ManUp50:50 Miles for ISMILE: Why We Need Your Help

On April 3, 2011, Damect Dominguez ran 50 miles, from Delray Beach to South Beach, in an effort to raise $40,000 for summer camp tuition for a special group of autistic children. What began as a very simple and personal goal has evolved into something greater than ever imagined.

ISMILE* is a non-profit autism outreach program in Miami Springs, FL which strives to help children with autism discover their true abilities. In response to the large demand for effective programs in South Florida, they began the institute to help parents with the high cost of quality therapies.

For the most part, ISMILE serves low income parents who otherwise could not afford the level of treatment and support they get for their children. During the regular school year a big part of the cost is covered by government subsidies. Unfortunately though, parents are left to bear the entire burden of the cost of summer camp by themselves. For most parents this is not a possibility.

Without summer camp these kids can very easily backtrack and lose any progress made during the regular school year. We can do something about this.

Damect ran 50 miles to create the awareness needed to help ISMILE and Dare2Live Events & Adventures** raise enough money to cover the cost of sending every autistic child in ISMILE to summer camp.

To learn more about ISMILE please visit: ismileflorida.org
To learn more about autism please visit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autism

* Institute for Special Minds Interacting in a Learning Environment (ISMILE)
**ISMILE originally reached out to and has since partnered with Dare2Live Events & Adventures to help them with the fundraising.

You can help by donating or by joining the team!

If you donate, you are a great person!  Plus, if you donate to the team that brings in the most money, you and everyone else on that team will get to go to an exclusive Dare2Live event for free!

If you join the team, you are an out-of-this-world awesome person!  Start or Join a Project Team if you want to go beyond donating money and get more involved by spreading the word about the Project to your friends, family, co-workers, etc. Everyone on the Team gets their own Project Page with the click of a button so we make it quick and easy to join the Team.  Plus, in addition to attending an exclusive Dare2Live event for free if your team fundraises the most money, team captains are eligible for over $20,000 in prizes including running shoes, bikes, spa packages, and much more!