We are so Proud!

Welcome Home Jimmy!

SPARC is so proud of you and your accomplishments over the last 2.5 weeks.  You set some pretty high expectations for yourself and you met every single one!  SPARC is profoundly honored that you chose  to support our mission.  You have successfully increased true autism awareness across the country while simultaneously building your own professional experience working with autism support service agencies and the individuals they serve.

Autism is so much more than a number.  It is more than 1 in 88, more than 4:1 male to female ration, more than a statistical genetic probability. Autism is a disorder that has so many characteristics that it is uncharacteristic of itself. I look forward to hearing all of Jimmy’s experiences over the coming weeks.

As Jimmy processes his trip, we will learn what autism is from perspectives across the continent. Jimmy’s trip may be finished but his journey is not over!

In true appreciation, thank you Jimmy!

The Staff, Families, and Supporters of SPARC

I am home! 18 days and around 7500 miles.

Hi all!

I am finally getting a minute to blog. It has taken me a couple days to try and get back into normalcy. My sleep schedule still has been pretty off, but that is to be expected.

The day before I returned home I had some problems right outside of Minneapolis, MN. I was concerned that I was going to worry a lot of people because the tracker was not moving. The problem that I ran into was that my chain broke. It damaged a good bit in terms of cosmetics. I was lucky that no damage really came to the operation of the motorcycle. I just needed to get towed to a shop near by and they had me in and out. After about a 7500 mile trip I am glad that was all I had to deal with. At the time, I was very upset because I did not know if that would be the end of the trip, so my emotions were wild. It all worked out though. I was in and out of the shop in no time. So on my 17th day of riding I was on the road for a long while. I did not get into South Bend, IN till about 11:15pm. I was able to see a little of Notre Dame University in the dark, which was nice.
I had a pretty smooth ride from South Bend to home. I was very eager to get home so most of the ride went relatively fast. I am just glad to be home safe to relieve some worries that my loved ones had.

Overall, this trip was a trip of a life time for me. While I may have done some things differently, I had the most incredible experience. I hope to tell these stories for the rest of my life. I am so grateful to everyone who has supported me through my journey. If it was not for knowing that everyone was tracking me it would have been much harder for me. I want every single person that has followed me to know that it really meant the world to me. I feel like this trip was a success. I know many people wanted a lot more to come from it, but I believe it was perfect. I met some incredible people and had amazing conversations about autism. I also was fortunate to see how individuals with autism receive services all over. And in the end, we raised over $2300 and counting. Everyone still can donate! It means everything to me knowing that this money will help others receive the supports they need. All the struggles and sacrifices I had were all worth it in the end because I know how much the awareness means and I know what that money can do. I am proud of this trip and it really could not have been completed without the support that I had. It was not just me out there. Thank you to everyone once again.

I am a little disappointing with myself on not keeping up with social media. It was a lot harder than I thought it would be. Once I crossed over to Canada I was not able to use twitter or instagram. I know it’s okay, but it would have been nice to have that and keep up with it.

I will be posting again on the rest of my thoughts on the trip. Please stay tuned. I think I will be getting interviewed by at least one more newspaper. I know the Daily Local in West Chester will be. I will keep everyone updated.

Remember you can keep donating! This is an amazing cause and every dollar goes far. We are so close to the $2500 goal. Please keep it up. As I get back into life off two wheels I will post again. http://www.youcaring.com/nonprofits/alaska-bound-for-autism/53795

Thank you again to everyone.

Jimmy

Motorcycle minutes after returning home.

My dog Desmond and I, who was one of my greatest reasons for wanted to come home.

Congratulations Jimmy!

Jimmy has made it back to Pennsylvania! What an incredible journey– we cannot wait to hear all about it! Very proud of him and this huge accomplishment; Jimmy has gone above and beyond the mission of “spreading awareness” and has undoubtedly made an impact across the country and in Canada. Stay posted for posts from Jimmy about his trip.

Thank you to everyone for your continued support! Although Jimmy’s trip is over, our mission is not. Please continue to help us spread awareness and seek donations to support SPARC; we are not far from our goal of $2,500 to support those families receiving services. Thank you, and a huge CONGRATULATIONS TO JIMMY!!!

-Liz

Day 16 complete.

Last night I did not get into the hotel till about 11:15. I had some motorcycle issues. I will explain all about it tonight or tomorrow. I will be home in about 11 hours. I am very excited. I wonder if the day will go fast or slow? Anyway, I went about 780 miles yesterday. Chicago is always the biggest pain of a city.

Remember to donate!!!!! It’s the last leg of the journey! Home stretch! Track me.

Thank you everyone
-Jimmy

Day 15 on the road.

Hi all!

I made it to Fargo, North Dakota. I rode for about 750 miles today. I am very tired as is tradition. My hotel experience in Vancouver was absolutely incredible. It is a non-profit housing project for the aboriginal people in Vancouver. There is a high population of homelessness amongst the aboriginal people and this hotel gives a chance for these individuals to raise money and get their feet on the ground. There is a gallery in the lobby of the hotel where these artists can display and sell their art. There was utter beauty in all of the art. I loved it! I wanted to buy everything. Please visit their site to learn more! http://skwachays.com/ …. I would love to talk about this experience with anyone who is interested. I was also given the opportunity by one of the Elders named Old Hands to be given a cleansing and blessing ceremony for myself and trip. This experience was one of the high lights. Vancouver turned out being a wonderful and positive stop along this adventure.
Like I always say, contact me if you want to talk more about any topic.

Thank you for your support! Only two more days of riding!!!

Remember to keep your eyes on the tracker!
http://share.findmespot.com/shared/faces/viewspots.jsp?glId=0lbQtEeAd4rL65b5kX7JyiqF7slSvb5ND
Remember to keep following me on:
Twitter- AKbound4autism
Instagram- Alaskabound4autism

Remember to keep the donations coming! We broke $2000! Only a little bit more to get to the goal!!!  http://www.youcaring.com/nonprofits/alaska-bound-for-autism/53795

Art Gallery.

Art Gallery.

Art Gallery.

Old Hands and I after the cleansing ceremony.

14 days complete. On the road again

Hey Everyone!  Thank you for checking in… On today’s list is 850 miles. Getting closer to home everyday!

Remember to keep your eyes on the tracker!
http://share.findmespot.com/shared/faces/viewspots.jsp?glId=0lbQtEeAd4rL65b5kX7JyiqF7slSvb5ND
Remember to keep following me on:
Twitter- AKbound4autism
Instagram- Alaskabound4autism

Thank you everyone.

Remember to keep the donations coming! We broke $2000! Only a little bit more to get to the goal!!!  http://www.youcaring.com/nonprofits/alaska-bound-for-autism/53795

-Jimmy

The incredible hotel I stayed at called Skwachàys. It is a non-profit hotel that I am extremely excited to blog and talk about tomorrow! Google the hotel! I will be posting more pictures and descriptions soon.

Day 13 in Vancouver

Hi all!

Today has been a very productive day. I was able to get over to one of the three clinics that Vancouver has to offer. It was incredible! I loved the experience. The professionals that I met over there were very refreshing to see. This clinic serves preschool and kindergarten aged students. The centre provides evidence based practices such ABA therapy and VB to their students. The age range as said is 3-5 years old. The centre has a wonderful staff, which includes 3 behavior interventionists, one Ph.D. & BCBA-D, student program director who is going for her BCBA, and another behavior interventionist who is also a early childhood educator. This has been the first clinic that I have actually be able to walk through and see how it is run and it reminded me a great deal of how SPARC runs their preschool program. This clinic is now serving eleven students give or take one. It is a on a 3 to 2 student to teacher ratio, which allows them to be very individualized for each student. It seemed that this clinic is one of the top in all British Columbia. That assumption was gathered over the hours of conversation that I had. It seems the regulations of the government of British Columbia is vastly different than in the States, which was to be expected. There seems to be many positives and negatives to the services in British Columbia as there are with anything. I would love to go further into discussion about government regulations and funding that I learned with anyone who would be interested when I return home. As I have said in all previous posts please reach out to me and I would love to have those conversations with you. This can be done either by email or when I return home.

I also was able to do some motorcycle maintenance today. I want to thank Bonnie and Bob Jones at Montgomeryville Cycle Center. They paid in full for all of my motorcycle maintenance in Vancouver. If it wasn’t for them this trip would have been a bit harder to accomplish. Now I should be good to go to get home! Visit their site or location. They are a great cycle shop! http://www.montgomeryvillecc.com/

I will be getting back on the road tomorrow morning at 430 am! Not sure where I will end up. It could be as close as Missoula, MT or as far as Billings, MT. It all depends on the border crossing and weather.

Please keep me in mind. Keep an eye on the tracker!
http://share.findmespot.com/shared/faces/viewspots.jsp?glId=0lbQtEeAd4rL65b5kX7JyiqF7slSvb5ND
Remember to keep following me on:
Twitter- AKbound4autism
Instagram- Alaskabound4autism
Sadly, I have not been able to stream data to keep up with these, but once I return to the States tomorrow I will keep up with them a little bit more.

Thank you everyone.

Remember to keep the donations coming! We broke $2000! Only a little bit more to get to the goal!!!  http://www.youcaring.com/nonprofits/alaska-bound-for-autism/53795

-Jimmy

The skyline of Vancouver from the ferry.

GABA Vancouver! The amazing professionals that I met at the clinic in Vancouver.

One more of the professionals at GABA Vancouver and I.

It has been awhile!! 12 days in!

Hello everyone!

It has been crazy since I have entered into British Columbia. Between not having internet on ferry’s and short stays other places. Finally, I get a minute to lay in bed without falling asleep within seconds. I have changed many of my plans, which is never a bad thing. I have experienced aspects of this adventure that I did not anticipate, which is always thrilling. The ride into Juneau was wonderful. The ferry itself was slightly boring, however I met some pretty amazing people. People from all around the globe. A few of them I believe I will keep in contact with for years to come. It is amazing how connections can be made with only 36 hours. I do wish that I could have spent much longer in Alaska. If I could go back I would change some things. Although I know Alaska is not going anywhere. I was able to have a bite to eat with some people that Dr. George Drake (Associate Dean of Education WCU) connected me with. They were wonderful people. Then, I was able to get a bed at a youth hostel in downtown Juneau for $12! I will tell you it is so easy to travel! If you have a brain and are resourceful anything can happen. Anyway, the next day in Juneau I was able to get over to REACH. That program they have going on over there is wonderful! They provide services to individuals with disabilities from 3 years old through adulthood. They work with individuals in schools, homes, and throughout the community. I have a lot of information on them that I would love to go into if anyone would like any other information. Furthermore, REACH provides a community project that is designed to bring all members of the community with disabilities or not to do art together. This project is called, “the Canvas”. They do an array of different kinds of art that ranges from painting to ceramics and everything in between. The Canvas works to bring artists from the community in to teach different kinds of art classes for any members of the community that wish to participate. The classes are very affordable. One of the goals is to bring people out to work along side of each other whether someone has a disability or not. In turn, those who have disabilities will benefit greatly through socialization, while also allowing others to better understand those who have disabilities. I have a lot of information about the Canvas if anyone would like any other information. This program is really making a difference within Juneau’s community and I felt that with only a few hours spend there. Later that day I went to the glacier with a couple of friends that I met. The sights were gorgeous, but again I wish I could have went much deeper into Alaska to really see the soul of the state. I feel as though I barely brushed the surface. Once again Alaska is not going anywhere! I loved this trip even though it was so short. I met incredible people that I will indeed stay in contact with, while also seeing so much beauty. Today, I was fortunate enough to ride Vancouver Island. It was wonderful! real beauty lays just in this Island alone. I believe that much of the Twilight Films were shot on this island. I will admit that made me love it even more because I have been listening to the audio books on repeat while I ride. The ferry rides have been boring, but very scenic. I am eager to get on the road soon. This trip has really been a trip of a life time for me, but I am still eager to see it through. I hope to still get home by Friday. A lot still needs to be figured out with my clinic visits tomorrow and motorcycle maintenance. I will keep everyone updated.

350 miles since I last updated blog!

Remember please email me if you have any questions! I also look forward to the conversations I will have when I return home.

Remember to keep following me on:
Twitter: AKbound4autism
Instagram: Alaskabound4autism

We broke $2000 with online donations and check donations! Keep it coming. We are almost to our goal!!!!! Donate at: http://www.youcaring.com/nonprofits/alaska-bound-for-autism/53795

Ferry pictures.

Some pictures from the Canvas at REACH in Juneau.

The glacier in Juneau!

Where in the world is Jimmy?!?

Jimmy is doing well and really enjoying his adventures in Alaska.  He is back on a ferry on his way down to Prince Rupert and will be back on his bike tomorrow bound for Vancouver.  I have only been able to text with him a few times due to access issues but he seems very jazzed about his Juneau visit and cannot wait to get back on the blog to let everyone know about it.  Until then, have a great weekend and thank you for all your support!

Dr. Murphy

Spreading Awareness

Jimmy has no doubt been spreading awareness across the country and into Canada.  It has been really great to hear not only his stories, but to see the people who have started to follow his journey throughout the trip via word-of-mouth discussions about his mission.  Not only is Jimmy spreading awareness, but by continuing to share his story with others, our supporters have continued to spread awareness as well.  I can’t wait to hear all about Jimmy’s visits, and am really shocked by the continued outpour of support as well as the amount of donations we keep receiving.  Our aim is to help the families at SPARC as much as possible, and with your continued support and spread of awareness, we will undoubtedly be able to make a big difference for those families and SPARC as a whole.

Thank you!

-Liz