2014-2023 Fundraisers

This was our first fundraiser at The 3 Spot in North Royalton that fueled the passion to create the Beyond Words Foundation for Autism. Our grand prize 1/2 carat diamond necklace was donated by The Jewel House of Parma. We raised $2,500 that night with some amazing donations from the several community organizations.

This was our first trial with selling squares online through PayPal and was very successful. Donors didn't have to be present to win, which was helpful because many who participated were out of town or attending the game downtown. During the event, we were blessed to meet so many people who were very generous during our 50/50 raffle which had a payout of $275. Overall, we raised $1293 for our Winter/Spring Scholarship Program. 

Thank you to everyone who not only participated in the fundraiser, but donated their winnings back to the Foundation. Because of your generosity, we raised $1,445 to go into our Summer 2015 Scholarship Program.

Our Reggae Vibes for Autism event at Shooters Waterfront Cafe in Cleveland raised $1,043.  We were blessed to have Roots Of A Rebellion from Nashville, Tennessee to provide the music at this event.  Our corporate sponsors, Tesla and Avion Tequila helped us raise awareness and money for our Fall Scholarship Program with basket raffles, taste testing tables and a silent auction for a weekend with the Tesla Model S car.

Our Ohio State University Clambake Dinner raised just over $600.  A special thank you to Justin from Grindstone Tap House in Berea for hosting our event and gathering some great raffle items!

Thank you to everyone who not only participated in the fundraiser, but donated their winnings back to the Foundation. Because of your generosity, we raised $1,340 to go into our Summer 2016 Scholarship Program.

This was our 2nd annual cookie fundraiser and we raised $1,322 with the sales of baked goods at the NRDA Christmas Show.  A special thank you to everyone who volunteered their time and expenses with baking over 50 dozen baked goods.

April 2021 - In honor of April being Autism Awareness month, we teamed up with a Thirty-One consultant who is also a mother to a son with autism.  We raised $438 for our scholarships that were awarded in May 2021! 

In CoCo Akouri's words:

My family is my life. I live, breathe and get up in the morning for my family. My children are my “WHY”. My cause is Autism. I may not be able to do much considering how much we need for “our children”! Our communities, our neighborhoods, our cities, states, entire country is overwhelmed with how high and prevalent the Autism numbers are!  The latest Statistics as per the CDC:“ 1 in 68 & 1 in 42 Boys - A 30% increase over 2008!”

(My son) Mario has severe Autism. He is the love of our lives. He is my Miracle. I truly feel blessed. I am humbled that our Lord chose me to be Mario’s mom, trusting that I am capable of taking good care of him. From here was my connection with Thirty-One. Being that Thirty-One Gifts is a faith-based company, I knew that it was meant to be. God blesses us everyday and it is up to us to appreciate & accept his blessings and honor them. What a privilege.