by Jen Van Tieghem

Local brewery teams up with Autism Society

When summer rolls around in sunny San Diego, a simple rite of passage is on the mind of many children and families: going to camp. But for families of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), the cost and logistics of summer camp are not so simple.

With that in mind, the Autism Society San Diego started Camp Including Children with Autism Now (Camp I CAN) in 2002.

“I was one of the original founders of Camp I CAN,” explained Shirley Fett, executive board member and former president of the Autism Society San Diego. “I have two sons with autism myself … When my boys were younger, over a decade ago, I was starting to try and find camp programs for them. This camp was born out of a need that I saw for myself as well as lots of other parents.”

That need includes a camp with a low staff-to-camper ratio and one-on-one supervision at times. All staff members have prior experience working with children with ASD. The camp runs for eight weeks with a new group of children — ages 6–17 years old — attending each week. It is currently held at two YMCA locations: Toby Wells in Kearny Mesa and Palomar Family in Escondido. This year, Camp I CAN served about 120 children with ASD.

“We created the camp with a bunch of activities we know kids with autism really like to do,” Fett said. “Kids with autism usually don’t like to sit in a group doing art projects all day. [Campers] go on community-based outings everyday. They go to theme parks like Legoland or Chuck E. Cheese. They go to Birch Aquarium. They’re going to be busy every day.”

Hiring a sizable team of qualified staff and funding numerous outings isn’t cheap, however.

“The raw costs — gross costs if you will — for camp are about $700 per child, which is cost-restrictive for most families,” Fett said. “We try to raise enough money so that families end up paying only what they would for a typical camp that others would pay for. We also have financial aid for those [who] can’t afford that [and] try to offset the costs with fundraising.”

Fundraising for Autism Society San Diego is a constant process highlighted by events that seek the community’s involvement. In soliciting donations for one such event Fett came across Mike Hess Brewing.

“Mike Hess asked ‘Have you thought about doing a fundraiser at our location?’” Fett said. “They opened the door for us and said ‘Yeah we’d be willing to partner with you guys.’ This [type of event] has been on our list of to-dos for a few years and then this opportunity came up.”

The Autism Society San Diego organized a committee for the event comprised of volunteers and board members with Fett as co-chairperson. As all proceeds from the first ever Ales for Autism are committed to Camp I CAN, Fett stressed the positive impact that the camp has on children and families.

“It has meant so much to all of us,” mother Jenny Wirth wrote in a letter about Camp I CAN. “My son feels included, welcomed, befriended and liked … that is priceless. [Camp] gives my child a place to feel safe and bloom … It gives me a little respite because I know he is safe.”

The Ales for Autism committee’s efforts will come to fruition on Tuesday, Oct. 7 with their inaugural event starting at 5 p.m. at Mike Hess Brewing’s North Park tasting room, located at3812 Grim Ave. Advance tickets are only $25 and include four tasters of Mike Hess beers, as well as dinner and dessert from the New Orleans Food Truck parked out back. Attendees will also receive a souvenir tasting glass and the chance to win door prizes throughout the night. If the event doesn’t sell out, tickets at the door will be $30. On top of all that, Mike Hess Brewing will donate 10 percent of his sales for that entire day to the nonprofit.

The planning committee has also organized a silent auction, which will feature prize baskets with donations from local businesses, including Coles Fine Carpets, Cohn Restaurant Group, Starlite Lounge, West Coast Tavern, Hammond’s Gourmet Ice Cream, Splash Wine Lounge, Waypoint Public and many others.

“We are really excited about the response to the event so far,” stated committee member and Autism Society San Diego board member Angela Aiello. “We have already sold half of the available tickets and have gotten some great donations for the silent auction; it seems the San Diego craft beer culture pairs really well with community giving. If this fundraiser is successful, we hope to do more Ales for Autism events in the future.”

For more information and to purchase tickets to Ales for Autism, visit autismsocietysandiego.org.

—Contact Jen Van Tieghem at [email protected].