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Thursday, June 7, 2012

7th Annual Denim & Diamonds for Autism, November 3 in Malibu

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.net or contact executive event producer Daphne Plump at events@dplump.com

LIKE Denim & Diamonds on Facebook at www.facebook.com/DenimAndDiamondsForAutism

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.