The ACT Today! Holiday Auction is Closed!

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The ACT Today! Denim, Diamonds & Stars Holiday Auction is now closed.

Thank you for your participation. Your assistance provides treatment services and support to families to help their children with autism achieve their full potential.
Please contact us directly if you desire to purchase any items after the auction closed. All winners will be notified soon.

Our Cause

ACT Today! is a national nonprofit 501(c) (3) organization whose mission is to raise awareness and provide treatment services & support to families to help their children with autism achieve their full potential.

Their goal is to introduce and help facilitate early and on-going treatment by providing the necessary resources (including referrals, funding and guidance) to individuals with autism and their families. Studies demonstrate that early and intense intervention is important when treating individuals with autism, yet sadly many children with autism must go without vital interventions due to financial restraints. ACT Today! strives to provide necessary services so that each child with autism can reach his or her highest potential.

Organization Description. ACT Today!‘s Quarterly Grant Program has provided approximately 1,500 grants for autism care and treatment to children and adults with autism across the country. The average household income of ACT Today! grant recipients is below $30,000. In order to prevent fraud, funds are never distributed to the families; rather, treatment grants are distributed directly to recognized service providers. ACT Today! has provided grants for the following care and treatment services, including: Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) Therapy, speech and occupational therapy, bio-medical testing, supplements, assistive technologies (ie. iPad, communication apps), safety equipment (such as safety fencing, GPS tracking devices and autism service dogs), social skills groups, special needs summer camps, and many more.

In addition to direct service grants, ACT Today! has funded the Autism Film Program for Military Families to teach teenagers with high functioning autism job skills in the film industry. ACT Today! has funded Autismo y Familia, a free autism conference in Spanish to educate families from signs and diagnosis to community resources and how to obtain services.

A few of ACT Today’s major programs are the Quarterly Grant Program, ACT Today! for Military Families, ACT Today! Español, ACT Today! SOS, and Safety Today!

Leadership. The organization is formed as a national nonprofit 501(c) (3) organization and authorized under the laws of the state of California, and is led by Dr. Doreen Granpeesheh, the organization’s President and Nancy Alspaugh-Jackson, the organization’s Executive Director.

Dr. Doreen Granpeesheh is a world-renowned clinical psychologist and expert in the field of autism research and therapy. Dr. Doreen has worked with a wide range of patients from high-functioning children with autism to the most challenging individuals whose families have been told to give up hope. Dr. Doreen has an unparalleled recovery rate, enabling children with autism to lead independent lives. With a PhD in Psychology from UCLA, Dr. Doreen is licensed by the medical boards of California, Texas, and Virginia and Arizona State Boards of Psychologists and is a Board-Certified Behavior Analyst. She is the 2011 recipient of the American Academy of Clinical Psychiatrists' prestigious Winokur Award.

Dr. Doreen founded the Center for Autism and Related Disorders, Inc., (hereinafter "CARD") in 1990, the world's largest and most experienced organization effectively treating children with autism. CARD develops individualized treatment plans utilizing the principles of applied behavior analysis (ABA), a behavioral treatment approach which the scientific community has empirically validated. Under Dr. Doreen's leadership, CARD has seen success with every child over the past 20 years.

Nancy Alspaugh-Jackson is a former high-powered television producer turned author and activist on the subject of fearless aging and autism awareness. She co-authored Not Your Mother's Midlife: A Ten Step guide to Fearless Aging (Andrews McMeel) and Fearless Women: Midlife Portraits (Stewart, Tabori & Chang). She wrote and performed in the stage show Boomer Babes and has done motivational speaking to sold out audiences around the country. Alspaugh-Jackson is an Emmy-Award winning television producer and executive who pioneered the magazine program format with Westinghouse's PM Magazine. After serving as Vice-President of Group W Productions, she served as executive producer for a number of network and nationally syndicated programs, including the long-running NBC talk show, LEEZA. She has been honored with the United Press International Award, the Associated Press Award, the Gabriel Award, the Genesis Award, as well as having been named one of the Hollywood Reporters Women to Watch.