Fund it Forward, a student-led organization at USF, presented a $500 donation to the Center for Autism and Related Disabilities at USF (CARD-USF).
The group raised funds through several events during the academic year, beginning with a trivia night in October. The event, themed around Marvel and Halloween, brought together students and CARD staff and proved both fun and successful.
Fundraising efforts continued with “Dare Week,” a weeklong online campaign hosted on the organization’s Instagram that generated nearly $200. The fundraiser invited followers to donate specific amounts in exchange for watching executive board members complete humorous dares.
President Aashi Shah, a sophomore, said the organization selects beneficiaries based on causes proposed by its executive board members.
“Executive board members each have passion projects they present to the group along with organizations or causes they would like to support,” Shah said.
For fundraising chair Henry Word, a sophomore, that passion centers on supporting the autism community. During the academic year, Word served as a peer mentor with LAUNCH Academy.
Peer mentors in LAUNCH Academy assist students by helping them apply classroom learning to real-world situations, develop social skills and navigate campus life. The role also emphasizes building personal connections, such as shared recreational activities. For Henry and his peer, that is playing video games.
The donation will go to the USF Foundation’s Karen A. Berkman Innovation & Autism Fund, which benefits both CARD-USF and LAUNCH. The fund supports innovative and specialized projects that serve the autism community.
Christine Rover, assistant director for CARD-USF, said the funds will be used to support sensory spaces at community events. This includes an "adult chill lounge" planned for the upcoming Fiesta by the Bay for Autism fundraiser.
Rover said she is most excited about building lasting relationships with students who engage with CARD-USF and LAUNCH and seek to better understand autism spectrum disorder in their future careers and communities.
“Henry’s passion about autism and our mission was a true gift to CARD and LAUNCH,” Rover said.