My name is Brad, father to Jonathon, my amazing teenage son who was diagnosed with severe autism at the age of two. Jonathon is my everything. He’s my best friend and my reason for living.

Jonathon and I are connected by our heartstrings - an important link since he is non-verbal. I know what Jonathon thinks and feels without a word spoken. I ache when he aches, and I know the pain and suffering of severe autism through his unspoken words.

Jonathon is trapped by a mind grappling with profound difficulties that keeps him from experiencing the fullness of the world around him. There is no cure for autism and there is no cure for Jonathon. Like many individuals with autism, Jonathon will isolate himself from the outside world as much as possible, remaining in his bedroom where he can self-soothe and control the sensory input.

Inspired by Jonathon, my entire family and I have set out to make a difference in the lives of individuals with severe autism, and 2023 marks the birth of our nonprofit organization, HAART - Helping Adults with Autism Reside Together.

For our inaugural fundraiser, HAART is launching #AdventuresInApril so we can give the gift of adventure to these special souls, inviting people like Jonathon out of their rooms and into the wondrous world around them. Why Adventures in April? Because April is National Autism Awareness Month and HAART would like to play an important role in this national observance.

Today, we are asking you to join our HAART family and DONATE NOW to help us reach our goal of $10,000. We can hardly wait to share the many stories about dreams fulfilled through #AdventuresInApril - all because of your generous donations!

And please spread the word about #AdventuresInApril by sharing the link for this campaign today!

You can learn more about HAART at our website: https://www.haarthomes.org