CLIFFORD BEERS CLINIC
14th ANNUAL
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BUILDERS OF HOPE BREAKFAST
Fantasia
404 Washington Avenue
North Haven, CT 06473
Wednesday, March 29, 2017
7:30 - 9:00 AM
Featuring:
RON SUSKIND
Pulitzer Prize Winning Journalist & Author of Life, Animated: A Story of Sidekicks, Heroes, and Autism
RON SUSKIND
Pulitzer Prize-Winning Journalist & Author of
Life, Animated: A Story of Sidekicks, Heroes, and Autism
Ron Suskind is a seasoned, award-winning writer and speaker whose work has explored topics ranging from capitalism and poverty to race, ethics and our national health care system. He is the author of six best-selling books, the most recent of which — Life, Animated: A Story of Sidekicks, Heroes, and Autism — documents his family's two-decade struggle with regressive autism.
Life, Animated details the Suskind family's two-decade struggle with regressive autism. Using a technique called Affinity Therapy; the book recounts how the family broke through to their autistic son Owen by exposing him to Disney movies. Owen memorized the films, and the family used them as a pathway to communication. Ron's technique was demonstrated onstage at Comedy Central’s autism fund-raiser, Night of Too Many Stars, where Owen memorably acted out scenes from Aladdin with Gilbert Gottfried.
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His previous works include the New York Times bestsellers The Way of the World: A Story of Truth and Hope in an Age of Extremism, The One Percent Doctrine: Deep Inside America's Pursuit of its Enemies Since 9/11, and the modern classic, A Hope Unseen, An American Odyssey from the Inner City to the Ivy League.
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A globetrotting speaker who NPR hails as "a master storyteller with the lyricism of a poet," Suskind connects with audiences through intellect and humor, sharing unforgettable tales of power, perfidy, tragedy and triumph with astonishing insight and honesty. His approach intimately anecdotal as he speaks from his experiences as a journalist, author, teacher, pundit and father to an autistic son.
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Clifford Beers Clinic
MISSION
. . . is to provide accessible community-based mental health services and advocacy that promote health and resilient lives for children and families.
Clifford Beers is a mental health clinic serving children and families in the Greater New Haven area. Our focus is on working with children who have experienced trauma -- things like abuse, neglect, witnessing community violence, and loss of a loved one.
At CBC, we believe that in order to best care for a child, it is necessary to consider and, where appropriate, treat not just the child but the entire family. If we work with a child but place him or her back with a family that is struggling for one or more reasons, what progress can the child truly make? Thus, care may involve working with one or more additional family members, reviewing the family’s basic needs issues, or connecting with the child’s school and teachers. In this way we can best remove barriers to healing and help the child pursue a healthy, resilient and happy life.
Offering a wide variety of programs and services -- from individual, group and family therapy to providing a family with complete wraparound care -- the Clinic strives to ensure that children and families in our community can thrive.
Individuals Served Across All Programs
8878
Children Served
5481
Caregivers Served
941
Others Served
2456
Why Choose the
Builders of Hope Breakfast
Event Summary
Associate your business with the annual Builders of Hope breakfast, which has been convening members of the community for over a decade. Through this event we create a network of champions of like-minded individuals who want to bring attention to the work of Clifford Beers Clinic. This year’s event will focus on the growing need for autism services within the population of families we serve.
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More than 3,500 key community leaders have come together since this event began.
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Past notable speakers have included: Sapphire (author of the novel Push), Dr. Nadine Burke Harris (Founder and CEO of the Center for Youth Wellness, received 21st Heinz Award), and Joe Pantoliano (award-winning actor and mental health care advocate).
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Sponsorship opportunities including signage (printed and online), email promotion, and much more.
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Impact 300+ guests in attendance as well as thousands of individuals exposed to the event’s marketing.
Join with other community leaders such as AT&T, Frank H. Netter MD School of Medicine at Quinnipiac University, Yale-New Haven Hospital, and many more, who are all helping to strengthen families and build healthy communities.
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Take a look at the exciting packages on the Sponsorship Opportunities sheet to find one that fits your budget and marketing goals. We are happy to work with you to create a package that is tailored to your specific needs. Early support offers the greatest exposure.
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The corporate sponsors provide valuable support and allow 100 percent of the proceeds to benefit Clifford Beers Clinic’s autism services. Thank you for your consideration. We look forward to partnering with you for our 14th annual Builders of Hope Breakfast!
Life, Animated:
A Story of Sidekicks, Heroes, and Autism
IMAGINE being trapped inside a Disney movie and having to learn about life, language, and emotion mostly from animated characters dancing across a screen of color. A fantasy? A nightmare? Actually, it’s the real-life story of Owen Suskind, who is the son of the Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Ron Suskind and his irrepressible wife, Cornelia.
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Owen is also a boy with autism, which now affects an astonishing one in every one hundred children. While America’s two million autistic people are just as diverse as the wider population, many possess a subtle weave of gifts and challenges that, year by year, are revealing underlying—and often unrecognized—capacities of the human mind. What the journey of this boy and his family powerfully reveals: how, in darkness, we literally need stories to survive.
Our Supporters
CHAMPION SPONSOR
COMMUNITY ADVOCATE SPONSORS:
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COMMUNITY CHANGE AGENT SPONSORS:
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William T. Kosturko
Anne & Jeffrey
Godsey
COMMUNITY ALLY SPONSORS:
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Air Dynamic
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American Carting Company, Inc.
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Andie Asnes
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Bankwell Financial Group, Inc.
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BlumShapiro
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Dr. Alice Forrester
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Guilford Savings Bank
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The Gould Insurance Group, LLC
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Mosaic Printing
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Mutual of America
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Network Electric & Security, LLC
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Platinum Home Services
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Michael A. Riso
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Sigmund Software
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Stop and Shop Whalley Ave
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Barbara and Peter Strauss
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Debra Testa Lockton Companies
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Tina and Gerald Weiner
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WQUN AM 1220
COMMUNITY PARTNER SPONSORS:
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All American Waste
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Cartier & Bower, LLC, Law Offices of
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Community Health Network
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Evergreen Woods - Retirement Community
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Fiduciary Investment Advisers
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Fusco Corporation
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Lifetime Care at Home
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Marrakech, Inc.
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Outback Steak House - North Haven
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Quinnipiac University - Frank H. Netter MD School of Medicine
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Reid and Riege P.C.
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Saint Martin de Porres Academy
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William Oakley Photography
PATRON
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Hart Caparulo
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Catherine Chiles
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Ashley Clayton
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Trevor Doyon
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Nikki Travaglino & Associates
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Billie Ladd
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Pamela Lyle
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R & B Refrigeration
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Schreck Wealth Management LLC
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Yan Searcy​
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Dr. Pieter Yoost van Wattum
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Bernadette Welsh