The Official Trailer

If ever there were a story that embodies  the heart of America, it’s the story found in families and individuals affected by autism.

As people often fret about America, one can’t help but hear the daily drumbeat of how folks have their best days behind them. To many so-called authorities, the situations faced by individuals and families dealing with autism are hopeless, as they seek to define for others what is “normal.” Many parents attempt to navigate a system that is corrupt and/or inept and lose hope while their support systems crumble, leaving them to go it alone. Yet, in the face of such obstacles, some manage to rise above the fray. What drives them? Who are these people and how are they changing their communities?

This was the quest of one man who undertook  a 40 day journey across the American landscape to find the answers for his family and son. With interviews that include the widest spectrum of backgrounds – each conducted  in the participants’ original language -  the film weaves a broad and compelling tapestry  across the spectrum of American life in all its faiths, disparities, colors, and cultures. What he learns along the way will change not only his life, but the lives of those he meets, forever. It’s a story about the best days that still lie ahead for our nation, the families, and the people who give America its heart.

How the Project Came About

The Idea

Sugey Cruz-Everts was writing a book on various cultures and how they dealt with autism. As a first generation hispanic, she knew from her experiences, as well as families from different cultures all around the nation, that autism became a different struggle for every family. One day she discussed with her husband, Richard Everts, about the idea of putting a documentary together to go with the book. Their initial idea was to talk with 4-5 families in the Northeast of the United States. Little did they know what would happen a few months later.

The Pepsi Refresh Project

In December of 2009, one of our board members came to the Tommy Foundation with this new fangled thing she heard called the Pepsi Refresh Project, which was set to debut in February. Pepsi bypassed advertising in the Superbowl and decided instead to give the money away to charities in a monthly voting contest. The best ideas would receive the most votes and the charities could win anything from $5,000 to $250,000 for their project. Ten awards would be given to all the categories, except the $250,000, which would have two awardees.

We decided to be one of the first contestants, so we put our names in the January slot for $50,000. That month we came in 14th place, just missing qualifying, and were automtically re-entered for March. From the momentum we had at the end of the previous month, we started March in 1st place and continued to hold a position in the top ten through the end of the month. On April 1st, at 12:01 am, we knew that we had placed in 8th place and were going to be awarded the first Pepsi Refresh Project grant for autism in the nation.

Putting Everything Together

We went through a lot of paperwork with Pepsi to make sure we were legitimate and could handle a project of this scope. We then posted applications right away on our Facebook pages, website, and twitter so we could get the most applications covering the widest range of people. By the time of our deadline, we received more than enough applications to go across the United States to get our story. Within six weeks of receiving our grant money, we had planned the trip across 11,000 miles, including hotels, scheduling, and the myriad of other things most films have months to prepare. On June 22nd, we shot our first footage. You can follow the rest of the trip on our blog where we recorded every day for 40 days, starting here.

Where the Project is Going

Changing the Conversation

This film is going to change people’s lives.

Where we go from there, is to go out to America and begin to change the conversation about where the autism movement is moving. It’s time to start pulling our message together as the AIDS movement did in the 80′s and 90′s. Our film had no political agenda besides bi-partisanship within our ranks. You’re not going to see growing Facebook attacks, and ND’ers and Biomeds attacking each other. Our families of current vaccine versus green vaccine initiatives will see their opponents and themselves moving forward together, unaware about how similar they were to begin with.Things are going to have to change, and our film shows a way.

After all, if there’s one thing this journey taught us, it’s that everyone wants a better life for their child, regardless of where they are on the spectrum.