Blog #399: A Look Back at 2023 for “Going the Distance”
- Jeffrey Snyder
- Dec 28, 2023
- 4 min read
As we close the book on 2023, we also close up on another exciting and productive year for “Going the Distance.” This was the year where Going the Distance formed new partnerships and debuted several new presentations geared towards supporting neurodivergent families, educators and employers. Let’s take a look at some of the notable events for “Going the Distance” in 2023.
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#5: Partnering with Infinite Learning Academy and Safe and Sound Schools
The first major highlight of 2023 came when we partnered up with Infinite Learning Academy based in New Mexico for the first of many learning retreats and conferences this past June in Hutchinson Island, FL. This was followed up with another learning retreat in September in Charleston, SC.
As you know, one of my biggest passionate topics is about how to better support neurodivergent and special education students during school safety drills, something that a lot of schools tend to ignore. Infinite Learning Academy continued to allow me to grow in sharing this highly important topic.
Through my 2 part “Autism in Disney Characters” presentation, I was able to get attendees to never watch Disney films the same again and that’s what the main goal of all of these presentations are: to get attendees to leave thinking about neurodiversity from a highly different perspective.
As for Safe and Sound Schools, I was fortunate enough to connect with them with the continued support of the Doug Flutie Jr. Foundation for Autism which in turn, led to an appearance alongside Flutie Executive Director, Nick Savarese, on a panel hosted by Executive Director Michele Gay. Being that school safety drills goes hand in hand in their mission, look for some possible speaking appearances at their trainings across the country in the near future.
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#4. Helping to create Boca School for Autism
The next big highlight happened over the course of the summer with the launching and overall evolution of the Boca School for Autism in Boca Raton, FL. Overseen by the governance of the Unicorn Children’s Foundation, Boca School for Autism was created for the purpose of supporting developmentally different students through special education practices.
I’ve actually had the privilege and the honor of visiting the school several times in May and July as well as conducting a training with the staff on how to support special education students during School Safety Drills and School Assemblies back on July 14th.
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#3: Autism Tree 20th Anniversary
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If you have been following my story, you remember that one of the first organizations I really got involved with outside of Massachusetts was the Autism Tree Project Foundation in San Diego, CA. Having been involved with them since 2019, it made absolute sense to celebrate their 20th anniversary in 2023. In April, Autism Tree held a cocktail reception at the Bali Hai restaurant where individuals were recognized for helping make Autism Tree what it is today. At the reception, Autism Tree was recognized by the city of San Diego for all they did to support families affected by neurodiversity.
2024 will be my 5th year with Autism Tree and I look forward to partaking in whatever events they have in the coming year.
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#2. New “Going the Distance” Logo
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Every business needs an identity and Going the Distance is no exception. To this end, this past fall, I joined forces with a neurodivergent graphic artist through the Doug Flutie Jr. Foundation for Autism to create Going the Distance’s identity. The traffic light style logo was selected because neurodivergent families and individuals can be in one of the three lights:
Red for being fearful and not letting neurodivergents grow and develop.
Yellow for letting neurodivergents grow and develop at their own pace while under a closeful eye.
Green for letting neurodivergents grow and develop with confidence.
Look for the new Going the Distance logo to be included on business cards and other websites beginning in 2024…
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#1: Speaking at Flutie’s 25th Anniversary Concert at Fenway Park
2023 also wasn’t just Autism Tree’s 20th anniversary, but this year was also the 25th anniversary of the Doug Flutie Jr. Foundation for Autism, a milestone that was recognized in August 2023 at Fenway Park in Boston, MA. I took part in the concert as one of the emcees and the concert featured performances from neurodivergent musicians and artists. Perhaps one of the biggest highlights involved musician Adin Boyer who found his pot of gold and showed it through his emotions.
I gotta admit that being on the big screen at Fenway has become sort of milestone moment in the history of Going the Distance. This was the moment where Going the Distance was starting to really take off and has not slowed down as a result. Look for Going the Distance to keep building up steam from this milestone moment throughout the course of 2024.
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Join me in the final blog of 2023 as I give you a preview of my plans for Going the Distance in 2024!!
Catch you all later!!
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