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April 30, 2008

Photo of the Day: Pontiac G8 Pace Car

Shot by "The Daredevil" at the 2008 Grand Am event at Virginia International Raceway.

Today's photo comes from The Freewheeling Daredevil.

Be sure to look at all of The Freewheeling Daredevil's photos and our other albums. And if you would like to recommend your favorite photo with a GM car or truck in it, put it up on Flickr and tag it with "gmfyi."

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Posted by Editor at 4:00 PM
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May Flickr Calendar

Will Stewart
Blog Editor

Enjoy April's Flickr calendar. Download the large size over at Flickr.

Posted by Editor at 3:53 PM
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April 29, 2008

From the Archive: 1899 Opel

By Will Stewart
Blog Editor

Thanks for your requests for photos from General Motors' archives. This week's featured photo is an Opel automobile from 1899, the first year Opel manufactured cars.

Keep checking back as we post more of the photos you asked for. And keep those requests coming.

Posted by Editor at 3:12 PM
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PODCAST: Chevy Fuel Solutions, Episode 2

Adam Denison
GM Social Media Coordinator

In this episode of the Chevy Fuel Solutions podcast I speak with Britta Gross, Manager of Hydrogen and Electrical Infrastructure here at GM.

She brings some great insight on some of the more technical details of hydrogen as a fuel source and what it will take to get a hydrogen infrastructure in place. Take a listen, and let us know what you think.

Listen here, or subscribe to the podcast here.

To subscribe using iTunes, click the icon below.

Posted by Editor at 9:36 AM
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April 28, 2008

Photo of the Day: Chevy Camaro Burnout

Today's photo comes from low n slow.

Be sure to look at all of low n slows photos and our other albums. And if you would like to recommend your favorite photo with a GM car or truck in it, put it up on Flickr and tag it with "gmfyi."

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Posted by Editor at 2:10 PM
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April 25, 2008

Photo of the Day: Chevy Impala Badge

Today's photo comes from Paulo Manzano: CASUAL AUTOMOTIVE.

Be sure to look at all of Paulo Manzano: CASUAL AUTOMOTIVE's photos and our other albums. And if you would like to recommend your favorite photo with a GM car or truck in it, put it up on Flickr and tag it with "gmfyi."

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Posted by Editor at 3:18 PM
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GM Engineers Support FIRST Robotics Students

Steve Rourke is Director of Engineering at the St. Catherine's Powertrain facility in Ontario, Canada. Steve also spends countless hours away from the job - with other team members and team mentors - helping local high-school students compete in an international robotics competition, FIRST. Steve sent us the following post describing how their team fared this year. - Will Stewart, blog editor

For me, inspiring young people to pursue careers in engineering, science, and technology has never been more fun, exciting, and rewarding.

It has been a five-year journey, led by the dedicated teachers and mentors of Simbotics to develop the people, the processes, and the passion to consistently field a top level high school robotics team that can compete with the best in the world. Winning 10 regional competitions in the past five years was capped this year with an exciting and dramatic championship victory by Simbotics in the Georgia Dome on April 19th in front of a crowd of 17,000 screaming enthusiasts.

In the 1,500-team annual competition, GM-mentored high school teams consistently come out on top each year.

And be sure to check out the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Web site for more information, or go here for competition videos and match results.

Posted by Editor at 10:02 AM
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April 24, 2008

Photo of the Day: Vintage Chevy Bel Air

Today's photo comes from wickedryoki.

Be sure to look at all of wickedryoki's photos and our other albums. And if you would like to recommend your favorite photo with a GM car or truck in it, put it up on Flickr and tag it with "gmfyi."

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Posted by Editor at 3:59 PM
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Bossy Gets Another Saturn

As she winds down her 35-day road trip around the U.S., blogger Bossy just got another new Saturn to take her from town to town as she meets with fellow bloggers. Check out her post today to see her new, red Astra, which replaces the blue Aura she’s been driving since last week in San Francisco. It’s clear that Bossy loves her Saturns. Saturn is providing Bossy with cars from its fleet during her adventure. – Will Stewart, blog editor

Posted by Editor at 1:50 PM
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April 23, 2008

Photo of the Day: 1964 Chevy Impala

Today's photo comes from RaysnCayne.

Be sure to look at all of RaysnCayne's photos and our other albums. And if you would like to recommend your favorite photo with a GM car or truck in it, put it up on Flickr and tag it with "gmfyi."

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Posted by Editor at 4:05 PM
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April 22, 2008

From the Archive: 1929 Chevy L.Q Express Body Truck

By Will Stewart
Blog Editor

Thanks for your requests for photos from General Motors' archives. This week's featured photo is of a 1929 Chevrolet L.Q. Express Body truck.

Keep checking back as we post more of the photos you asked for. And keep those requests coming.

Posted by Editor at 4:16 PM
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EARTH DAY PODCAST: Chevy Fuel Solutions

Adam Denison
GM Social Media Coordinator

Happy Earth Day, everyone!

Welcome to the first installment of the Chevy Fuel Solutions Podcast. We figured Earth Day was the perfect time for us to launch a podcast dedicated to showing our listeners what Chevy is doing to make our vehicles go from gas-friendly to gas-free.

As some of you may know, Chevy is leading the charge in GM’s environmental initiatives. We hope this podcast will highlight some of the efforts the company is making to diversify our fuel needs, and just be more environmentally friendly. Some of the topics we will cover are:

• Hydrogen fuel cell vehicle
• E85 and cellulosic ethanol explained
• GM and Chevy’s hybrid lineup and plans for the future
• Improving the internal combustion engine
• Electric vehicles
• Common green myths
• Recycling tips
• Going green on a shoestring

Those are our thoughts for some topics, but what do you think? What would you like to hear us discuss? We may not be able to accommodate every request, but we’ll sure do our best.

In today’s episode Cheryl Catton, Chevrolet’s General Director of Car Marketing, discusses Project Driveway, a real-world market test of Chevy Equinox Fuel Cell vehicles powered by hydrogen. Take a listen, and let us know what you think.

Listen here, or subscribe to the podcast here.

To subscribe using iTunes, click the icon below.

Posted by Editor at 9:23 AM
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April 21, 2008

Photo of the Day: 1934 Chevrolet Sedan

Today's photo comes from jazzportraits.

Be sure to look at all of jazzportraits' photos and our other albums. And if you would like to recommend your favorite photo with a GM car or truck in it, put it up on Flickr and tag it with "gmfyi."

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Posted by Editor at 3:08 PM
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April 18, 2008

Photo of the Day: 1979 Buick LeSabre

Today's photo comes from james r.

Be sure to look at all of james r.'s photos and our other albums. And if you would like to recommend your favorite photo with a GM car or truck in it, put it up on Flickr and tag it with "gmfyi."

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Posted by Editor at 2:54 PM
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April 17, 2008

Photo of the Day: Flaming SSR

Today's photo comes from kml1791.

Be sure to look at all of kml1791's photos and our other albums. And if you would like to recommend your favorite photo with a GM car or truck in it, put it up on Flickr and tag it with "gmfyi."

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Posted by Editor at 3:56 PM
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Cadillac Goes to Miami Fashion Week

By Tim Kozub
Cadillac Design Manager

Car designers often turn to design trends in clothing, premium accessories, and jewelry for inspiration. That is why, when given the chance to attend the 10th annual Miami Fashion Week, I jumped at it. And, with the showcasing designers representing countries from around the world (Argentina, United Arab Emirates, Columbia, Chile, Panama, and Ecuador, just to name a few), the show at downtown Miami’s SoHo Studios did not disappoint. The collections presented offered rich, unique perspectives – representative of the designers’ diverse backgrounds.

On Saturday night, I had the opportunity to meet with a group of industrial design students from the University of Miami and Florida Atlantic University. It was great to talk with these up-and-coming designers and be there as they experienced this different category of design. For many of the students, it was the first time they had attended such an event.

Finally, on Sunday, I was honored to present the Cadillac Style Award for best local designer to Julian Chang.

Also among the fashionable crowd gathered at Miami Fashion Week this weekend were several Cadillac vehicles. Demonstrating Cadillac’s bold, dramatic design cues, the XLR, Escalade and CTS fit right in. I’ve worked on the Cadillac brand for two years and just as the colors, lines, and textures in a collection make a statement about its designer, we want Cadillac’s aggressive front grille and sculpted shape to make a statement about its owners.

Design is an art that can be interpreted and presented in numerous ways. However, whether the medium is cars, buildings or clothing, all designs have one thing in common: they’re only as good as the passion of the designer behind them. It was exciting to see that they are as passionate about fashion as I am about car design.

Posted by Editor at 1:39 PM
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April 16, 2008

Photo of the Day: Chevy Corvette Z06

To celebrate the first real weekend of spring in Montreal, "Guido and Angelina" decided to take a spin along Sainte Catherine Street in their "Super Sexy" Chevy Corvette Z06.

By the way, yes, as a Canadian, I do indeed call it a "Zed Oh Six," instead of a "Zee Oh Six."

Today's photo comes from Steve Brandon.

Be sure to look at all of Steve Brandon's photos and our other albums. And if you would like to recommend your favorite photo with a GM car or truck in it, put it up on Flickr and tag it with "gmfyi."

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Posted by Editor at 3:59 PM
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VIDEO: Chevrolet's Drive-in Fitting Room

A fun video from GM Europe takes a lighthearted look at an old question: how do I look in my car? And wouldn't it be nice to know this before you drive off the showroom lot? Maybe this is an idea whose time has come ... - Will Stewart, blog editor

Posted by Editor at 3:15 PM
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April 15, 2008

From the Archives: 1964 Chevy Impala

By Will Stewart
Blog Editor

Thanks for your requests for photos from General Motors' archives. This week's featured photo is an artist's rendering of the 1964 Chevrolet Impala.

Keep checking back as we post more of the photos you asked for. And keep those requests coming.

Posted by Editor at 4:09 PM
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April 14, 2008

Photo of the Day: 1972 Pontiac LeMans

This is my first car which I purchased when I was 19 years old. It had a high output 400 cubic inch V8 which would smoke the rear tires at the slightest tap of the accelerator.

Today's photo comes from cedarkayak.

Be sure to look at all of cedarkayak's photos and our other albums. And if you would like to recommend your favorite photo with a GM car or truck in it, put it up on Flickr and tag it with "gmfyi."

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Posted by Editor at 1:59 PM
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April 10, 2008

Photo of the Day: A Chevy Truck in Brazil

Today's photo comes from Paulo Manzano: CASUAL AUTOMOTIVE.

Be sure to look at all of Paulo Manzano: CASUAL AUTOMOTIVE's photos and our other albums. And if you would like to recommend your favorite photo with a GM car or truck in it, put it up on Flickr and tag it with "gmfyi."

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Posted by Editor at 3:16 PM
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April 9, 2008

Photo of the Day: 2006 Cadillac CTS-V

Today's photo comes from razl.

Be sure to look at all of razl's photos and our other albums. And if you would like to recommend your favorite photo with a GM car or truck in it, put it up on Flickr and tag it with "gmfyi."

Posted by Editor at 2:09 PM
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April 8, 2008

Bossy's Poetic Saturn Tribute

As you know, Bossy is on a 35-day road trip around the United States to visit her friends from the blogosphere. She's been traveling in a series of Saturn vehicles and she's had some great things to say about each one on her blog.

But her post today offers a Seussical ode to all of the Saturns she's driven on her trip. Pretty clever. - Will Stewart, blog editor.

Posted by Editor at 4:22 PM
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Photo of the Day: Chevrolet SSR

Today's photo comes from Marc NY.

Be sure to look at all of Marc NY's photos and our other albums. And if you would like to recommend your favorite photo with a GM car or truck in it, put it up on Flickr and tag it with "gmfyi."

Posted by Editor at 11:31 AM
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April 7, 2008

Photo of the Day: Chevy Impala Police Car

Here's a Montreal Police Service new-style Chevy Impala police car that I spotted on Rue Jean-Brillant near Côte-des-Neiges Boulevard in the general vicinity of Université de Montréal. I like the subtle new re-design of the Montreal police livery, with the bold "POLICE" letters breaking up the blue line. It's not that much, but I believe it's the most significant redesign in the livery since the Montreal police switched from blue-with-a-white-line to white-with-a-blue-line-and-the-SPVM-logo in the early 1990s.

Today's photo comes from Steve Brandon.

Be sure to look at all of Steve Brandon's photos and our other albums. And if you would like to recommend your favorite photo with a GM car or truck in it, put it up on Flickr and tag it with "gmfyi."

Posted by Editor at 2:15 PM
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April 4, 2008

VIDEO: One Less Excuse for Being Late …

Nebojsa Nedeljkovic
OnStar Service Line Manager, Navigation

The “I got lost” excuse is getting harder and harder to assert with confidence these days. That’s because in-vehicle navigation is treading into new territory offering up options and services to make getting to your destination in a safe and timely fashion simpler than ever before. OnStar is at the forefront of all this with the recent announcement of three new navigation services: OnStar Destination Download, OnStar and eNav.

OnStar Destination Download enables OnStar subscribers with screen-based navigation systems to input their destination while on the go via the simple press of the OnStar blue button. And OnStar eNav allows subscribers with a Turn-by-Turn Navigation-capable vehicle to plan travel online at MapQuest.com and have those directions sent straight from their computer to their vehicle.

Each of these services comes at no additional cost to subscribers with the OnStar Directions and Connections plan. Visit OnStar.com for a complete list of GM vehicles equipped with these new technologies.

With or without a screen-based navigation system, OnStar offers even the most directionally challenged a system that meets their needs whether on the go or planning travel from in front of their computer. These new services offer subscribers safety, simplicity and convenience true to our guiding principle of enabling drivers to keep their hands on their wheel and eyes on the road at all times.

Check out the video below for a demo of each of OnStar’s new navigational offerings and to see for yourself why your excuses for being late are becoming fewer and farther between!

Posted by Editor at 2:42 PM
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Photo of the Day: GMC Triton II Prototype Bus

A 1977 prototype for a restyling of GM's venerable PD-4903/5. Only one was built; it was later scrapped along with GM's intercity coach production.

Today's photo comes from EvThoMc.

Be sure to look at all of EvThoMc's photos and our other albums. And if you would like to recommend your favorite photo with a GM car or truck in it, put it up on Flickr and tag it with "gmfyi."

Posted by Editor at 10:37 AM
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April 3, 2008

VIDEO: Cobalt SS take on Buttonwillow Raceway

Phil Colley
GM Performance Division Communications

Since August 2005, I’ve had the opportunity to work with some of the finest performance engineers in the world at the GM Performance Division (GMPD). So, I write this with a hint of sadness because the 2008 Chevrolet Cobalt SS media drive was officially my last hurrah with the group before changing assignments to Biofuels.

For those who don’t know, Performance Division is an engineering organization of auto enthusiasts within GM responsible for developing all Chevrolet SS models. They did such a great job sorting out the suspensions and integrating the added power into the previous generation Cobalt SS Supercharged and TrailBlazer SS, Chevy decided it was time for the group to help return the SS moniker to its lofty status…permanently.

Resident GMPD racing guru John Heinricy likes to say, “If you lift for a second, that’s where you’ll finish.” Well, based on media reviews so far, the new Cobalt SS isn’t finishing second to any competitor in the under $30k sport compact class. And with the ability to keep the pedal to the metal while shifting the 5-speed manual transmission, why would you lift?

Edmunds Inside Line calls the new Cobalt SS “the best front-drive car Chevrolet has ever built.” Motive Magazine says it’s “the best small car Chevrolet has ever built.” And Popular Mechanics touts it as “GM’s best sport compact ever.”

High praise from some notable media outlets for sure, but you may be wondering what will I experience being in the driver’s seat?

We gave you a taste of what the vehicle could do at the Nürburgring last October on YouTube, and now we have some more footage for you from our first media drive event in Bakersfield, Calif. last month.

Below is a video from John Heinricy’s personal video camera of him giving a couple hot laps at Buttonwillow Raceway to one of our media guests. Enjoy.

Posted by Editor at 3:22 PM
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Photo of the Day: Chevrolet El Camino

Today's photo comes from low n slow.

Be sure to look at all of low n slow's photos and our other albums. And if you would like to recommend your favorite photo with a GM car or truck in it, put it up on Flickr and tag it with "gmfyi."

Posted by Editor at 2:25 PM
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Canada Catches Pontiac’s Vibe

By Tony LaRocca
Product Communications

We’ve been having some fun up here in Canada introducing the 2009 Pontiac Vibe in a very unique way to automotive journalists.

Starting back on March 24th in Montreal, and running the weeks of April 1st in Toronto and April 14th in Vancouver, the Catch the Vibe Challenge event features more than 90 Canadian journalists, bloggers and enthusiasts embarking on the ultimate road trip as they put their creativity and teamwork to the test in a quest to be the champions.

Their tools for the trip? An all-new 2009 Pontiac Vibe, a BlackBerry® Pearl™ 8130 smartphone from Bell and a special web site, catchthevibe.ca – three solutions to make every aspect of their challenge possible - any where, any time.

For this social media-ready road trip, the 2009 Vibe is the perfect car. Throughout the event, this sporty vehicle will be their office on the road and the BlackBerry® Pearl™ 8130 smartphones from Bell in each car will ensure they stay connected to the people and information they need to be successful. We know the Vibe is up to any challenge … are the teams? So far the results have been exciting.

Check out their progress on the site as our four teams work to earn points by completing in a number of daily challenge activities. You’ll see what’s going on through blog posts, Twitter updates, Flickr photos and YouTube videos that they post. As well, the teams’ daily challenges are posted for you to check out. In fact, you can put your expertise into the mix and help a team out with their challenges by e-mailing suggestions and tips to them along the way. And if you do, you could also win some great prizes.

Catch The Vibe is sure to be an adventure and a great way to introduce the 2009 Vibe to Canada. I’ve been excited to see what happens, and I hope you are, too.

Posted by Editor at 9:44 AM
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April 2, 2008

Bossy Gets a New Saturn

Bossy traded in her trusty Saturn Vue yesterday for a brand new Saturn Outlook. Although she claims to hate change and was sorry to say goodbye to her Vue, she seems very pleased with the Outlook, according to her latest post.

Bossy is a popular humor blogger, who is on a 35-day tour around the United States. Saturn is providing Bossy with cars from its fleet during her adventure. - Will Stewart, blog editor

Posted by Editor at 9:39 AM
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Photo of the Day: 1957 Buick Caballero

Today's photo comes from silverxraven.

Be sure to look at all of silverxraven's photos and our other albums. And if you would like to recommend your favorite photo with a GM car or truck in it, put it up on Flickr and tag it with "gmfyi."

Posted by Editor at 9:31 AM
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April 1, 2008

From the Archives: 1963 Corvette Sketch

By Will Stewart
Blog Editor

Thanks for your requests for photos from General Motors' archives. This week's featured photo is an artist's rendering of the 1963 Chevrolet Corvette.

Keep checking back as we post more of the photos you asked for. And keep those requests coming.

Posted by Editor at 1:42 PM
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Bossy Loves Her Saturn Vue

The popular blogger, Bossy, is on the road for a 35-day tour around the country. She’s visiting her fans and taking in the sights -- and blogging about it all, of course, in her own humorous way. Better yet, Saturn is providing Bossy with a series of its vehicles for her trip. Check out yesterday's post, in which she writes glowingly about her Saturn Vue. We’ll keep checking in with Bossy as she gets new Saturn vehicles and continues her excellent adventure. – Will Stewart, blog editor

Posted by Editor at 11:45 AM
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Help Chevy Help Autism Speaks

April is Autism Awareness Month. Here's a post detailing Chevrolet's efforts in support of Autism Speaks and how you can help. - Will Stewart, blog editor

By Jan Thomas
Chevrolet Communications

Last week we announced the Help Chevy Help Autism Speaks promotion where Chevy will donate up to $1 million when individuals can go to autismspeaks.org or chevy.com to take a free virtual test drive of the all-new Malibu. More details can be found in the press release.

Now I’ve done a lot of cool things in my job with GM. It’s definitely not a bad gig. But I’ve got to tell you, working on this Autism Speaks promotion has been one of my most rewarding projects, and it really touched me on a personal level as well. Here’s why.

Those who know me know about my Aunt Jane. She was developmentally disabled and lived with my family since my grandmother died more than 45 years ago … before I was even born. I grew up with Jane, and in a way, she was like a sibling to me rather than an aunt. We would swing together, sing church songs together, play with paper dolls and play school. Eventually I outgrew her … but she stayed the same.

Just last month, we lost Jane at the age of 75 after a brief illness. My mom and I were with her when she passed. And through her illness, death and the subsequent funeral, of course there was a lot of reflection on her life and what it meant.

One thing that really stuck with me was my mom saying it would have been interesting to know what was really wrong with her…if she was autistic or what her disorder was as she appeared normal at birth. And that saddened me because back in the time Jane was born and growing up, there was little known about development disorders, and limited resources for affected individuals and their families. Doctors didn’t know what to do with Jane. Teachers didn’t know what to do with Jane. It was something many people didn’t like to deal with or see. And in our case to this day, we don't know what her disorder was. So it was up to the family to make the best life they could for Jane and themselves. And while she played a unique and special role in our family and even community as everyone knew and loved Jane, if she had been born in today’s world with today’s resources, Jane would have been able to lead a more productive and more independent life.

That’s what has heartened me in learning more about Autism Speaks. There is hope. Part of the Autism Speaks mission is dedicated to funding global biomedical research into the causes, prevention, treatments, and cure for autism; to raising public awareness about autism and its effects on individuals, families, and society; and to bringing hope to all who deal with the hardships of this disorder.

While Autism Speaks is in its infancy, it is making strides…and we all can make a difference. Learn more about autism and the hope for a better future and a cure for this neurological disorder of which 1 in 150 children are diagnosed.

Facts about autism can be found here.

Posted by Editor at 10:18 AM
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