Road Trip for a Great Cause

Jon Singer and his 14-year-old daughter, Rebecca, will be setting off on a special father/daughter road trip in mid-April. Theirs, however, is no ordinary vacation. Jon and Rebecca will be making an epic 3,500 mile, cross-country journey from New York to California to raise $1 million for charities helping children with special needs and to promote parent advocacy. Their cause, Drive4Rebecca, is named for Rebecca, who suffers from a rare genetic disorder called Phelan-McDermid Syndrome, which causes autistic tendencies. “Kids with special needs are at a huge disadvantage when their parents don’t know their rights or are unable to advocate for the best education,” said Jon.  “Let’s not leave these children behind.”

The Drive4Rebecca, which originally kicked off with a cross-country driving tour in 2002, is a journey of hope to support research, education and advocacy, and to ensure that children with special needs are, indeed, not left behind. During their next 10-day adventure, Jon and Rebecca will give families in seven cities across the country the opportunity to associate a “real face” with their cause.  Drive4Rebecca also hopes to help parents become stronger advocates. “As my family learned first-hand, there is still a long way to go toward helping families to become stronger advocates for their children. I can think of no better way to assist in this battle than by joining my daughter in a cross-country drive, allowing us to share our story with other families along the way to encourage parents to stand up and be strong when advocating for their children,” Jon said.

Jon and Rebecca’s cross-country trek will also promote the use of specialized Apple technology that can assist individuals with disabilities. Families will have the opportunity to join Jon and Rebecca for special celebrations along their route and at select Apple stores during their trip. They will also be the honored guests of Protected Tomorrows at a special event to be held at our Protected Tomorrows LifeCare Center (Lincolnshire, Illinois) when they arrive in the Chicagoland area in April.  More information on this event will be published in our next Protected Tomorrows Today e-newsletter and will be listed on our Events and Workshops calendar at www.protectedtomorrows.com. Drive4Rebecca’s mission aligns very closely with that of Protected Tomorrows, and we are very excited to be able to host this event in an effort to bring heightened awareness to their cause.

In conjunction with their $1 million fundraising goal, individuals will be able to make donations through Crowdwise.com, an online fundraising site started by actor Edward Norton. This site allows individuals to select any charity they wish to help children with special needs.

If you would like to meet Jon and Rebecca along their route, or would like more information about the Drive4Rebecca cause, visit their website at www.Drive4Rebecca.org.