Community Matters: Wine 'n' Dine for a Cause

Before we spoil our appetites with Easter eggs this weekend, there are a couple of upcoming charity dinners that we should save some room for. April 2 is World Autism Awareness Day, and autism organizations worldwide will mark the day with fundraising and awareness-raising events. Stars and Rain Foundation will be hosting a special charity dinner for those who would like to lend their support. The foundation makes a strong case for autism awareness in China:

Autism is rarely recognized in China, and clinical diagnosis is hardly available. Consequently few autistic children are diagnosed before they reach three years old, meaning that they miss the best time of intervention. Even with the few who are diagnosed as autistic, they are not given any treatment or training directed toward their needs, thus missing the chance of making a positive turn later on.

Most children with autism are rejected by kindergartens or schools. Even with the few specialized schools for children with mental disorders in big cities, they are unable to offer appropriate help to autistic children because they lack the knowledge and skills to do so.

Staying home thus becomes the only option for a large majority of autistic children. This puts tremendous pressure on their parents. By leaving them on their own, these children lose all the chances of developing their potential talents that they originally might have.

Another very active Beijing fundraising group, Chi Fan for Charity (CCFC), just announced an RMB 2,000 donation to the Starfish Project. CCFC will be back with another fundraising dinner on April 19. The meal will consist of a four-course menu by six of Beijing’s best chefs and a selection of wine from 21 Napa Valley vintners. Proceeds will be donated to Teach for China.

Here are some community events for this week:

• New ghost tours
• Snooker tournament
• Make tofu
• The pitfalls of working in China

Finally, the Hutong is seeking last-minute participants for their Zou 'n' Go scavenger hunt this Saturday. There is more information on that here.