Last week I announced that I was gearing up to launch my own special needs law firm, something I never thought I would do. In that post, I mentioned that I was also launching a nonprofit. As many of you know, nonprofit organizations are nothing new to me. For nearly thirty years I’ve given my time, money, and passion to a variety of charitable organizations. Simply put, I’m a nonprofit girl at heart. I’ve joined nonprofits, volunteered at nonprofits, worked for nonprofits, and chaired nonprofits. I’ve founded several subgroups within a larger organization. But until now, I have never started a nonprofit organization from scratch.

As my friend Jennifer Simpson recently said: never say never.

Within months of Katie’s diagnosis, when the initial shock had subsided and I was combing the internet for information, I began to dream of a nonprofit organization that would provide resources and support to families grappling with autism spectrum disorder. In the San Francisco Bay Area, there is a tremendous need for such organizations. Southern California and Sacramento each have vibrant parent-created autism nonprofits, but for some reason nothing similar developed in the Bay Area. There are several county-based support networks, but the economic downturn and budget cuts have limited their scope.

I’ve always been a woman who likes to start things, so my natural inclination was to dive in and start an autism group. But I was distracted by my divorce, my career crisis, and the ongoing IEP drama with my school district. Twice another autism mom and I tried to start a Bay Area chapter of TACA (Talk About Curing Autism). For whatever reason, the stars did not align. Then I began talking with one of Katie’s former therapists about starting a nonprofit of our own. Slowly our dream began to take shape.

In 2012, I incorporated Autism A to Z, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing resources, solutions, and support for celebrating life on the spectrum. It took me almost a year to locate potential board members and to flesh out my vision. Ironically, my for-profit law firm was a crucial piece of the plan. Once the Law Offices of Cynthia J. Patton & Associates, PC is up and running, I intend to donate a portion of my profits to nonprofit organizations that assist the disabled such as Community Alliance for Special Education and Autism A to Z. The law firm and the nonprofit will be the ying and yang of my new career.

Until now much of the work of Autism A to Z has been behind the scenes: developing a mission statement, networking, planning, and assembling our IRS application for 501(c)(3) status. We received our first grant from the Hindu Community and Cultural Center in Livermore, California to create an Autism 101 video. Now we are gearing up to take our dream live. Soon there will be a website, a parent support group, family activities, workshops, and facilitated playgroups. We are planning our first fundraiser. It’s an exciting time, and I couldn’t be happier.

It’s my hope that Autism A to Z will expand opportunities and enrich lives. I know it is already enriching mine.

Until next time,
Cynthia Patton