JULY 2020
Happy Independence Day!
Camp Gonnawannagoagin' is on!
We're very excited to collaborate with the YMCA's Camp Grom to develop a safe and engaging summer program for children and adults with autism. Please click below to view the facility and learn more about our plans.

Donors & Granters-
Jack& Anne Glenn Foundation
This year more than 150 children will benefit from scholarships and registration fee discounts provided by the Jack and Anne Glenn Foundation. The Foundation was established in 2004 by the four Glenn sons to honor their parents, Jack and Anne Glenn. Their mission is to provide program and project grants to non-profits that provide support to disadvantaged youth and their families who are at risk of poor educational, social, or health outcomes.
In 2012 and 2013 the foundation made two remarkable gifts of fifty-thousand dollars each year. Those funds established an endowment that helps ensure FACT’s longevity and generates more than five-thousand dollars every year. Additionally, from 2014 to 2018, the Glenn Foundation granted FACT ten thousand dollars each year for tuition assistance for families.
FACT has established a sliding payment scale for all our programs. Children who qualify for free or reduced lunch in the schools, are dependents of military or first responders, or have siblings on the spectrum, receive tuition assistance thanks in large part to the philanthropy of the Glenn family.
In 2019 the Jack and Anne Glenn foundation awarded FACT a fifteen-thousand dollar grant and thank goodness they did! Our own Party Under the Stars fundraiser usually generates tens of thousand of dollars in tuition assistance by encouraging attendees to “sponsor a week of camp”. Because this year's event was postponed, FACT might not have been able to meet the financial needs of our summer campers without the Glenns.
Today Jack and Anne Glenn’s granddaughter, Saunder Bohan, and her husband Tommy are dedicated members of the FACT board. The Glenn’s great-grand-daughters attend our camp alongside many of their peers who would not be at camp if not for their family’s dedication to helping others. If it was the Glenn"s sons goal to honor their parents, we’d say they’ve done so in a wonderful way. 

Camp Gonnawannagoagin' staff appreciate the Glenn Foundation assisting the kids and families we love.
Movers and Shakers
The Toner Siblings
This camp season we've eliminated peer peer buddy volunteers to keep group sizes small and overall attendance low. We'll miss their help and uncanny ability to encourage and engage our campers. Fortunately, an unintended benefit of having peer volunteers is that they return each year and eventually become dedicated, experienced staff members.
Brooke and Bryon Toner are two of our amazing "rising" volunteers. We've chosen to feature them as our "movers and shakers" because unlike most, they don't just show up for summer camp, they're pitching in all year long. The Toners have participated in Winter and Spring camps, and volunteered during Teen Time outings and Family Fun days.
Brooke will be a senior at Cox High School this year. Her extracurricular activities include directing the Buddies Helping Buddies workshop, varsity volleyball and tennis. She's been volunteering since she was 11. She told us her "favorite part of working with children who have autism is that every time I am given the opportunity to work with a new child I learn something new. Whether it’s Taylor telling me about the butterflies at botanical gardens, Raven listing the names and birthdays of the entire staff, or Sam teaching me his version of sign language. Each child has
a unique way of voicing their interests and
talents. Camp is something that I hold very dear to my heart. I couldn’t imagine any summer without it, and cannot wait for many years to come".

Brooke's older brother Bryon is a rising junior at UVA, majoring in Economics and volunteering at Big Brothers and Sisters while he's at school. Bryon began volunteering when he was 13 and became a staff member at 18. He told us that volunteering at FACT has been a great, fulfilling experience. His favorite FACT activity is our weekly outings to Ocean Breeze. "I get to push kids outside of their comfort zones with water slides and swimming and they always end up enjoying themselves even more." 
FACT has posted this video of our Karaoke concert before, when we featured the lead singer Andru in a prior article, but this time we want to draw your attention to the back up dancers. That's Bryon in the middle demonstrating his absolute dedication to supporting his friends with autism. Those Toners are the best!