Cooking workshop offered for developmentally disabled children to benefit Autism Speaks

Developmentally disabled children will attend a cooking workshop and fundraiser, Sunday April 5, 2009 at 4:30 at the Young Chefs Academy in Claremont in observance of World Autism Awareness Day.

Events include cooking workshop, touch and smell stations designed for kids with sensory issues, and guest speakers for the parents.

Some special needs kids have allergic dietary restrictions and the workshop exposes participants to new foods in a fun setting.

All proceeds from the event go to the autism nonprofit Autism Speaks. It is free for families with special needs to attend. Businesses or individuals may sponsor a child for $25 each.

Guest speakers include: Grady Jennings, a financial planner specializing in economic planning for special needs families, Hitendra Shah M.D. a doctor specializing in autism treatment, and Philip Hain Executive Director of the Los Angeles Chapter of Autism Speaks.

For more information, contact Jess Block, Felten Media Services President, at 909-706-8525 or Leslie Sassaman, Young Chefs Academy Owner, at 909-625-7505.

ABOUT THE YOUNG CHEFS ACADEMY:
The Young Chefs Academy offers culinary-themed classes, mini-camps, and birthday parties for children and teens. The YCA gives kids the opportunity to discover the significance of cooking while building self-confidence and improving academic skills.

ABOUT GRADY JENNINGS:
As a widowed parent of a son with Down syndrome, Jennings’ realized first-hand the lack of qualified individuals available specializing in the financial issues relating to families with disabilities. In founding the Dignity Group – Ontario, Grady's goal was to empower these families while providing individualized services to them based on their unique circumstances, with no cost to them.

ABOUT AUTISM SPEAKS:
Autism Speaks is the world's largest autism advocacy organization, dedicated to increasing awareness of autism spectrum disorders, to funding research into the causes, prevention and treatments for autism, and to advocating for the needs of individuals with autism and their families.