The Autism MVP Foundation's Ninth Annual Walk Event on Sunday, Nov. 5 on the boardwalk in Manasquan, NJ raised more than $20,000!

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We had a tremendous crowd of more than 175 people, who enjoyed a beautiful, short stroll on the Manasquan Boardwalk followed by a delicious lunch donated by our friends from Leggett's. 

Many thanks to our sponsors Circle Hyundai, Circle BMW,CentralReach, #1 provider of Autism and IDD Care software and services, Verano/Zen Leaf of Neptune, Brett DiNovi & Associates and Leggetts. 

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*Stay tuned for more info about our next event, "Brewing Awareness for Autism" in April 2024. If you would like to make a donation before the end of 2023 or at anytime, donations can be made via Venmo (@AutismMVP), Paypal, via credit card on our donation page or by sending a check to Autism MVP, P.O. Box 365, Little Silver, NJ 07739. 

Thank you for your continued support as we celebrate our 10th anniversary in 2024!  As we continue our endowed scholarship programs at Monmouth, Rutgers and Temple, we are planning several events for this year to benefit those initiatives and new ones on the horizon!

Here are ticket and other info for these events: 
* 7th Annual Brewing Awareness for Autism on Sat. April 20 at Birdsmouth Brewery in Oceanport, NJ. Purchase tickets here. 

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* Filling the Gaps on Saturday, June 1 at the Dublin House in Red Bank. This is not an Autism MVP event, but one that benefits our foundation and other autism-focused initatives. Buy tickets here. 

Inaugural Pickleball for Autism MVP, Thursday June 20 at the New Shrewsbury Racquet Club in Tinton Falls, NJ. Buy tickets here. 

10th Annual Walk Event, Sunday, Nov. 3 in Manasquan. Tickets will go on sale later in the spring. 

If your company is interested in sponsoring any or all of these events, please contact our Executive Director Keith Green at kgreen@autismmvp.org or 732-870-7977 (m).  

As we approach the 10-year anniversary of our first event this fall, we are grateful for our group of passionate and dedicated board members, volunteers, sponsors and those of you have attended events. All of you have made it possible for us to donate more than $200,000 in endowed and annual scholarships and programs at Monmouth University, Rutgers University and Temple University. 

Many thanks to Circle Hyundai, Central Reach, Jimmy's Kids, Monmouth University, Wawa and Friends of Cyrus for sponsoring our 6th annual Walk Event in 2020!

Thanks to our amazing sponsors and friends  who joined us for a rocking good time on April 29 at Birdsmouth Beer- and many others who made donations- more than $13,000 was raised for our scholarship programs at our Sixth Annual Brewing Awareness for Autism in April. 

The event was sponsored by Birdsmouth Beer, Circle Hyundai, CentralReach, (the #1 provider of ABA behavioral health software and services) and NJABA, ​which now offers free membership to students and behavior technicians. The  fun and energizing band, The 7th Realm, kept us rocking the whole evening!

Stay tuned for announcements this fall highlighting our scholarship winners from Monmouth University, Rutgers University and Temple University. 

Polar Bear Plunge Raises $10,000 for Autism MVP 
Friendly Sons of the Shillelagh of the Jersey Shore Host this Inaugural Event

​This inaugural event at D'Jais in Belmar featured nearly 100 Plungers and a jam-packed after party featuring The Holme Band. The Autism MVP Foundation and Belmar Junior Lifeguard Program were the beneficaries of this incredible event!

Above, FSOS Vice President Craig Coyle (left) presents Autism MVP Founder Keith Green with a check for $10,000. Many thanks to our FSOS friends, along with their volunteers, sponsors, and the Jersey Shore Pipes and Drums who made the event possible!

Walk Event Nov. 5 Raises More Than $20,000 for our Scholarship Programs

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Autism is a serious neurological disorder that can impair an individual’s ability to communicate, socialize, focus and learn. It has been proven that various therapies can help individuals on the autism spectrum show dramatic improvement to help them reach their maximum potential. The autism diagnosis rate in the U.S. is a staggering- 1 in 44 among 8-year old children. That figure equates to roughly 150 new diagnoses a day and approximately 60,000 children with autism entering our school systems each year.  In New Jersey, where the foundation is located, the diagnosis rates is 1 in 35, which is the highest in the country and equates to 3,000 children each year receiving an autism diagnosis. The challenge is that there are simply not enough educators and therapists to work with children with autism. 

Sixth Annual Brewing Awareness Event Raises $13,000

The Autism MVP Foundation is nonprofit organization that provides scholarships to graduate students who are pursuing careers that will improve daily life skill outcomes for individuals with autism. We are a volunteer-based organization. 

Our mission is to increase the number of autism-focused educators and therapists to meet the current and future needs of students on the autism spectrum.

We accomplish this by supporting unique training and professional development programs for teachers, therapists and paraprofessionals, and by providing scholarships to graduate students.

Our initiatives include:
1. A scholarship program for graduate students at Monmouth University, an endowed scholarship for Temple Universitygraduate students and an endowed program announced in 2022 for Rutgers University graduate students. All programs benefit students are committed to pursuing a career in the various fields that improve educational, social and daily life skill outcomes for individuals with autism. 

2. Funding the groundbreaking Autism Program Improvement Project with Monmouth University.

Tickets on Sale Now for Inaugural TopGolf Event on Sunday, Oct. 23

2024 Fundraising Events on Sale Now- Join us for our Traditional "Brewing Awareness" Event in April, our Walk Event in November and a New Pickleball Social in June!

The Autism MVP Foundation has underwritten the groundbreaking Autism Program Improvement Project with Monmouth University by donating $40,000 to date. 

More than 60,000 autism diagnoses annually in the U.S. has led to a serious shortage of autism-focused educators and therapists

Our Second Annual "Sunday with Santa" in December 2019 at Circle Hyundai was a huge hit! This sensory-friendly event provided the opportunity for children and their families to have their photos taken with Santa and Mrs. Claus.

For more info, visit www.circlehyundai.com or visit their showroom today!

Two of our scholarship winners from Monmouth University leading our Annual Walk Event! 

Join us for this fun event for the whole family at the TopGolf in Edison, NJ

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Join us for our first TopGolf tournament on Sunday, Oct. 23 from Noon- 3 p.m. at the TopGolf Edison! 

To purchase tickets-from a single ticket to a TopGolf "sixsome" (an entire bay) visit our TopGolf website. You can also find sponsorship information and purchase or commit to a sponsorship on the site! 

All ages are welcome! Your ticket includes three hours of TopGolf, a BBQ buffet, soft drinks and two beverage tickets for adults. We'll have awesome prizes and special guest appearances (check back here and on our social media channels). 

If you need more info, contact Keith Green at kgreen @ autismmvp dot org or 732-870-7977. 

Autism MVP Announces Endowed Scholarship

Program with Rutgers University

*Recipients will be Grad Students who want to work with adults affected by autism*

Story by Scott Fogdall, Rutgers University Strategic Advancement Communications

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The edge of a cliff—that’s how the first day after high school can feel to young adults with an autism spectrum disorder. Up to that point, most school districts provide a range of federally mandated support services, from transportation to speech-language therapy to behavior management. At graduation, it can all disappear.

Yu Yan wants to help young people with ASD transcend the “services cliff” and discover all the rewards of adulthood. A third-year doctoral student in the School Psychology program at Rutgers’ Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology (GSAPP), Yan will take her efforts to the next level thanks to a $31,500 grant from the New Jersey-based Autism MVP Foundation.

The grant and the fellowship it generates will enable Yan to undergo intensive training at the Rutgers Center for Adult Autism Services which focuses on working with ASD-affected adults. Located at Rutgers University–New Brunswick in a state-of-the-art building dedicated in 2021, the RCAAS welcomes people with autism into a supportive community where they can learn vital skills and determine their own paths in the adult world.

With training rooms, recreational areas, and many other advanced features, the RCAAS offers numerous opportunities for immersive training to advanced-degree students like Yan and other emerging professionals with a passion for developing autism support strategies. The Autism MVP Foundation fellowship is designed to bring the best and brightest of these trainees to the center.

The Autism MVP Foundation focuses on building, cultivating, and strengthening the region’s workforce of educators and therapists in the autism field. New Jersey parent and Autism MVP executive director Keith Green launched the nonprofit organization in 2015 after he and his wife Donna learned of their young son’s autism diagnosis.

“There is a desperate need for highly skilled, motivated, and experienced therapists and educators to work with adults who have autism,” says Green. “We are proud to partner with Rutgers University and RCAAS, which are doing an outstanding job of teaching and training our leaders of tomorrow. We hope this endowed fellowship program incentivizes students to further their careers and make a profound impact on adults who are affected by autism.”

SungWoo Kahng, associate professor in the Department of Applied Psychology at GSAPP and co-director of research at the RCAAS, lauds Green’s decision to provide the grant. “The Autism MVP Foundation is the only organization I know of whose mission is to support the training of personnel to help support individuals with autism,” says Kahng. “This is significant because of the shortage of qualified, highly trained clinicians.”

Kahng adds, “The Autism MVP fellowship will be particularly impactful because it helps to highlight an underresourced area of autism, support for adults with ASD. It will encourage and recognize students who want to pursue careers supporting adults with ASD.”

In the long term, creating the Autism MVP Foundation Endowed Fellowship will enable different students to receive crucial funding every academic year. Meanwhile, Yan looks forward to exploring new avenues of learning made possible by the fellowship. Expressing concern for “the growing numbers of youth with ASD who are entering adulthood each year and facing the ‘services cliff’ in employment, continuing education, or independent living,” Yan says she intends “to help young adults with autism become more independent and to manage all the demands of work and community life.”

“I am truly grateful to the Autism MVP Foundation for the fellowship support,” says Yan. “It allows me to focus on my studies supporting young adults with autism and maximize my professional growth and development.”

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