Mark your calendar:
November 2 - Alex's 5K and Kids K
November 25-29 - Thanksgiving break, no school
December 3-13 - Chevron Run for a Reason Charity Challenge
December 23-31 - Winter break, no school
January 18 and 19, 2025 - Chevron Houston Marathon Run for a Reason Race Weekend
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We did it! $1 Million raised for Avondale House in just 6 months! | |
We are thrilled to announce that, thanks to the incredible generosity and dedication of our community, Avondale House has successfully completed its $400,000 Matching Gift Challenge! Over the past six months, not only did we meet our goal—we surpassed it! With an astounding $500,000 raised in non-event fundraising gifts, and with the match from our generous anonymous donor, we are excited to share that we have raised a transformational $1 million!
This monumental achievement is a powerful testament to the incredible support of individuals like you who share our belief in the life-changing mission of Avondale House. Your generosity has ensured that we can continue offering essential services to individuals with profound autism, while also expanding the reach and impact of our programs.
On behalf of our Board of Directors, our dedicated staff, and—most importantly—the individuals and families who rely on Avondale House, thank you for believing in our mission and for being an essential part of this journey. Your continued support empowers us to build a brighter future for individuals with autism, and we look forward to sharing updates on the lasting impact your generosity will make.
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Alex's 5K & Kids' K is happening this Saturday at Avondale House! | |
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It's not too late to register for Alex's 5K or Kids' K, happening this Saturday at Avondale House for the first time ever!
Each year, the parents and friends of Alex Jamrich and Bayou City Road Runners host this event in celebration of his life and raise much needed funds for Avondale House and other organizations that support individuals with autism. The race is always a blast and is a great way to spend a Saturday morning or train for the Houston Marathon or Half Marathon. We hope to see you there! Race options include a 5K and a Kids' 1K course, so the event is for all ages and ability levels! Don't miss out on this exciting community event supporting those with autism.
Register using code AVONDALE24 and get $5 off!
Compliments of our rideshare partner Alto, please enjoy $15 off 2 rides to and from the race on 11/2/24 with code ALEXS5K. To redeem: Open or Download the Alto app and start your free 30 day Membership trial to make the most of this code. You can add ALEXS5K during sign up or under Promotions in the Profile tab of the Alto app. Once added your credit will automatically apply to your rides ($15 off each ride, up to 2 rides).
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We're so excited to welcome Sidney Short Fagan to our Board of Directors! | |
After graduating from college (University of the South in Sewanee, TN), Sidney headed to Washington, DC where she began her recruiting and management career working for Secretary Rumsfeld in the Department of Defense White House Liaison Office. In 2005, Sidney came home to Houston to work at Spencer Stuart, a privately held executive search firm. She spent eight years at Spencer Stuart as a valuable member of the Human Resources and Energy Practices before moving over to hrQ an HR boutique search firm. Sidney was recruited over to Marathon Oil (MRO) in 2015 to help start up their executive recruiting arm. In 2021, she was recruited over to Honeywell and was the Executive Recruiter for Performance Materials and Technologies (PMT), an $11B, 25,000 employee business unit of Honeywell before being recruited to the Leadership Recruiting Team at Meta in 2022. In the summer of 2023, Sidney was recruited over to BECU (Boeing Employee Credit Union), the 4th largest credit union in the country with over 1.2 million members, 3000 employees, and over $28 Billion in assets, to help start up their executive recruiting arm. Outside of work in Houston - If not with her family (James (6), Gage (15), Sydney (18) and husband (Jason)) you can find her either on the tennis or pickleball court, at a board meeting or playing a Mahjong game OR volunteering at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.
Welcome, Sidney! We're extremely grateful for your support and dedication to our mission.
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Join Team Avondale House for Run for a Reason! | |
🏃♀️ Ready to run, or looking for a new fitness challenge? Whether you're an avid runner or someone who’s never laced up for a race before, joining Team Avondale House is the perfect opportunity to participate in the Chevron Houston Marathon race weekend and support our organization.
Join us for the Chevron Houston Marathon, Aramco Half Marathon, or We Are Houston 5K on January 18-19, 2025, and make a difference for individuals with autism while reaching your fitness goals! You still have plenty of time to get started with your training, no matter your experience level. We are close to reaching our goal of 42 runners for this year! Register today and help our team get there get there!
Why join? Support autism acceptance and Avondale House's mission through making your miles matter. When you sign up with us, we cover your registration fee- so you run for free while fundraising for our incredible autism community! Every step and $ raised counts. You don't want to miss out on this sweet occasion for the Houston community to come together this January!
Sign up today using the button below and take the first step toward your 2025 race goal!
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If you are interested or have any questions about Run for a Reason, please reach out to Kylie at kylieh@avondalehouse.org.
Know someone who might be interested in running? Share this information and invite friends or family to run with us! Together, we can make an impact for autism acceptance. 💙
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Bike to the Beach Texas Update |
Bike to the Beach Texas has gone virtual this year, and our riders have spent the month of October making their miles matter by riding and fundraising for Avondale House!
Matt, pictured here, has completed over 100 miles throughout the month and raised over $3,800 alone! We are so grateful for his dedication to our mission and the ride. Help us cheer Matt on in his efforts by donating to his fundraising page using the button below.
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Volunteer Spotlight: Thank You to Dean & Draper and Texas Mutual for volunteering with our adult day program participants! | |
Dean & Draper and Texas Mutual both came in during October to play Bingo with our adult day program participants, and it was such a blast! Thank you so much for your support of us and individuals with autism! | |
Meet Abigail, one of our day school students | |
“After the pandemic, Abigail was moved from school to school and began to regress in the public school system. After coming to Avondale House, Abigail is speaking more, learning more, she’s more outgoing. She’s done a complete 180. She is thriving, she wants to come to school. Principal James saw Abigail and she’s like ‘Abigail, you are a genius!’ and Abigail had never heard that before. She's saying words that her old school district said she would never say. She’s doing things that they said she’d never do. Before, she wasn’t even getting grades. Now, if you look at her grades, she’s on a role. That’s because of her teachers. Everyone here is understanding, sympathetic, sincere, and patient. We love her teachers.
She wouldn’t be able to have all of the progress without Avondale House. She’s a butterfly. She’s coming out of her shell!”
-Victoria and Maurice, Abigail's Parents
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Avondale House wishes to thank and acknowledge these recent donors:
Nelson Block • Emily and Allen Capps • Clay Family • Brett Carleton • Madison Dahmer • DeAnn and Sam Decker • Richard Dixon • Christina Gola • Ryan Gola • Cristal Green • Taylor Grimes • Gigi Hanna • Connor Haydon • Sukwan Jolley • Margaret Kelly • Patti Kelly • Stan Levy • Sean Mason • Michael Murray • Kien Nhan • Trung Nhan • Luke Parazynski • Pam and James Rafferty • Javier Ramirez • Rebecca Roper • Anita Sheffield • William Snow • Puff Thomas • Gail Vozzella • John Vozzella • Abbey Wilson • Esther and Waylon Wood • Barclays • Capital One • Chevron • Enbridge Foundation •
H-E-B • Kroger • L Squared Development LLC • Texas Commission on the Arts (TCA) • Winstead PC
Donors listed from 9/27/2024 to 10/24/2024.
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