My Autism Connection, Inc.
My Autism Connection, Inc.
EIN: 46-3881003
as of November 2024
as of November 11, 2024
Mission
My Autism Connection, Inc. (MAC) fills the gap of support for autistic adults by removing barriers to independence and healthy relationships, advocating for acceptance, and providing family support.
Ruling year
2016
Executive Director
Mrs. Sandra Worth
Main address
7181 College Pkwy. Suite 22
Fort Myers, FL 33907 USA
EIN
46-3881003
Special population support
Population served
Adults
NTEE code
Autism (G84)
IRS subsection
501(c)(3) Public Charity
IRS filing requirement
This organization is required to file an IRS Form 990 or 990-EZ.
Tax forms
Communication
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a diagnosis that is part of a person’s life for life. Services for autistic individuals are often available during school years and then diminish or disappear altogether upon adulthood. Over 5 million adults or 2% of the general adult population in the United States are estimated to have ASD (CDC, 2020), yet only between 1-7% of funding dollars raised for autism go towards programs that assist autistic adults. Florida ranks in the top four states where autistic adults live (CDC, 2020). When these services diminish, families of autistic adults often feel alone, worried, and hopeless about their children’s futures. They know their child is capable of more, but they don’t know where to go for support. Through MAC’s expanded service options for adults with autism, families can rest in hope. Our membership services wrap around our members to include their family and community support systems. Through connections, we can bring greater opportunities.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Adult Group
The objective of our program is to provide adults diagnosed with autism teachable opportunities to ease the transition from dependence to independence. As services for autistic individuals fade upon adulthood, the greatest needs for support are in three vital areas: social engagement, skill-building, and career development. We encompass all three areas in our program – we are one of the few organizations offering these services.
Many individuals diagnosed with autism may lack the essential skills to make and maintain friendships and relationships, or appropriately interact in work and community environments. We encourage and infuse socialization throughout all of our experiential learning experiences. We offer fun opportunities for our members to engage and socialize with one another, building friendships and connections through activities such as Game Nights, Themed Parties, Trivia Nights, Ice Cream Socials, and more.
Many individuals diagnosed with autism lack the necessary life skills needed to navigate daily tasks. We address this through weekly check-ins, annual goal planning, progress monitoring, and activities focused on trying new things and obtaining new skills. Examples of skill-building activities include Poetry Classes, Yoga Sessions, Improv Classes, Book Club, and more.
Many individuals diagnosed with autism struggle with identifying their interests or may lack the skills to properly obtain a job. By providing hands-on exposure and opportunities to engage with professionals in their field, our members can learn more about a variety of careers and discover their own career pathway. We provide opportunities for career exploration and experiences through Career Tours, Professional Presentations, Resume Workshops, Mock Interview Sessions, and more.
Where we work
Photos
Videos
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
MAC's vision is to create a world where autistic adults are equipped and empowered to build meaningful relationships, find fulfilling work, and live their best lives independently.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
MAC removes barriers by providing classes, workshops, and real-life opportunities in safe and supportive environments. Our education supports build vocational, social, or independence skills, so adults with autism can reach their full potentials. MAC also advocates for acceptance by educating the public that all minds are equal and worthy of belonging. We partner with community businesses and organizations to promote acceptance for different but equal minds. MAC supports families as we recognize whole family systems need support and to feel connected. MAC offers resources and community events to build a sense of community for the families of autistic adults.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
MAC connects individuals with ASD to their communities through social and experiential learning experiences to build healthy relationships and transition towards independence for work and life. We continuously seek business and individual partnerships to offer new valuable experiences and support services such as career and domestic skills training, communication skills development, relationship building, and work experiences. Our partnerships encourage exploration and growth for our members supported by the larger communities in which they live and work.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
Sandra Worth assembled the beginnings of MAC in Ft. Myers, Florida in 2012 with a small group of 3 adults, MAC’s first members, and within a few weeks grew to meetings of thirty individuals. Sandra Worth began building community partnerships to provide hands-on learning opportunities for skill training, social engagement, and career development for the adults within My Autism Connection to better navigate the community, and also to help those in the community see the needs and potential of the growing population of adults diagnosed with autism. In 2020, MAC started its expansion to Tampa, Florida, and developed virtual services. To date, MAC continues to evolve as the demand increases, as we are still one of the few known supports serving autistic adults. MAC's dream is to be across the world, making a difference in autistic lives everywhere.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We take steps to get feedback from marginalized or under-represented people, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We look for patterns in feedback based on demographics (e.g., race, age, gender, etc.), We look for patterns in feedback based on people’s interactions with us (e.g., site, frequency of service, etc.), We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
It is difficult to get the people we serve to respond to requests for feedback, We don’t have the right technology to collect and aggregate feedback efficiently, The people we serve tell us they find data collection burdensome, It is difficult to find the ongoing funding to support feedback collection, Staff find it hard to prioritize feedback collection and review due to lack of time, It is difficult to get honest feedback from the people we serve
Financials
Revenue vs. expenses: breakdown
Financial data
My Autism Connection, Inc.
Balance sheetFiscal Year: Jan 01 - Dec 31
The balance sheet gives a snapshot of the financial health of an organization at a particular point in time. An organization's total assets should generally exceed its total liabilities, or it cannot survive long, but the types of assets and liabilities must also be considered. For instance, an organization's current assets (cash, receivables, securities, etc.) should be sufficient to cover its current liabilities (payables, deferred revenue, current year loan, and note payments). Otherwise, the organization may face solvency problems. On the other hand, an organization whose cash and equivalents greatly exceed its current liabilities might not be putting its money to best use.
Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Documents
Executive Director
Mrs. Sandra Worth
Sandra Worth is the Founder and Executive Director of My Autism Connection (MAC). One of her sons was diagnosed with ASD, and Worth saw that support resources beyond those available to school-aged individuals were sparse. She knew her son could experience greater life opportunities if there were more services to bridge him from the structure of his school years to the hopes for his adulthood. Driven by her persistence to ensure her son had every advantage for transitioning into a fulfilled and happy adulthood and her hope to help other parents and autistic adults, Worth became a Certified Autism Specialist in 2011. In 2012, she assembled the beginnings of MAC in Ft. Myers, Florida. Worth began building community partnerships with law enforcement, interagency organizations, and private organizations to provide hands-on learning opportunities for adults within MAC to better navigate the community.
My Autism Connection, Inc.
Officers, directors, trustees, and key employeesSOURCE: IRS Form 990
Compensation data
There are no highest paid employees recorded for this organization.
My Autism Connection, Inc.
Board of directorsas of 07/07/2023
Board of directors data
Hector Gomez, Jr.
Edward Financial
Dustin Worth
Retired Police | Master Sergeant
Rick Cocchieri
Matt Riley
Remington Hampton
Jonah Beauduy
Frank DeGeorge
Stacey Hipsman
Kelly Pierce
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Transgender Identity
Sexual orientation
Disability
We do not display disability information for organizations with fewer than 15 staff.
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