Source: Your HHRS News
With Covid 19 still commanding center stage, it’s been a vertically uphill battle for other medical conditions to get their share of needed attention and help. Fundraising initiatives have been forcibly and detrimentally scaled back, as organizations such as Red Bank’s Oasis Farm for adults with autism can tell you.
According to event co-organizer Marta Baez Petrocelli, “Adult programs closed early on and reopened late in the game and even then, we were not able to reach full capacity for a while. It has certainly set us back in many ways, including fundraising.”
Last year, what would have been the ninth annual Tattooing For Autism benefit in partnership with the Under My Skin For Life (UMSFL) Foundation was cancelled due to pandemic concerns. This year, the event took place at the VFW Post 2179 in Port Monmouth NJ with rock bands, motorcycle rides, pro wrestling vendors, raffles — the only pandemic-induced casualty was the tattooing. But with a fundraising total of $5,700, the 2021 UMSFL Arts For Autism organizers aren’t complaining.
“Coming off of the pandemic, I think everyone was still unsure how that would pan out. So (USMFL president) ‘Tattoo’ Tony Rodriguez put together Arts for Autism. A few of our students — and my son, a hopeful future student — painted live, which was really great.
“People came up to watch, ask about the program and the process of teaching individuals with autism how to draw and paint. They were also able to see the different styles of paintings. Our students were really proud to show off their art and the day was very successful.
“Even without tattooing, (raising) $5,700 was amazing — this fundraiser was more of a godsend than it normally is. We are really grateful to Tony and the UMSFL Foundation. They’ve been incredibly kind and generous to us for years.”
To learn more about Oasis Farm for adults with autism, visit them online.