Press Release

For Immediate Release Contact
Wendy Kreuter, Director of Operations & Finance
(804) 612-1952
wkreuter@vcu.org

Benefiting The Faison School for Autism

will honor American Academy of Arts and Letters Award Winners
April 7, 2006
Annual art gala celebrating Kendall Buster, Robert Stuart and Heide Trepanier

(Richmond, VA) The fourth annual Art for Autism Gala (formerly the Autism Center of Virginia Art Gala) will be held at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden this year. The April 7th event features a special evening with award winning artists Kendall Buster, Robert Stuart and Heide Trepanier.

The main purpose of the gala is to raise funds for The Faison School for Autism. The school was founded by Alan Kirshner and Flo Guzman to serve their granddaughter, Brittany, and other children with autism utilizing the best teachers, resources, and research available.

Funds are raised through sponsorships, ticket sales and a live auction and silent auction. Over twenty local and nationally known artists donate their work to help in this endeavor. This year’s auction will feature pieces by Wolf Kahn, Photographer Sally Mann, Robert Stuart, Heide Trepanier and other fine artists as well as fabulous trips to New York, Santa Fe and The Outer Banks .

Special guests include, Representative Eric Cantor, Attorney General Bob McDonnell, VCU President Dr. Eugene P. Trani, Retired President of the Richmond Federal Reserve Bank, J. Alfred Broaddus, Kendall Buster, Robert Stuart, Heidi Trepanier, and Sally Mann. A cocktail reception in their honor will be held before the gala for all sponsors beginning at the Patron level.

The gala is the primary fundraiser for The Faison School. It was established to help raise funds to carry out the school’s mission of service, training and research. One in 166 children is born with some form of autism. There is an overwhelming need for the school’s on and off-site services among Richmond children. Many cannot afford the necessary services without financial support. The school uses the intervention of ABA (applied behavior analysis) which is a proven method providing the best hope for long-term favorable outcomes in the treatment of autism. The method includes both group activities to improve social skills, and one-on-one instruction.

Individual tickets to the gala are $175 and can be purchased by calling 804.612.1947 . Sponsorships are also available.