ACT
Today! (Autism Care and Treatment Today!), a national non-profit
organization whose mission is to provide care and treatment to children
with autism, announces its highly anticipated 7th Annual Denim & Diamonds for Autism, will be held on Saturday, November 3, 2012 at the
Calamigos Ranch in Malibu, California. 500 attendees are expected to
attend the red carpet fundraiser, including corporate leaders,
celebrities, dignitaries, the press, and other autism supporters. The event is produced by D. Plump Consulting.
“This
annual fundraiser allows ACT Today! to provide DIRECT HELP to children
with autism,” says ACT Today!’s Executive Director Nancy
Alspaugh-Jackson. “Proceeds from this event will make it possible for us
to provide grants for therapy, medical care, assistance dogs, social
skills programs, assistive technology, and even safety equipment like
helmets for the self-injurious children, as well as fencing for those
who wander. We are thrilled that the event has become such an
anticipated event in Southern California.”
According
to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 1 in every 88
children in America is diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD),
making ASD more prevalent than juvenile diabetes, childhood cancer and
pediatric AIDS combined.
“We
count on the community’s support each year and appreciate every
individual contribution and corporate giving – without the financial
support, we are unable to continue our mission of helping those children
whose families cannot afford or access the necessary tools their
children need to reach their full potential,” adds Jackson, who will
co-host the event alongside ACT Today!’s Founder/President and
world-renowned autism expert Doreen Granpeesheh, PhD, BCBA-D, with a
host of celebrity presenters from film, television, sports, and the
music world.
The
7th Annual Denim & Diamonds for Autism will feature red carpet
arrivals, a cocktail reception, silent and live auctions, live
entertainment, seated dinner buffet, a special live musical performance,
and tribute to the 2012 ACTivist award recipients actor Joe Mantegna
(“Criminal Minds”) and television executive Steve Mauldin
(KCAL-TV/KCBS-TV President and General Manager), as well as recognizing
the 2012 Golden Cowgirl award recipient Kathleen Sternbach.
The
event is sponsored by (as of June 4, 2012): Vin Di Bona Productions,
Reaction Audio Visual, TWIW Insurance Services, LLC., Natrol, Sandy and
David Stone, Universal City Nissan, Wells Fargo, CodeMetro, City
National Bank, Burbank Printing, Charity Lives, Linda Bertch, Isabella
Emporium, and The Resort at Pelican Hill.
“You
can’t measure our gratefulness and appreciation of the corporate
supporters because it’s boundless,” says Jackson. “Families with
children with autism face tremendous burdens. ACT Today! is grateful
that the community is helping us alleviate the financial burden and
emotional turmoil for many families by providing access to care and
treatment to those in desperate need.”
In
2011, the 6th Annual Denim & Diamonds for Autism sold out one month
prior to the event and raised over $230,000. An estimated 500
supporters attended the red carpet event, including TV news broadcaster
Nancy Grace (HLN), TV host Tom Bergeron (“Dancing with the Stars” and
“America’s Funniest Home Videos”), Vin Di Bona (“Vin Di Bona
Productions”), actress Ariel Winters and actor Nolan Gould (“Modern
Family”), model/TV host Brooke Burke Charvet (“Dancing with the Stars”),
actor Erik Fellows (“Days of Our Lives”), television personality Leeza
Gibbons, actor Daniel Goddard (“Young and Restless”), actors Kyle and
Chris Massey, actor Mark Christopher Lawrence (“Chuck”), professional
dancers Maksim Chmerkovskiy and Val Chmerkovskiy (“Dancing with the
Stars”), actresses Juliana and Jennessa Rose (“Pretty Little Liars”),
retired LA Laker Jamaal Wilkes, actor Robert Adamson (“Lincoln
Heights”), actor Arjay Smith (“Precision”), actor Callan McAuliffe (“I
am Number Four”), and actress Florence Henderson (“The Brady Bunch”).
For more information about the 7th Annual Denim & Diamonds for Autism, visit www.DenimAndDiamondsForAutism.
LIKE Denim & Diamonds on Facebook at www.facebook.com/
About ACT Today!:
ACT
Today! (Autism Care and Treatment Today!) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit
organization dedicated to raising awareness and providing treatment
services and support to families of children with autism who cannot
afford or access the necessary tools their children need to reach their
full potential. For more information about ACT Today!, visit: www.act-today.org.