Autism awareness

I want to take a moment to stress the importance of funding, research and education opportunities for the millions of people who live with autism every day.

Places such as Project Hope with their dedicated staff help their students reach their maximum potential through encouragement and focused teaching methods meant to unlock their hidden gifts.

But these programs are very underfunded from federal and state governments, causing great financial strain on everyday families to send their children to these schools, further depriving the world of these potential future leaders' contributions.

As a proud member of Alpha Phi Alpha and the Scottish Rite Masons, two great and respected organizations devoted to uplifting and serving the citizens of our communities, I urge you to let your local, state and national elected officials know the importance of fully funding programs for autistic individuals so they can lead a happy, productive life.

Brian Jones

Welford, South Carolina

Credit: By Brian Jones For the Deseret News