The Autism Society of Acadiana is dedicated to helping support families of individuals who fall within the autism spectrum. The group strives to educate, care for, and support individuals who are impacted by this condition and to create a community that embraces and enables impacted families.

The group’s latest campaign is called “Project Keep Our Kids Safe,” and its purpose is to prevent individuals suffering with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) from wandering away from their care providers.

Wandering away is a serious concern for families of someone on the spectrum because it puts them at great risk. Often, these individuals are attracted to water, roads or other dangerous sites, and they aren’t sure how to return home or ask for help in many cases. In 2016, Keaton Jones, a six-year-old of Youngsville, tragically passed away after wandering off, and his memory lives on through this newest project.

“Project Keep Our Kids Safe” intends on raising money for the purpose of purchasing GPS tracking device systems. These units will be distributed to members in need who have autistic relatives prone to wandering off.

These incredible GPS tracking devices provide peace of mind for parents and other family members because they are capable of providing live updates about the individual’s location, warning alerts when they travel too far from their boundaries and sending an alert when the person has unexpectedly stopped in an unknown area.

GPS tracking for autism can save lives, prevent children from going missing and reduce a parent’s overall anxiety levels. From 2011 to 2016, almost 33 percent of all ASD missing person cases related to wandering resulted in either the victim’s death or immediate medical attention for the ASD individual.

Organizers have announced an unprecedented $9,350 donation coming from Matt Steller of the Steller Foundation. They hope to be able to match that amount in other donations from autism awareness advocates by December 31 of this year.

If you are interested in making a donation, then please mail your contribution to the Autism Society Acadiana, 3108 W. Pinhook Rd, Ste 101, Lafayette, LA 70508. Please specify that your donation is for Project Keep Our Kids Safe.

Tis the season for holiday shipping. For businesses, that means increased packages that need to be delivered to customers across the city and around the world. Taking better care of your customers, to ensure they have a positive holiday shipping experience, can help your business far beyond the holiday shipping season. These tips can help.

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Christmas is coming. Chances are good that you have a new teen driver somewhere on your Christmas list. These gifts are ideal for teen drivers who are just beginning to get a taste of independence driving offers. Plus, some of them can help you feel a little more at ease about letting them on the road throughout the holiday season and beyond.

Quality Sunglasses

Whether your teen is driving in winter-weather conditions where snow glare is a constant problem or somewhere sunny and warm this winter, it is always a good idea for them to have as many pairs of quality sunglasses as possible. You want to buy sunglasses with appropriate protection from the sun’s rays as well as adequate glare reducing capabilities as well. Plus, a nod to fashion is something that’s never a bad idea.

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