Alpha Xi Delta suspends partnership with Autism Speaks
Francis Tang | Assistant Copy Editor
Alpha Xi Delta's Eta chapter at SU will now work with the Kindly Hearts Campaign to serve and fund communities directly affected by the pandemic.
Get the latest Syracuse news delivered right to your inbox.
Subscribe to our newsletter here.
Alpha Xi Delta has discontinued its national philanthropy with Autism Speaks.
Alpha Xi Delta’s National Committee announced on June 14 that they will be ending their 12-year partnership with Autism Speaks and redirecting their philanthropic focus to the Kindly Hearts Campaign, which is focused on service and fundraising for communities most affected by the pandemic.
Melanie Hecker, a communications team member of the Autistic Self Advocacy Network in New York, said that Autism Speaks, as an organization, primarily conducts research on autism rather than helping or enacting services for members of the autistic community.
“People are surprised to find out that only 4% of their budget goes towards actual services to actually help people,” Hecker said. “The rest of that money goes to causation and cure research, which fuels the stigmatizing message that autism is a tragedy.”
Hecker is the former vice president of the University of Albany’s chapter of Delta Alpha Pi, an honors organization recognizing students with disabilities and their achievements. Now, Hecker works at ASAN, where she promotes acceptance of the autism community and hopes to change the stigma, she said.
ASAN researched Autism Speaks’ 2018 990 non-profit tax exemption form and found that only 1% of Autism Speaks’ budget went towards family services. Additionally, only one autistic person was on their Board of Directors in 2018.
Autism Speaks has faced mounting backlash, prompting AXiD’s national organization to create a task force that consulted with almost 4,000 members, current and former, and conducted research into Autism Speaks. Following the formation of the task force, AXiD announced it will end its philanthropic partnership with the organization.
“This is one step, but it is one big step,” Hecker said. “The more organizations that learn and end their relationship with Autism Speaks, the more organizations will follow suit. As more organizations denounce all ties, more people get to learn about their true nature.”
Autism Speaks did not respond to a request for comment on the end of their relationship with AXiD.
Moving forward, AXiD’s Eta chapter at SU is launching the Kindly Hearts Campaign to serve and fund communities directly affected by the pandemic. According to AXiD’s press release, the chapter’s campaign aims to hold events for local communities focused on supporting students, fighting food insecurity and providing basic necessities.
“We worked very hard with our national headquarters in an attempt to have our national philanthropy changed from Autism Speaks to something else,” said Kate Reynolds, the philanthropy vice president of AXiD’s Eta chapter. “I conducted many meetings with our nationals and Autism Speaks in order to have our voices heard and share our concerns.”
AXiD’s Eta chapter at SU stopped raising money for Autism Speaks last year, and after meeting their National Committee’s requirement for fundraising, they focused their philanthropy on other organizations.
This year, as part of the Kindly Hearts, AXiD chapters across the country will choose a local organization to support, Reynolds said. SU’s chapter of AXiD has chosen two organizations: Rescue Mission Syracuse and the Kelberman Center.
Rescue Mission Syracuse offers emergency shelter, housing and employment resources, and the organization aims to combat hunger in the local Syracuse area. The Kelberman Center provides autism services for children, adults and families in Syracuse and greater central New York.
“This is a cause that we as a chapter hold very close to our hearts and one that we wanted to stay close to,” Reynolds said.
AXiD is still planning on hosting their Kicks and Xiti events, both of which have become staples in their philanthropy, and will also raise money for Rescue Mission Syracuse. Earlier in the semester, AXiD hosted an event through Good Uncle where students could buy dinners and a portion of the proceeds go to the Kindly Hearts Campaign.
“We have a lot of fun events planned for this semester under the Kindly Hearts Campaign,” Reynolds said. “(Rescue Mission Syracuse) will provide us with many opportunities for fundraising and hopefully in-person services as well.”
Published on September 8, 2021 at 12:54 am
Contact Karoline: kaleonar@syr.edu
