Autism Society of America - Kern Autism Network Inc

The Autism Society, the nation's leading grassroots autism organization, exists to improve the lives of all affected by autism. We do this by increasing public awareness about the day-to-day issues faced by people on the spectrum, advocating for appropriate services for individuals across the lifespan, and providing the latest information regarding treatment, education, research and advocacy.
Founded in 1965, the Autism Society is the leading source of trusted and reliable information about autism. Through its strong national network of affiliates, the Autism Society has spearheaded numerous pieces of state and local legislation, including the 2006 Combating Autism Act, the first federal autism-specific law. The Autism Society's website is one of the most visited websites on autism in the world and its quarterly journal, Autism Advocate, has a broad national readership. The strong affiliate presence in states and communities throughout the country serve thousands of families each year who are searching for help in their journey with autism.
The Autism Society's national office is headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, with local affiliates in states such as California. Autism Society-Kern Autism Network is the affiliate for the Kern County Area. Each year, people with autism, families and professionals volunteer thousands of hours to help the Autism Society achieve its mission of improving the lives of all those affected by autism.

-Continued local support to families with referrals for services to doctors, agencies and more
-Workshops to address areas of concern to better serve and help families, educators and care takers
-Conference that provides autism experts worldwide
-Child centered activities to promote social interaction, fine & gross motor skills
-Monthly support groups to address the growing needs of families and individuals affected by autism
-Training for local First Responders for Emergency Teams in Kern County
-Community presentations to promote autism awareness to groups, schools, agencies etc.
-Community outreach and partners
-Scholarships for children to attend camps and parent scholarships to attend educational trainings FREE
-Provide food baskets during times of need e.g. Covid-19, loss of job, loss of a loved one
-Holiday Projects that help the families enjoy a holiday e.g. Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter through food, daily necessities, toys, clothing
-Therapy assistance

Our capability to provide the impact we need to make in our local community comes from the volunteers and networking agencies within our Kern County area. Many of those directly involved with our organization are volunteers who are willing to assist to bring forth the mission of helping those affected by autism. Local entities who select us as their sponsoring charity, donate to us, to help us, help others by giving back to the community. The organization functions solely on the generosity of donors and grants that help us to achieve our mission statement in Kern County.

Our goal was to have a resource center office, that allows families to have a place to come to for support. Currently, we were able to make that a reality with a grant we received from the Hussman Foundation and private donors. We still need to rely on renting meeting space to address our support groups, conferences and workshops. Our current website has been redesigned to address the growth of our organization with better support tools and an ability to reach more in the worldwide web domain. Without monthly flowing income, we rely heavily on donations, our volunteers and community support networks. Each year the needs of our autism community change and this past years impact with Covid-19 brought us to a different approach of providing food, hygiene products, paper products and safety PPE for families to have when sources were scarce.