Celebrate with us the premiere of "Choosing To Be a GFF" on March 27!

We couldn't be more thrilled to announce the first public screening of our latest original, independent film, "Choosing To Be a GFF [Good Friend Forever]".  Since last May, we've been writing, auditioning, casting, filming, directing, tweaking, editing, producing, and laboring over this enormous project, which will create autism awareness and teach peer acceptance to middle school audiences.  Though it's still not finished, we know it will all come together in time for you to join us at Carroll University in Waukesha, Wis., at the Stackner Ballroom, beginning at 3 p.m. on Sunday, March 27th.  Attire is formal in honor of the 19-member all-student cast who will attend with their families, also seeing their work on the big screen for the first time.  It should be an event to remember!

Space is limited in the venue, so we encourage you to register at your earliest convenience here: http://www.goodfriendinc.com/premiere.html
Each guest needs to have a separate entry.  Seating will be general admission, except for our VIP guests (actors and up to four of their relatives and/or best friends), who will have priority arrangements.  If you are a VIP, please put "VIP" and the correlating actor's first name after your last name in the field.

We have created a Facebook event for this as well: Red Carpet Premiere Party.  While indicating attendance on this Facebook event will NOT automatically include you on the registered guest list, this will be the place we post the latest information as details develop.  So if you're so inclined, you may want to let us know you're coming there, too.

The Autism Society of Southeastern Wisconsin has given a generous $2,000 grant toward the film's production, and The Practical Club (Waukesha) will be a Red Carpet sponsor of the event.  Would you like to know more about sponsorship opportunities for either the film, the event, or both?  Please contact Chelsea Budde, 414-510-0385.

We look forward to seeing you next month!  Feel free to contact Chelsea or Denise with any questions.

Happy New Year!

What will 2011 mean for you and the students in your life?  Will it be a year full of friends and inclusive opportunities in education?  Will you ride out the rest of the school year accepting a certain level of social and/or academic shortcomings in exchange for a relative peace in the classroom?  Would you be surprised to know that research indicates peer support improves both social and academic outcomes for both the student with special education needs and his/her mentor (Carter et al, 2008)?

Good Friend, Inc. is looking forward to all this year has to offer.  We might not have secured that Pepsi Refresh grant, but our middle school film Choosing To Be a Good Friend Forever will still be released this spring.  To date, all research supporting our programs has been anecdotal, but a Wisconsin university will soon undertake a study to prove the effectiveness of both our Peer Sensitivity Workshop and our staff in-service.  (If you want your Waukesha or Jefferson County school included, contact Chelsea Budde.)  And we're getting ready for our 3rd annual Hoa Aloha Autism Awareness Bowling Event on April 3 at New Berlin Bowl.  (Watch our website for online team registration beginning February 1.)

With all things being new again, maybe you're ready to jump in and support our autism awareness-acceptance-empathy™ mission on a whole new level.  If so, check out our opportunities posted at the Volunteer Center's website.  If you are looking to make another kind of contribution, perhaps through membership, check this out and click on the Membership page.

Here's to a year of healthy social relationships!  Let us know how Good Friend can support your school's goals in that regard.  Call Chelsea at 414-510-0385, or Denise at 262-391-1369.

Are you one of our 2,637 Cause members?

This week especially, we are thankful for each one of you! There is strength in numbers. Be counted. 

a non-political vote solicitation

EVERYONE can get behind this candidate!

Please vote daily in November from your phone (text 103636 to 73774) and/or using your email address at the Refresh Everything website.  Our idea is coming up the ranks slowly but surely.  The top 100 vote-getters from the previous month which weren't funded become the next month's top ranked, whereas the new ideas start at the bottom rungs.  Let's show the world we believe in awareness, acceptance, and empathy!

How refreshing!

Beginning November 1, we'll need two minutes of your time every day through November 30.  And before we get there, we need you to recruit all your friends.  We have an opportunity to secure a $25,000 grant from the Pepsi Refresh project for the production of our middle school video.  Not only will this fund the project from screenplay to credits, but it will also allow us to place a DVD in every Autism Society of America chapter in all 50 United States!

To register to vote, each person with an email address creates a profile with their email address and a password at http://www.refresheverything.com/. Take a look around the site now and get used to voting for your favorite ideas.  You have a chance to vote for 10 different ideas daily.  Note that you must log in before your vote will be counted.  So after you've entered your email address and password, you still have to type in the two scrambled words before you can vote. After you vote, you can share your favorite ideas on Facebook and/or Twitter.

Our idea isn't live yet, so don't bother looking.  What we're doing now is directing people to our Facebook page specifically for this grant.  By Liking this page, you'll be able to spread the word more easily on FB and we'll be able to remind you every day in November to vote.  If you'd rather have an email reminder, just email Chelsea or Denise and we'll put you on a list.

Do you have a wi-fi equipped laptop?  Would you be willing to host a voter event at a restaurant, coffee shop, school campus, or other wireless Internet access hot spot in your neighborhood next month?  If so, let us know!  We'll get you equipped with the necessary information to get voters registered and voting for Good Friend.

Thanks for supporting this important project!!

And they're off!

The first month of a new school year is nearly behind us already.  In speaking with some parents and educators last night at our 3rd Annual Membership Meeting, it might have been quite a learning curve, with some of the rough edges needing smoothing out.  Inclusion of all learners of all abilities in the classroom (and on the playground) can be a challenging job -- but we know it is always rewarding!  So if you're still on shaky ground, we offer you the pearl Paula Kluth shared at last week's Autism Society of Wisconsin Fall Conference: "Don't give up five minutes before the miracle happens!"

What we also need to be careful of the very real problems of bullying and disability harassment.  Make no mistake -- these anti-social behaviors can lead to suicidal ideation.  We want to be sure all children can receive a free, appropriate education (FAPE) in the least restrictive environment (LRE).  All learners deserve to feel safe in their school.  Consider having Good Friend come to do an assembly on or around Oct. 20 -- a day designated for students to say, "The End of Bullying Begins with Me!"

Did you know our 3rd Annual "Tackling Autism Awareness" silent auction FUNdraiser will be held at Steinhafels  in Waukesha on Saturday, Nov. 6, from 1-4 p.m.?  We hope you have already marked your calendar.  If not, please do!  We're looking forward to a family-friendly event where folks can get their holiday shopping done and be entertained, all while supporting autism awareness, acceptance, and empathy.  If you have an item or collection of things (as in for a package or basket) to donate to the auction, please get in touch with us (Denise 262-391-1369; Chelsea 414-510-0385).

Would you be willing to distribute event flyers and/or posters in your community in early October?  We need LOTS of people to come to Steinhafels on Nov. 6, so we need you to help us spread the word!

Happy Birthday, Good Friend!

This week, Good Friend, Inc., celebrates the third anniversary of its incorporation.  And coincidentally, co-founder Chelsea Budde celebrates her birthday this month also!  Please consider making a donation in honor of these events either directly through our website, or at our Facebook Cause.  Your gift will help us fund our second video -- this time for a middle school audience.  Filming has already begun on this enormous undertaking, which now boasts a cast of 19 and a crew of 6.  We hope to release the DVD in early 2011, but we won't be able to do that without your support!  We appreciate your consideration, and hope you enjoy these remaining weeks of summer.