By Emily Williams
From the outside, Glenwood Autism and Behavioral Health Center looks much like a summer camp. The area is littered with small log cabins and a log fence running along the road.
From the inside, Glenwood is a powerhouse of community service, providing community and outpatient programs that reach about 8,600 individuals a year.
The organization serves adults and children on the autism spectrum and their families on-site and through community outreach programs.
Alongside a board of directors, Glenwood’s Junior Board, a group of young professionals, volunteer their time to help raise funds to support the center and the clients it serves.
During its 12-year existence, the board has perfected its process of fundraising.
“We’re a well-oiled machine by now,” Noah Oliphant said.
Oliphant, whose career is centered on serving the software and infrastructural needs of charitable organizations, joined the board five years ago.
“I was looking for something local and something that was very tangible. Something that I can see and experience,” Oliphant said.
He chose to give back to the community through Glenwood because it offers the ability to directly see the results of the junior board’s efforts, but also for a personal reason. One of his closest friends has a child who is on the autism spectrum.
“Being able to come to Glenwood and to have experiences with the clients here – the adults and the children – was very meaningful for me,” he said.
One of his peers on the board, Stacey Summerville, is in her third year of service but has been closely involved with the organization for more than seven years, since a close friend began working for Glenwood. One of her first experiences was attending the junior board’s A Night Under the Big Top event, it’s largest fundraiser of the year.
“It’s really been a lot of fun to see how far it has come since that fifth event up until now,” Summerville said. “The cause, the reason why we are all doing this, is so visible. To be able to come and interact with the clients, to go bowling with the kids and the adults – you see that you’re not just sponsoring a party or signing a check. You’re making a direct difference in people’s lives.”
Some of Oliphant and Summerville’s favorite Glenwood memories are not about signing checks or dancing at a fundraiser, but interacting directly with Glenwood’s clients at the junior board’s annual bowling night.
“It’s a really fun event for the junior board to meet with some of the adults and get creamed,” Oliphant laughed. “It’s shocking how good they are.”
According to Trammell, outings with Glenwood supporters are not only good for clients, but their families as well.
“If these people weren’t with us here at Glenwood, they wouldn’t be going on bowling trips with their friends,” he said. “They would most likely be at home with a family that is probably at wits’ end trying to meet their basic physiological needs. Seeing them out there having a good time is a remarkable thing.”
Though he has not yet experienced a bowling night or black-tie fundraiser, Mike Girouard has spent his four-week membership listening to stories and getting amped up for his first junior board event.
“I love the passion of the people that volunteer their time towards this cause,” Girouard said. His involvement began through his career with TekLinks, which will serve as the title sponsor for “A Night Under the Big Top.”
With the help of fellow communications company Cisco, Birmingham-born IT solutions company TekLinks has recently doubled in size due to the recent purchase of a Nashville-based company.
“With that growth, we had to redefine what we are about and what our culture was going to be,” Girouard said. “We knew we wanted to give back to Alabama, because this is where we were founded – out of the basement of our former owner’s home.”
He said he has embraced the opportunity to personally give back, and helping the board plan its biggest fundraiser of the year is just the first step.
This year, the board’s goal is to raise $225,000 at “A Night Under the Big Top.”
“There is this incredible need for services,” said Communications Coordinator Bradley Trammell. “We can, unfortunately, only serve a fairly small percentage of people. Every dollar we get is another bed, it’s someone else in the community that we can serve.”
The event will feature a silent auction, casino games, live music, a VIP lounge with bourbon tastings and – for the second year – a silent disco. Each participant dons headphones and dances to the music.
According to Oliphant, the disco was slow to start last year. “I was out there encouraging people and dancing by myself,” he said. “Unfortunately, a number of my friends have commented on that. By the end of the night, the scene was absolutely remarkable. The tent was full and there were no more headphones.”
Summerville said her mother was having the time of her life during the disco last year along with 200 other guests, so this year the board has ordered 300 sets of headphones.
The 12th annual “A Night Under the Big Top” event will be held at The Club Feb. 19 from 8 p.m. to midnight. Tickets to the event are $60 in advance.
For more information, visit www.glenwood.org.