Today is the start of my 100 PAINTINGS campaign. The goal is to sell 100 PAINTINGS before the deadline of July 31^st. My motivation for the campaign is my son Knox. I will be blogging and documenting our progress through my website.

In January our son Knox was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. Since the diagnoses we have been working to help Knox through therapy and early interventions. So far, this experience has been humbling. We have met wonderful people along the way. There have also been moments of sheer panic and anxiety. A lot of moments when you question why this is happening. Will he get better? What will our future look like? Then of course Knox does something truly amazing, like blurting out his first sentence without our help. It is in these moments that we are uplifted and our worry starts to disappear. Knox is incredible and has done so well. He meets new people on a regular basis now. He has had evaluation after evaluation and at first what seemed to be very uncomfortable has turned into a routine for him. He’s quite the social butterfly.  Knox has people smiling when he greets them and he blows kisses on his way out the door. They love him!

Knox has been at home for the past 5 months and our search for a new school has begun. We found a wonderful program at the JCC in Houston called STARS. This is an early childhood intervention program designed to enable preschool children with special needs. Knox will get speech, language therapy and the occupational therapy that is recommended for him. He will also be integrated into a traditional preschool classroom over time. We are thrilled! Although financial aid has been made available to us, we need a little more help to offset the cost of tuition. Autism is treatable and we have hope that Knox will just keep improving. We have already seen improvement. Children with autism do progress, but early intervention is key! We know that this is the right place for Knox to get what he needs at his age.

Those of you who know me personally know that I am a painter. More specifically, I am a painter of pet portraits. I have also been teaching art for ten years. Summer is coming and I have been looking for work. In my mind I envisioned a job that would help us through this. On my search, I realized and asked myself, “Why not do what is completely natural to me?” And so, this is where my 100 PAINTINGS Campaign started. This will support one of the most important causes I have ever supported, our Knox. One of the most meaningful goals I have ever had. I have never been so motivated!

So, what are the many ways you can help:

• Buy a painting
• Donate money for supplies
• Donate directly to the cause
• Share this with friends
• Pray for our family

Something cool happens when you share your story. You find people who have similar experiences. People become more understanding, compassionate and you find people who want to help in any way they can. We have seen this firsthand. We are grateful to everyone who has helped us so far. We know that Knox will do great things.  On behalf of my husband Mike and myself, thank you for taking the time to listen.

With gratitude,

Margaret

Pet Portraits

Send me a photo of your pet, color choice for the background and the size you want.

9″x 12″ Canvas is $100.00

16″ x 20″ Canvas is $150.00

Contact me if you have questions.

Email/PayPal: margaretalvarez2010@yahoo.com