Dear TACA Family:  

Since I started TACA, so many people have asked me, "How can I help?" I have always responded by telling them to take care of their family and beloved children.

In the last few years, we have asked you to go a little further - to reach out to your extended community of family and friends to raise awareness about autism and to help TACA raise funds to continue its mission of improving the quality of life for people with autism.

Many of our family, friends and colleagues have seen us go weeks without sleep, struggle to find appropriate services for our children, seen the effect of stress on our families, and listened to us cry about what the future holds for our beautiful children. They have often asked, "How can we help?" And often, we haven't known how to answer.

This is how the TACA Family and Friends campaign was born. This is a way for you to reach out to your circle, educate them about autism, and show them how they can help your family and so many other families like yours by contributing to the Family and Friends campaign. You have a tremendous ability to help children with autism through your extended network. Not only do we need more people to understand what autism is about, we also need them to know that TACA is there to help families like mine and yours.

The TACA community has come through in amazing ways - raising more than $112,000 over the last three years through this campaign. The difference those funds have made for families is staggering - we could not do what we are doing without your help.

This year the TACA family and friends campaign is even more important - as we are reaching out to so many more people. In late 2007, TACA expanded from California to the United States, more than doubling the number of families we are serving. We need your help to go even further this year and help us raise $100,000 to help TACA continue and expand its program throughout the United States.

Through your support you help TACA help your family and the many new families that receive the autism diagnosis each day. They need our help and strength as they begin this journey. We can't do this without you.

How often have we stumbled when answering these heartfelt outreaches from family and friends? While immediate family and close friends can be a blessing for families with autism, sometimes parents have a harder time receiving help from extended family and friends who are willing. It is often easier to turn down assistance, than to try and educate the person about autism or your child's needs.  

That's where TACA's Family  Friends campaign can help. TACA's Family  Friends campaign gives you the tools you need to help spread awareness about autism and support TACA among your friends and family members. Sometimes this campaign will be about receiving help for your own family, and other times it will be about how the people in your life can help the autism community through TACA and its mission to improve the quality of live for families living with autism.

This TACA "1 Too Many" Car Magnet fundraiser is TACA's next step in the Family  Friends campaign to help raise funds for TACA's efforts and to raise the level of understanding during April - national Autism Awareness Month.

We are asking TACA families to reach out to their circle of friends who might be interested in helping with autism awareness and fundraising for families with autism - this could be family, friends, neighbors, business colleagues, and the autism professionals you work with on a daily basis.

Ways to approach your Circle of Friends

ASK FOR YOUR FRIENDS  FAMILY KIT IN THE MAIL
Your Family  Friends Red Envelope includes:

• A personal letter from TACA Founder, Lisa Ackerman

• 5 "1 Too Many" Red Keychains

• 5 "1 Too Many" Postcards

• 5 TACA Brochures

• 5 TACA Awareness Cards

• A return envelope to mail donations back to TACA

To order your free kit, please e-mail susan@tacanow.org or call (949) 640-4401.

CREATE YOUR OWN, PERSONALIZED WEB SITE (with goal, pictures and email your friends family!)
Sign up at www.firstgiving.org/tacanow

It's easy to create and personalize your own web site using the clear online steps.

Email your family friends

• Watch donations come in!
• You and your family  friends receive incentives for participation in the mail!

$25-$99		Car magnet
$100-$249		Car magnet and t-shirt
$250-$999		Car magnet, t-shirt and baseball cap
$1,000+		All above items + TACA VIP Picnic Package for 4

TACA needs the support not just for your family, but for the families so overwhelmed they cannot even find the time to attend meetings, much less participate in a fundraiser. Families newly diagnosed, battling depression, or with serious marital problems. Through your efforts, your friends and family are brining some hope to families whose lives seem very dark.

THANK YOU! For your help with this fundraiser. Please see Lisa's letter for more info on why this is important, and keep up the great hard work you do for your family everyday!!