autism

Jenny McCarthy, as the spokesperson for Talk About Curing Autism (TACA), will be joined by Lance Armstrong in hosting Ante Up For Autism, a celebrity charity poker event. The night will also include a live a silent auction.

Some of the celebs planning to ante up are Tony Hawk, Ryan Sheckler, Jim Everett, to name a few. The event is open to the public, with a $500 per person buy-in just to attend and a $1000 buy-in to take part in the poker tournament, so if you’re near the Regis Hotel in Monarch Beach/Dana Point, California this Friday, don’t say there’s nothing fun to do!

If you’re not in the area, or just don’t have $500 or more to throw around, you can make a smaller purchase and still help out — Ante Up For Autism playing cards are available for just $5.50 here. You can purchase tickets there as well, but you should know that they’ll only be available until Thursday, October 2 at 5 p.m. PST. Or, you can take part in the silent auction at this website.

If you’re just interested in learning more about the Ante Up For Autism Event, check out their website (and you tell me — does that picture look anything like Jenny McCarthy? What kind of photoshopping did they do?).

Ante Up For Autism playing cards can be purchased from TACA for $5.50.

Photo courtesy of celebrity-moms.blogspot.com

Jennifer Lopez is well-known for her diva-like demands and over-the-top lifestyle, but that’s not all there is to Jenny from the block. The singer/actress/new mom took time out of her schedule to give some autistic children in New York an amazing experience by performing at their graduation.

The kids’ teacher, Kathy Amati, and a paraprofessional showed Jennifer’s Let’s Get Loud video to the students, who loved it so much that they wanted to watch it every single day. They learned the lyrics and the dance moves, and with some coaxing from their teachers, sent a letter to Jennifer with the hopes of getting some pictures or autographs. They got a whole lot more.

Upon receiving the request, Jennifer went above and beyond anything the kids or their teachers had dreamed of — she contacted them and asked if she could to the kids’ graduation. And so, earlier this week, Jennifer not only attended the graduation — she performed Let’s Get Loud for the 10 and 11 year olds.

Big kudos to Ms. Lopez! I’m sure those kids and their families will remember her generosity for years to come, and I’d imagine she’ll feel good about it for just as long!

Photo courtesy of askmen.com

Jenny McCarthy and her boyfriend, Jim Carey, led a rally in Washington, D.C. last week for Green Our Vaccines. Jenny’s six-year-old son is autistic, and Green Our Vaccines is a program through TACA (Talk About Curing Autism), which Jenny is very involved with.

The goal of the rally was to “demand Congress take action to Green Our Vaccine supply while reassessing our current vaccine schedule. Ask Congress to reenact legislation that would eliminate mercury and other toxins from our children’s vaccines, study the instance of Autism and other neurological disorders in vaccinated versus unvaccinated children, and to extend the statute of limitation to allow all children affected by vaccine induced Autism to file in the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program.”

Autism is on the rise, and many parents blame the increasing number of vaccines that children are given at a young age. The rally didn’t aim to get people to avoid vaccinating their children –Jenny and Jim support immunization. However, they feel that children are receiving too many vaccines too soon, and want parents to do their research before giving kids their shots to find the least toxic options.

Photo courtesy of babble.com

Jon Stewart, host of The Daily Show on Comedy Central, is set to host the second ever Night of Too Many Stars: An Overbooked Benefit for Autism Education.

This fundraiser was last held in October, 2006, and raised over $2.6 million for schools and educational programs for autistic children and adults. This year’s event will be shown live on Comedy Central and will be simulcast on ComedyCentral.com. It will be held on April 13 at New York’s Beacon Theater. Tickets are currently on sale through Ticketmaster.

Oh, and in case you’re thinking about attending, there’s more to see than Jon Stewart — Will Ferrell, Steve Carell, Adam Sandler, Tina Fey, Stephen Colbert, Conan O’Brien, Sarah Silverman, and Amy Poehler are all scheduled to perform stand-up routines. You can also expect to see Matthew Broderick, Kevin James, Jonah Hill, Rosie O’Donnell, and Susie Essman there.

The benefit was organized in part by Robert Smigel — you might remember his most famous character (although I hope for your sake that you don’t), Triump the Insult Comic Dog, who will also be in attendance. Smigel’s son, Daniel, is autistic.

Photo courtesy of jon.happyjoyfun.net