Upcoming Events
- 3/24/2012
- 3rd Annual Vegas at Variety
- Wishing you could take a trip to Vegas? How about the next best thing? It’s time …read more...
- 4/7/2012
- Variety’s 3rd Annual Autism Awareness Night at Please Touch Museum
- The Please Touch Museum is opening it’s doors for the third year in a row exclusively …read more...
- All Events »
Mother Raises Over $10,000 to Support Other Children with Autism
Christine Fleming of Bucks County presents check for over $10,000 to Variety’s Katie Leach and Steve Wilmot
On Saturday, April 4th, 2009, Christine Fleming of Bensalem took on a huge project, all to raise awareness of Autism and to raise funds for an organization that has helped her family overcome major hurdles. Hundreds of people attended the Fleming Family’s Beef and Beer to benefit Variety - The Children’s Charity at the United German Hungarian Club in Bensalem, Pennsylvania. At the end of the night, Chris and her team of volunteers tallied their earnings and found they had raised a whopping $10,000 for Variety’s Autism Initiative and Camp.
Christine has a son diagnosed with Autism, and this summer, her co-workers pitched in enough money to send 9 year old Nick to The Variety Club Camp and Developmental Center. It’s the first time Nick, who is non-verbal, had been away from his family, and Christine says she was amazed at the progress Nick made in just that one week.
Christine says, "Everywhere you go, you’re looked at. Everyone’s staring." Nick Fleming was diagnosed on the Autism Spectrum when he was three. Now nine, he’s non-verbal and lacks the social skills many children his age thrive on. Nick’s lack of ability to express himself through words has caused Christine and her husband Bill great reluctance to entrust their son to the care of others.
However, this summer, after visiting the Variety Club Camp for a volunteer project, Christine and Bill made a life changing decision for their family - to send Nick to camp. After a week of camp, Nick was painting pottery, hitting golf balls, even performing in the camp’s theatrical production. Nick’s father, Bill was overwhelmed with his son’s performance. "To be around other children and to achieve that social interaction, it’s so incredible to see and it’s so important for all children to have that." Bill and Christine say Nick now asks his brother to play basketball, something he had never done before. Christine credits it all to Variety’s Autism Initiative. "It’s very important to raise money for this cause because there are so many parents out there that don’t have an outlet for their children. Any money that’s raised for these kids that lets them go somewhere and be themselves, it’s huge. For me, it was everything."
Variety would like to thank Chris for her support, both as a loving parent and as an avid cheerleader for Variety’s work with children in our community.
