Tickets on Sale Now for Wine, Craft Beer-Tasting Autism Fundraiser

Wine & Craft Beer Tasting - 3rd Annual Event
Saturday, March 5th - 7pm - St. Barbara’s Church, Orange, CT

Yale Child Study Center Professors Frederick Shic, Ph.D. and James McPartland, Ph.D. are confirmed guest speakers at the third annual Wine & Craft Beer Tasting Fundraiser event hosted by the Bethany Leapley Autism Spectrum Disorder Scholarship Fund on Saturday, March 5th at 7pm at St. Barbara’s Church in Orange, Connecticut. Dr. Shic will discuss “Enhancing Physical Fitness Programs for ASD Through Technology” and Dr. McPartland will discuss “Advancing Autism Treatment by Developing Biomarkers”. The event, emceed by award-winning Fox CT News Reporter Tony Terzi, will also include music by DJ Jay, hors d’oeuvres catered by Orange’s popular Ola Restaurant, desserts, a selection of fine wine donated by Connecticut Distributors, as well as an assortment of craft beer donated by a local distributor, and a silent auction including coveted tickets to the Walter Camp Football Foundation’s 2017 Black Tie National Awards Dinner, Red Sox vs. Yankees tickets, and many more.

Funds raised from the previous two annual events currently fund thirteen scholarships for ASD individuals to benefit them from one-on-one personal training and small adaptive group classes at the ASD Fitness Center in Orange, CT. The ASD Fitness Center is a ground-breaking facility and service providing a safe, comfortable, and structured environment for empowering ASD individuals to improve their level of physical fitness, nutrition and social/emotional well being. Currently in its second year, the ASD Fitness Center has demonstrated that the result of exercising for those with ASD provides a boost in confidence, improved social awareness, and decreased anxiety. “We are grateful to everyone who participates in the annual benefit which enables us to continue, and hopefully increase, the number of scholarships offered each year,” states Adam Leapley co-founder of the ASD Fitness Center.

This year, the Yale Child Study Center has given the green light to Dr. Shic and his colleagues and team members, including Pamela Ventola, Megan Lyons, Marilena Mademtzi, Laura Boccafuno, Quan Wang, Michael Perlmutter, Stephanie Valencia, Beibin Li, Erin Barney, Claire Foster, Amy Ahn, and Logan Hart, to begin a formal study at the ASD Fitness Center. The study will measure exactly how fitness is helping individuals on the spectrum and will explore how technologies, such as video games, eye tracking, robotics, and virtual reality tools, can be used to maximize these benefits. These technologies will be introduced at the fundraiser event on March 5th. “Fitness is important for all individuals throughout society, but for those with autism in particular, the effects can be magnified,” says Dr. Shic. “Fitness can provide global benefits and can dramatically enhance aspects such as mood, confidence, social behavior, and overall quality of life for individuals with ASD. We are excited about learning more about these effects and how we may promote even more positive outcomes.”

The Bethany Leapley ASD Scholarship Fund, established by Adam and Dedra Leapley in honor of Adam’s mother who fought a 25 year battle against breast cancer, was created to provide financial assistance to those who cannot afford supervised training and adaptive group classes including karate, yoga, circuit cardio, strength training, team building and the newly added Zumba-type classes at the ASD Fitness Center in Orange. The concept of the importance of exercise for those with special needs, as introduced by the ASD Fitness Center, has been embraced by many people and organizations throughout New Haven and Fairfield Counties. In addition to the Yale Child Study Center, several local schools have requested adaptive P.E. programs for their special needs students and Chapel Haven, known for its’ award winning program for serving adults with autism and other developmental disabilities, has partnered with the ASD Fitness Center to offer an adaptive fitness program for the adults they serve.

“The annual Wine & Craft Beer Tasting event has something for everyone and we have received great feedback about this annual event from the community, businesses, philanthropists, and friends and family of those with ASD. ” continues Leapley. “It has been sold out each year and we encourage those interested to secure their tickets right away via the Bethany Leapley ASD Fund website. Our goal is to help as many adults and children with Autism Spectrum Disorder as possible and the Scholarship fundraisers help us reach people who do not have the means for this unique and impactful type of support. ”

For questions about the Wine & Craft Beer Tasting Fundraiser or the ASD Fitness Center, please email ASDScholarship@gmail.com. To learn more about the Bethany Leapley ASD Scholarship Fund, for event tickets or donations, go to www.BethanyLeapleyASDFund.org. To learn more about the ASD Fitness Center, please visit www.asdfitnesscenter.com.

The Bethany Leapley Autism Spectrum Disorder Scholarship Fund is a 501c(3) nonprofit organization and is registered with the State of Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection Public Charity Unit. Please consult your tax advisor regarding deductibility. Tax ID number is available upon request.

TICKETS:
Tickets for the Wine & Craft Beer Tasting Fundraiser, held at St. Barbara’s Church at 480 Racebrook Road, in Orange, Connecticut on March 5th, are $100 per person. Discounted pricing for tables for eight are $725 and tables for ten are $900. Tickets must be purchased in advance while supplies last. The event last year was sold out. Tickets can be purchased online at www.BethanyLeapleyASDFund.org. Payments made by checks should be payable to The Bethany Leapley ASD Scholarship Fund and mailed to: Bethany Luna, at 17 Cannonball Road, North Haven, CT 06473. Donations for those unable to attend are also graciously accepted.

SPONSORSHIPS & SILENT AUCTION DONATIONS:
In addition to tickets available for purchase to attend the event, there are other ways to support the Scholarship Fund. Donations for the silent auction are welcomed and there are four levels of sponsorship available: Platinum $5000 (Full page program ad, table of 10, banner identification, and website & social media identification); Gold $3000 (Half Page program ad, table of 10, banner identification, and website & social media identification); Silver $1500 (Quarter page ad, table of 8, banner identification, and website & social media identification); and Bronze $500 (Quarter page ad, banner identification, and website & social media identification).

BIOS:

FREDERICK SHIC, Ph.D.

JAMES C. MCPARTLAND, Ph.D.