How a Heart of Variety Grant Helped Keep Hunter Safe
For Hunter's mom, Vivian, safety isn't an abstract concern. Hunter has severe Level 2 autism, and like many children on the spectrum, he faces a serious risk of elopement — wandering or bolting from a safe environment, often without warning.
The statistics behind that risk are sobering. Nearly half of children with autism attempt to elope from a safe environment, a rate almost four times higher than their non-autistic siblings. Drowning accounts for the vast majority of deaths following wandering incidents among children with autism, making it the leading cause of death in this population. Children with autism are far more likely to die from drowning than their neurotypical peers, and more than a third of children who elope are unable to communicate their name, address, or phone number when they're found.
For Hunter, that means swim safety isn't a nice-to-have. It's life-saving instruction.
How a Heart of Variety Grant Made a Difference
Thanks to a Heart of Variety grant from Variety Texas, Hunter has been able to access the swim lessons and safety-skills instruction that measurably lower his risk every single time he's near water.
As a single mother carrying the full weight of Hunter's care — coordinating therapies, appointments, providers, and paperwork — Vivian says the support meant more than funding a service. It lifted a portion of the weight off her shoulders, and reminded her that she and Hunter aren't carrying this alone.
Every Grant Makes a Difference
Every Heart of Variety grant works this way. It turns into safer days at the pool, calmer moments at home, and access to adaptive equipment and therapy that's often hard to find elsewhere — a little more peace for a family doing everything they can for their child.
Your gift helps make grants like Hunter's possible. Donate today or apply for a grant if your family could use support.
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