An exciting quarteback

CULTURE & SOCIETY

by THE OLBIOS TEAM

Doug Flutie, with his wife, Laura, has used his fame to help families get the help they need for their autistic children. Doug Flutie was an exciting quarterback for Boston College. He was small, but used his ability to elude bigger defenders to make astonishing plays. One 1984 play was so magical it bears his name: the Hail Flutie. The Doug Flutie, Jr. Foundation for Autism was established in honor of his son, Doug, Jr. who was diagnosed with autism at the age of three. They were fortunate to have the resources to provide their son with the educational opportunities, special equipment and tools necessary for Doug, Jr. to live a happy and rewarding life. They realized, however, that there are thousands of families of children with autism who struggle every day to pay for similar services. Thus, their primary objective became to provide families with a place to turn when they are in need of support and autism resources. They first began raising funds for autism in 1998 through a donor advised fund, under the management of the Giving Back Fund. Since 1998, the Flutie’s have helped raise millions of dollars for autism. The Foundation awards grants on an annual basis to nonprofit organizations that provide direct services, family support grants, education, advocacy and recreational opportunities for individuals with autism. The Foundation, in a partnership with Hewlett Packard has also distributed hundreds of computers to underprivileged families of children with autism in New York and New England. Doug Flutie_website Web site: http://www.dougflutiejrfoundation.org/

 

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