Supporting autism awareness could be as easy as donning custom sports socks. Did you know sports and autism awareness go hand in hand? Kent State recently recruited the first player with autism to receive a D1 basketball scholarship. Plus, big name teams like the Florida Panthers and Philadelphia 76ers have hosted autism awareness nights.
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is common; so common that if you don’t have a child on the autism spectrum, you can bet your kids know one. In fact, 1 in 59 children is diagnosed as autistic. Because so many school-aged kids are affected by this developmental disorder, helping children on the spectrum is important.
Your school or private league team still has time to do your part this year. Autism Awareness Month is in April. Whether you order custom sports socks to promote awareness or host a fundraiser as a team, the autism community will thank you. Here are some ways to chip in.
Buy Autism Awareness Socks
Want a simple, stylish way to support autism awareness? Sometimes just starting a conversation over your athletic gear can make a difference. The more we remove the stigma of being on the autism spectrum, the more supported diagnosed students will feel.
Help ASD kids feel welcome on your team by sporting MadSportsStuff Autism Awareness Socks.
Our autism awareness design features multi-color puzzle pieces, a symbol that has become common within the autism community. Parents and kids dealing with ASD will know what the design means. The socks can begin an important conversation with anyone who isn’t familiar.
Best of all, our custom sports socks for autism awareness have moisture wicking and other features for top athletic performance.
Build Custom Sports Socks for the Team
You can also build a set of completely customized socks for your team with autism awareness in mind.
Light blue is often associated with autism awareness, so it makes a great background color for a set of personalized socks. The iconic puzzle pieces would also signal that you’re supporting people with autism.
Our custom sports socks come in a variety of sizes, from child to adult. We also let you upload a custom logo/design to be printed on your socks. This opens a huge world of opportunities for designing socks that bring awareness to autism while still sporting your own team logo.
Host an Online Charity Drive
Supporting ASD education, research, and programs as a team should go beyond the field or court. Even when your team isn’t in play, you can be taking meaningful action during Autism Awareness Month. Have you considered running an online charity drive?
You can auction off sports-related items, from custom sports socks to donated equipment, or raise cash donations for an autism-related organization.
There are many national organizations that could use your help, including the Organization for Autism Research and Autism Society of America. You may also be able to find a state program that welcome’s donations. Just be sure to let the public know where the money will go before you start the fundraiser.
Creating a campaign is simple using Facebook’s fundraising tool or another fundraising platform like Causes.com.
Hold a Car Wash or Other Service Fundraiser
You can’t go wrong with a traditional fundraising event where you meet people face to face. The community loves to come out and support kids who are breaking a sweat for a good cause. Whether you run a car wash or mow lawns, let parents and local businesses know they can support autism awareness this month by coming out to your team event.
While traditional fundraisers can be highly effective, people might need a little extra motivation to leave their house to donate money. It’s much easier to give $10 with the click of a mouse, after all. You can overcome this by partnering with a neighborhood organization -- even your own school!
Highlight exactly how the money you raise will be used by your local school district or charity to help students with ASD needs. Putting a face to the cause can increase donations.
An in-person fundraiser is also another opportunity to dress the part. Wear your autism custom sports socks or make t-shirts that let people know why you’re out fundraising. This cause is so near and dear to people’s hearts that you’re bound to draw in support from people passing by if they see your attire.
Use Team Platforms to Spread Information
Raising money is only one part of bringing awareness to autism and the unique needs of students who are on the spectrum. Along with wearing your custom sports socks and light blue gear, you can bring light to the cause on social media.
Does your team have an Instagram or Twitter page? If not, maybe your school has one and a team mom could offer to manage it for a few days on behalf of the team. Share autism statistics on the page and direct parents to local and national resources for living with autism.
If your team has any roster members who are on the spectrum, a social media post is also a good place to highlight how much they bring to your organization. Use your team’s social media channels to let the community get to know people with autism.
Finally, you could use this opportunity to do some giveaways, so people engage more with your posts. Run a quiz and give people who respond correctly tickets to an upcoming tournament, custom sports socks, or a free jersey. Just make sure you pay attention to giveaway rules on each social media platform.
Become a Sponsor for a Local Autism Event
Does your team have some money put aside for a rainy day? Or could your parents create a small giving fund? If so, your team could become a financial sponsor of a local Autism Awareness Month event that is already taking place.
Look into local 5Ks, picnics, scholarships, and other planned events.
Supporting an established event has a few advantages. Not only does it take the pressure off of your own coaches and parents to organize something, but it builds goodwill with another local group.
Bonus: Donating to larger events often gets your team’s name on the flyer or website as an official sponsor. You’re offering real support to people with autism even as you inspire people to come see you play in your puzzle-themed custom sports socks. That’s a win-win!
Which Teams Should Participate?
The best news of all is that any team can and should participate in Autism Awareness Month.
Your team could be a youth baseball league or high school soccer team and still get in on the action. And MadSportsStuff will be proud to outfit your entire roster in the gear they need to show support and/or raise money.
Here are just a few of the sports typically in season in April that are a great fit for autism awareness involvement:
- Soccer: The professional soccer season starts in March. Is your kid’s team already in full practice mode? Now is the time to customize soccer socks for Autism Awareness Month in just a few minutes.
- Baseball: The MLB is in full swing by April. We’re betting your Little League squad is also getting ready to hit the mound. Check out our baseball socks. Pick a pair in light blue, or personalize your custom sports socks with the autism ribbon and player numbers.
- Volleyball: Does your school play volleyball in the spring? Our autism awareness socks are great for using during a match. Or, you could go with one of our bright crew socks and pin an autism awareness ribbon on the side.
- Track and Field: By April, track is in full swing and weekend meets are on the calendar. Put your player in a pair of our compression leg sleeves while they run, plus a pair of autism awareness socks on top.
Remember that it’s always a good time to support autism research and programs that help with learning, job placement, and teaching life skills. While April is an especially poignant month to get your team on board, if you play another sport in the fall, you can still wear custom sports socks that support those with ASD.
Are you ready to upgrade team gear and support a great cause at the same time? Autism Awareness Month in April is the opportunity your team has been waiting for. Not only do custom sports socks that bring attention to ASD show public support, but they can help you raise money.
Start your custom sports socks order today! Our personalized designs can be shipped in 4-6 weeks. If you want a pair to wear on April 1st, consider buying our autism puzzle design -- these are ready to be shipped ASAP and available in a wide range of sizes! Our socks have a double-welt top, protect against odor, and offer serious compression. Your players will look good and perform better.
