Morgan Autism Center Awarded Large Grant From Mission City Community Fund

Last month, Morgan Autism Center was awarded a $4,000 grant from the Mission City Community Fund to help purchase a van for our Adult Program’s Community Integration Program. This program provides clients with vocational training, volunteer opportunities, and life skills training. They participate in a variety of daily activities ranging from recycling, volunteering at Hidden Villa (a local farm) and Guadalupe River Park, creating teaching materials for educators at Resource Area for Teaching (RAFT), taking classes at San Jose State University and participating in weekly art and dance classes at the Community School of Music and Art (CSMA). These activities are crucial for our clients as they not only teach valuable vocational and life skills, but also help with integration into the community.

Our Community Integration Program provides opportunities for our clients to get out into the community and work alongside neuro-typical peers. These interactions not only benefit our clients, but their peers as well. Individuals are given a chance to understand autism and learn to work and interact with others who are neurodiverse. This partnership builds a stronger and more accepting community.

We recently retired one of the vans used to take our clients out into the community. Thanks to the Mission City Community Fund, we are now able to purchase a replacement van which will enable clients to participate in these activities again. Thank you so much to Jeanne Katsuro and everyone at Mission City Community Fund for your support! Mission City Community Fund’s mission is to enrich the quality of life to [their] community residents. [They] focus on five areas of giving: social services, education, healthcare, theater and arts, and the environment.

Written by Lisa Lemke