By Mary Kay Jones, MSN, CRNP

Christina Danos created Kettlebells 4 Autism in February 2013. The goal of this initiative was to employ Kettlebell training and sport as a platform to raise awareness about autism, and more specifically, the delivery of evidence-based practices to individuals with an Autism Spectrum Disorder. One of the ways that the organization raises funds is through the online sale of Kettlebells 4 Autism merchandise.

Kettlebells 4 Autism’s founder, Christina Danos, is an advocate from Toronto, Canada, whose interest in autism began shortly after her cousin started Intensive Behavior Intervention (IBI). Christina was greatly influenced by this experience and subsequently applied for a position as an Instructor Therapist in 2003. Since then she has worked as an Instructor Therapist, then Senior Therapist in a publicly funded IBI program. In the first photo, you will see her in action as she disseminates research about the benefits of exercise for individuals with autism with other professionals. It is also important to share that she is a kettlebell sport competitor as well.

Currently, Kettlebells 4 Autism raises funds for the Geneva Centre in Toronto, Canada and the Association for Science in Autism Treatment (ASAT). We are pleased to share that their incredible fund-raising efforts have resulted in more than $1000 in contributions for ASAT to date. These funds have been invaluable in helping ASAT develop new resources for parents and disseminate our free news-letter to readers internationally.

We are also excited to be one of the beneficiaries of the next Kettlebells 4 Autism fundraising event. The first annual “90-second swings for autism” invited participants to dedicate 90 seconds of kettlebell swings to autism, and encouraged every participant to recruit sponsors to pledge a donation of a monetary amount per rep. For example, a sponsor commits to $0.50 per rep, the participant completes 50 reps, and then the sponsor donates $25. This year, participants can choose between a kettlebell workout, CrossFit workout, or body weight/equipment free workout, and each involves a minimum of one 90-second interval, devoted to autism awareness and fundraising for this year’s beneficiaries.

We are very grateful to Christina Danos, Kettlebells 4 Autism, and the kettlebell community worldwide for its support. We look forward to hearing how the 2014 event goes, and will share details in an upcoming issue of Science in Autism Treatment.

 

#ASATFundraising

 

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