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Schott Foundation Gives $1 Million to Center for Autism
Cleveland Clinic Children's Hospital has received a $1 million gift from the Harold C. Schott Foundation, expanding the program's tuition assistance fund.
The Harold C. Schott Family Assistance Fund will provide the means for a greater number of financially disadvantaged children to benefit from autism services, enabling them to receive the autism treatment necessary for their continued growth and advancement.
"We are extremely grateful for this donation and believe it will give more children with autism the opportunity for a life of greater independence," said Leslie Sinclair, Director of the Center for Autism. "The generosity of the Schott Foundation plants the seeds so that no family will be forced to forgo treatment for their child with autism due to financial constraints."
The tuition assistance program was initially developed in 2004 in response to the growing needs of financially disadvantaged families and children with autism. The amount of funding fluctuates widely based on the number of donations received, and not all families are granted assistance. Each year, families complete an assistance application and a committee carefully weighs each family's need.
"We were greatly impressed by the leadership of those at the Center for Autism and believe that there is a growing need for these services across our community," said Ms. Betty Mulcahy, Harold C. Schott Foundation board member. "Our hope is that this donation will allow more families and children the ability to receive the help that they need and perhaps lead them to a brighter future."
Since its inception in 1999, the Center for Autism has served more than 2,500 children and their families in the Cleveland area. In response to increasing community demand, the Center for Autism has developed a more comprehensive array of services for students of all ages with autism, including an early intervention and pre-school program, a year-round autism school, outpatient speech and language services, outreach consultation, psychological evaluation and treatment, and social skills programming.
It is estimated that over 25 families, or one-third of those with children enrolled in our program, are in need of tuition assistance.