When we were kids growing up in LA County, Curt would take us to the beach when our parents couldn’t. What would ensue was a day of playful heckling and hysterical Curt quotes, many of which have stuck with us to this day. Those memories are what inspired this documentary. We set out to make a film about Curt, not autism. However, this project has introduced us to some incredible people and organizations in the autistic community, and we want to take this opportunity to talk about them: Best Buddies got Curt his job at William Morris Endeavor and has been working with him for over 17 years, Autism Speaks is highly reputable in the fields of research, advocacy, and awareness, and THERAsurf is a young organization that uses surfing as a form of healing, which the filmmakers also volunteer for on a regular basis. All three of these organizations have shown us tremendous support. We believe in what they do, urge you to learn about them, and get involved!
- Brendan & Jordan
AUTISM SPEAKS
Autism Speaks was founded in February 2005 by Bob and Suzanne Wright, grandparents of a child with autism. Their longtime friend Bernie Marcus donated $25 million to help financially launch the organization. Since then, Autism Speaks has grown into the world's leading autism science and advocacy organization, dedicated to funding research into the causes, prevention, treatments and a cure for autism; increasing awareness of autism spectrum disorders; and advocating for the needs of individuals with autism and their families.
WWW.AUTISMSPEAKS.ORG
BEST BUDDIES
Best Buddies® is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to establishing a global volunteer movement that creates opportunities for one-to-one friendships, integrated employment and leadership development for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Founded in 1989 by Anthony K. Shriver, Best Buddies is a vibrant organization that has grown from one original chapter to more than 1,900 middle school, high school, and college chapters worldwide. Today, Best Buddies’ eight formal programs — Middle Schools, High Schools, Colleges, Citizens, e-Buddies® , Jobs, Ambassadors, and Promoters — engage participants in each of the 50 states and in over 50 countries, positively impacting the lives of more than 900,000 people with and without disabilities around the world. In many cases, as a result of their involvement with Best Buddies, people with intellectual and developmental disabilities secure rewarding jobs, live on their own, become inspirational leaders, and make lifelong friendships.
www.bestbuddies.org
THERASURF
THERAsurf is a diverse collective of parents, professionals and members of the surf community committed to the belief that there is healing energy in the power of the ocean. Our goal is to provide children with special needs the opportunity to benefit from that positive energy by safely getting them into the water and up on waves. We help children and their families access the stoke of surf culture, and aspire to create a can-do environment in a world full of limitations.