Eli’s Theater on Wheels!! Autism Nonprofit.

My name is Renee, I’m 47 and my valentine is my 9 year old autistic nephew, Eli. According to Eli he is also my best friend. My sister (his mom) might think she’s my best friend, but Eli and I have a special relationship. We have each other’s back when stuff gets really tough. And right now stuff is really tough for my buddy Eli.

Eli has autism and works super hard to be accepted by others and do well in school but he keeps getting kicked out of places and groups he loves. He wants to be a track coach when he grows up but got asked to leave his track team. He loves acting but the acting class can’t “handle him”. One of his favorite scenes to act out these days is from an animated short film ‘Float’ where the father yells at the son, “Why can’t you just be normal!”

He asks his mom and me if the little boy needs to be normal. And we want so badly to say, “No, he can just be himself.” But we wonder if Eli will ever be “normal” in the eyes of the world. If the world will ever see all that he is capable of!

That is why Eli needs his own place to shine. A place no one can kick him (or his friends) out of regardless of how weird they are. He needs a mobile theater for acting classes he can share with his community!

Eli is in the 4th grade and living in a new city. He’s adorable, adults and kids alike want to be his friend. But being autistic, Eli can need a lot of support in social situations.

Eli's parents made sure he got all of the possible interventions early on so that he would be successful in things such as school, sports and other extracurricular activities.

We even opened a small school to meet the needs of Eli and other kids that needed a thoughtful, loving education. This absorbs a lot of our resources.

Then Hurricane Ida hit leaving us with only the option of virtual school.

The hurricane took us away from our community but gave us a chance for a fresh start. More opportunities (so we thought) More fresh air. More nature.

Less understanding. Less community. But I want to change that.

Our experience with Eli's favorite activities of track and field and drama have felt less than welcoming. He was asked to leave both groups because of his disability. The reason given to his mother was that they were not equipped to work with disabled children. It was at this point that I realized I had to do something, but I can’t do it alone. I need your help.

This is not a unique experience for Eli. It is common for disabled people to be denied access to places, groups, and events. The recommended solution is often to create a separate space to accommodate them.

1 in 20 children have a disability. This means many children in every community are being left out of activities and not given the same opportunities as their nondisabled peers.

Because of this parents tend to look for groups especially designed for disabled children or even choose to homeschool their children. Can you imagine signing your child up for something they're very excited about just to let them down a few weeks later?

"The other kids are not used to being around autistic children."

"What are we supposed to tell the other parents?"

"We've had other kids with autism on our team just not aggressive ones like him.”

"He's having a hard time adjusting to the group."

"Give the teachers some grace they aren't trained to work with children like him."

"The coaches don't know how to interact with people like that."

Those are just some of the quotes from the coaches and teachers who have worked with Eli in our community. For me, this is disheartening. However, the solution is clear. Create a space that is completely inclusive. A community where all children are seen as peers despite their differences. One where disabled and nondisabled children can learn from each other because every one has something they can contribute to our society.

Eli loves acting. The kid who couldn’t talk! Let’s make his dreams come true by creating a mobile theater. Fully equipped with costumes, stage, equipment! He and other kids will have acting and movement lessons in outdoor spaces and put on monthly productions for their families and friends.

The progress of the mobile theater will be documented on social media so you can see your donations come to life!

An act of kindness can cause a ripple effect that can change lives.

We really don’t want to have to tell Eli that he can’t go back to acting class on Tuesday when he did absolutely nothing wrong. Instead, I would love to tell him that he’s getting a new, amazing acting school! ❤️

P.S. Did I tell you that Auntie Renée is a trained actor and educator with some amazing local actor friends?