A few months ago, singer and actor Donnie Wahlberg raised more than $700,000 for the autism charity of his wife Jenny McCarthy, Generation Rescue, through his first time ever solo concert.
About 1,000 fans gathered in the Arcada Theater, St. Charles, IL, for a special concert experience. A matching donation of an amount of $100,000 was made to the foundation by the star of Blue Bloods.
Some of the special guests were band mates of New Kids on the Block, Joey McIntyre, Jordan Knight, and Danny Wood along with some hip hop artists, Naughty by Nature and Nice & Smooth.
The party was then brought back to Hotel Baker, where both of them married about two years ago. There, a grand after party was organized, closing the special night for a cause that is quite dear to the hearts of both.
Evan, the son of McCarthy, was diagnosed of autism in 2005. In 2015, Wahlberg became one of the board of directors of Generation Rescue.
The grand evening was presented by some longtime supporters of Generation Rescue, like OxyHealth, Jenee L. Polaczek, and Hotel Baker.
Generation Rescue is one of the pioneers among the national non-profit organizations that provide immediate treatment services and hope to families having children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD).
What is Autism?
Autism and Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), both are terms for a group of disorders related to brain development. The characteristics of these disorders, in varying degrees, are trouble in non-verbal and verbal communication, repetitive behaviors and difficulty in social interaction.
Other issues associated with ASD are intellectual disability, attention and motor coordination difficulties, and physical health problems like gastrointestinal and sleep disturbances. Some individuals with ASD are excellent in art, math, music , and visual skills.
The roots of autism seem to be in early development of the brain. However, the autism signs and symptoms come to the surface from 2 to 3 years of age.
Although autism is not curable yet, the symptoms of autism can be minimized to a large extent with different treatment options and early intervention therapies. Parents are recommended to start treatment for their autistic children as early as possible to get the best possible results.