The Adams Family

There is so much we know about Autism and yet so much to learn. This leaves families dealing with this journey as both needing to be educated and needing to be educators. Our families must know when to be assertive and when to let things go. Our families must know what boundaries to challenge and what boundaries to embrace. It becomes a delicate balance in an ambiguous journey. It is exhausting but essential to our children’s success.

The story of Tom, Karen, Stephanie, and Frankie Adams, is the story of a family who pioneered advocacy early on in CNY and have since devoted their lives to helping others find their way. Amidst their own trials, they have blazed a path for other families to follow. They have set building blocks in place for such things as choosing the Promise school as a center-based program for preschoolers. While establishing a process for bussing Syracuse area kids to the Promise school, they were the first to get this option approved for their own child. They quickly became a role model for remaining steadfast to individual beliefs and proof that one family can unite to build positive change. They believed in something, so they fought for it, created the process, and gave other families a new exciting option

Since then, Karen became involved as an Educational Coordinator at Exceptional Family Resources. She shone brightly as a valued resource for mediating between schools and parents. She devotes work time and her personal time to this endeavor and was quickly promoted to Educational Supervisor. She is well known by parents and professionals within the Autism Community. Perhaps that is because her focus is always set clearly on moving the community forward and making positive changes for our children and families.

In the past year, aside from the usual work they do, the Adams family hosted a very successful fundraiser and donated all the proceeds to local organizations trying to make changes. They saw parents and agencies working together but without all the necessary financial support. They developed a grant process to ensure that all the money was used in a valuable way and have through this process personally supported many local initiatives for our special children and families. FEAT of CNY received money to help provide scholarships to parents who wished to attend a 10-session training but could not afford registration. Karen sits on the FEAT of CNY Board of Advisors and has been a critical component of our success and a huge champion for FEAT of CNY families.

Through the Adams Family’s constant assessment of our community’s needs, and unwavering response, they have become the Guardian Angel in this journey for so many. From the bottom of our hearts, Thank You- Tom, Karen, Stephanie, and Frankie Adams.