October 2025 Newsletter

Hello everyone, welcome to our 5th newsletter of 2025. We hope everyone had a good summer and is looking forward to the Holiday season. At the Autism on the Seas Foundation we have been busy finalizing the travel plans for our first round of Dreams Come True awards and fundraising to make future grants available for families in need.

10th Anniversary T-shirt Design Fundraiser

Over the summer we ran a community competition for designs to adorn our ten-year Anniversary t-shirts. The winning design was used last month to raise over $1,000 for the Foundation. It was great to see families posting photos wearing their t-shirts and looking forward to their next cruise vacation.

Espyn Wright from Greenville, KY wearing her t-shirt on Carnival Celebration

We received so many amazing designs that we will be running furthers fundraisers in 2026 with the images that placed 2nd and 3rd in the community vote. More information will be coming in the future.

COMING VERY SOON! Win-a-Cruise mini-sweepstakes

We are grateful to Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines who donated a free cruise certificate that the Foundation can use to raise funds for our Dreams Come True program. The sweepstakes begin on Saturday October 18th, and entries must be purchased before midnight on Sunday October 26th. The drawing for the winner will be on Friday 10/31. Full details plus terms and conditions will be emailed to everyone registered for notifications as well as on our social media and website.

Dreams Come True grant awards

As we have communicated before, we were overwhelmed by the number of applications for our Dreams Come True grant awards. All applications were reviewed and none were rejected; we simply cannot make all the awards in one go with our limited funds. As we raise more money, we can make more grants.

We recognize that the cruise dates many applicants selected may be coming up soon. Applications will not be rejected just because the date has passed. If a family is selected for a grant, the Foundation will work with them to find a new cruise that meets their availability and travel needs. We thank everyone for their patience and support.

Thank you, Dream Makers!

Every donation is gratefully received and has an impact. Even $20 can fund an Uber ride for a grant family to get to their cruise departure in ease and comfort. This month we are grateful for three organizations who made substantial contributions that can make an entire Dream Come True grant possible.

• The Davidson Family Charitable Gift Fund donated $3,500!

• A private foundation donated $3,000!

• Town Fair Tire Foundation Fund donated $2,500!

That's all for now. Our next newsletter will be in November with the results of the sweepstakes and our year end fundraising drive. Be well.