Brandon’s Voice Bonfire Bonanza
Autism Acceptance: Ignite into Action!
It’s that time of year again, our spring event is almost upon us! From April 24th-April 29th we will be hosting online auctions and raffles using GiveSmart in support of igniting Autism acceptance into action!
REGISTER NOW!
100% of all proceeds will be used to fund autism education curriculums, job training, research on ASD as well as other tools and resources to help give everyone on the spectrum a more equitable and fair experience as they go through life, furthering the overall goal of neurodivergent inclusivity.
Our auction bundles span a wide variety of items from high-end liquor, sports collectibles, designer bags, and much more:
https://BrandonsBonfire.givesmart.com
All bids and tickets for raffles must be put in and bought by April 29th at 9pm. Winners will be drawn and notified immediately following the close of the event. If you were a lucky winner, we will reach out to you to coordinate the delivery.
If you want to feel the warmth of making a positive impact in the world, then join us in our bonfire celebration for inclusivity! Thank you in advance for all your support and generosity. If you have any questions or need more information, please reach out to us via our contact-us page.
TIMELINE OF EVENTS:
1) Monday, April 18th, 1PM: Brandon's Voice Bonfire Bonanza event t-shirts go on sale and are available until the end of the event
2) Sunday April 24th at 12 PM EST: Auctions and Raffles open.
3) Sunday April 24th at 5PM: Join us for a virtual happy hour where you can learn how to make a Knob Creek Smokey Maple Smash, a Berry Basil Bonanza, a Cherry Changer, and a Paloma Igniter from one of our volunteer bartenders, Jordan Thompson and Steve Wyle. Check this video out on our Youtube account.
4) Monday April 25th, 2PM-5PM: Be prepared for a barrel of laughs during a live comedy game show put on by Boss Breakers. Josh and Dylan will attempt to run the entire campaign of Tony Hawk's Underground 2 while providing comedic commentary. Make sure to tune into the whole stream as there will me multiple giveaways for entries into our Money Tower raffle, that's a free chance to win almost $500! You can watch their stream on their Twitch page.
5) Tuesday April 26th, 7PM: Chill out with Liz as she live streams a new play through of Cozy Grove. Watching her play this beautiful, sweet game will have you feeling a relaxed, wholesome vibe that we all need these days. Make sure to tune into the whole stream as there will be multiple giveaways for entries into our Money Tower raffle, that's a free chance to win almost $500! You can watch their stream on our Facebook page.
6) Friday, April 29th, 6:30PM: Look forward to a relaxing video of bonfire-side acoustic guitar played by Ryan Schor, posted on our Youtube account. These soothing tunes are the perfect way to light your spirit on fire for the end of our event.
7) Friday, April 29th, 8PM: It's time for the Powerball ticket drawing for $1000! Powerball sales will stop at 7:55PM, which is when Liz will start live streaming on our Facebook page. Make sure you follow us on Facebook to get the notification. Liz will bring the results to you in real-time for an exciting conclusion to our event.
8) Friday, April 29th, 9PM: The event officially ends. All bids and raffle entries must be in prior to 9PM.
9) Friday, April 29th, 10PM: All purchases will be finalized and charged
Autism Acceptance month for Brandon’s Voice means taking Action towards neurodivergent inclusion
Since last year, we’ve been posting and promoting blogs written by people on the spectrum via our Be a Voice for Autism initiative, read the entire collection on our site here, so that individuals with autism are able to have a direct voice in the conversation about their experiences. Providing these firsthand insights celebrates different perspectives of what it’s like to be neurodivergent in a neurotypical world.
This year for Autism Acceptance Month, we want to take our support a step further and ignite people’s passion for doing good, into direct action for improving neurodivergent inclusion!
If you’re trying to understand the concept of true neurodiversity inclusion, we find it relates back to the old saying, “variety is the spice of life”. A famous quote by William Cowper from his poem “The Task”, written in 1785, that is still just as relevant today as it was in the 1700s. Quite simply it means that doing and seeing a lot of different things makes life more enjoyable and interesting. Exposing ourselves to different experiences, cultures, environments, and people only helps to enrich our lives, teach us new skills and life lessons, and grow as successful and fully developed human beings.
Think of every new experience and interaction as metaphorically adding another spice to your seasoning’s cabinet. As the number of spices grows, so do the number of flavor combinations you can create, and in turn you are able to make richer, fuller, more complex meals than were possible before. You may even be able to find use of a previously forgotten spice, because it was too strong on its own, but now with a greater variety of spices you are able to find the perfect combination to bring out that spice’s true potential. Every single spice has its own value, and its own strengths and weaknesses. Spices also are not interchangeable; each has its own complex flavor profiles that present in their own unique way.
Just like spices, every person on this earth has their own unique profile of characteristics, we are all inherently unique. To fully embrace diversity, we must understand that each person, with their complex differences bring equal value into creating a rich, innovative, and well-rounded world. Often, neurodivergent individuals are highlighted by their characteristics that are different from those who are neurotypical, and more often how those differences could hinder their ability to positively contribute. That is not to the fault of the neurodivergent individual, but rather the inability of others to see the differences and find strengths within them. It is our job to not only accept those differences, but to also find the ways in which we can best incorporate them, because they too belong. Diversity is including everyone in our “spice cabinet”, but true inclusion is also about making the mix of spices work to create a recipe.
To create a more innovative, balanced, and beautiful world, we encourage all of you to find opportunities and new ways of incorporating and including neurodivergent individuals into all aspects of everyday life. Instead of highlighting differences in negative ways, we must find the opportunity within them. With intentional planning and creativity, neurodivergent individuals can bring their strengths into opportunities and create more beautiful recipes than we ever thought possible. It is our responsibility to ignite this change and promote the inclusion of neurodivergent individuals into all aspects of our lives and show the world the richness they can add. As stated by the second part of the quote from William Cowper, “Variety is the spice of life, that gives it all its flavor.”
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