day, our new banner was looking sweet, and the kids were out on the lake, things were going really well… then the thunderstorm came. So we had to wrap things up a little early but we were still able to get kids paddling out on Dublin Lake and a bunch of people learned about autism and gave their support to the Paddle for Autism Awareness - overall our first event went really well.

Next stop: Boston. On Sunday we’ll be having the Paddle For Autism Awareness send-off party at the Milky Way Lounge in Jamaica Plain. If you’re in the JP area come on by! We’ll be there on July 24th from 6pm-9pm.

It all starts in Dublin, NH

As you read earlier, our first event will be tomorrow in the beautiful town of Dublin, NH. We will be working in tandem with the Dublin Summer Playground the day of the event as we kick it all off at the boat landing on Dublin Lake (half mile down West Lake Road). As if all this Dublin love wasn't enough, on Dublin Day (July 23rd) we will be selling our oh-so-hot wristbands at the Dublin Town fair.

If you are in the Monadnock region, stop by the very first destination on our cross-country adventure. We look forward to seeing you at the Paddle for Autism Awareness, Tuesday July 19th, 10am-6pm at the boat landing on Dublin Lake.

Shout out to Band-Together

Pardon us while we put aside this little parcel of the Net to thank Band-Together, the company making the Global Autism Project's silicone bracelets. The bracelets were made very quickly and look great! We'll be offering the bracelets at our Paddle for Autism Awareness events throughout the country and we'll also be selling them on our website soon.

Where and When to Paddle for Autism Awareness

We've been working non-stop to make the Paddle for Autism Awareness a big success. So you want locations and dates you bet we got locations and dates! We've been making calls, writing letters, getting sponsors and things are coming together really well. Here's the itinerary we got so far:

• Dublin, NH: Dublin Lake, 10am-6pm July 19^th

• Boston: Kick Off Party at the Milky Way Lounge & Lanes (in JP) 6pm-9pm July 24^th (yup, no paddling here)

• Chicago: Lincoln Park Boat Club (East of the Zoo), Noon-4pm July 29th

• Minneapolis: Venue to be determined, Noon-4pm July 31st

• Denver: Sloans Lake, 10am-3pm Aug 5th

• Salt Lake City: East Canyon State Park, Noon-4pm Aug 12th

• San Diego: La Jolla Shores, Noon-4pm Aug 19^th

Planning underway in a BIG WAY!

Wristbands have been ordered, Autism Society of America chapters across the United States have been contacted, and sponsors are on board; including REI who is donating the use of the kayaks at each location! We have a safety plan in place, and The American Canoe Association is going to sanction the event. Yes, details are quickly falling into place, and the happy paddlers are anxious to hit the waterways!

Hopefully by now you've checked out our website and seen the fabulous logo created just for this event by our AMAZING, TALENTED and ever so GENEROUS web designer, Lara Dickson of www.wallingfordstudio.com. We have definitely enjoyed working with her, she has really given this project an awesome presence on the World Wide Web--Thanks, Lara!

You can sign up to join us in one of the following cities, or we can help you turn your epic expedition into a good cause with a few simple steps! Do not hesitate to email paddler@globalautismproject.org or call Molly at (206)850-9265 for more information.
OUR CITIES: Dublin, NH - Chicago, IL - Minneapolis, MN - Denver, CO -Salt Lake City, UT - San Diego, CA - San Francisco, CA - Portland, OR - Seattle, WA

See you out there- catch the excitement in a city near you--we can't wait!