Outreach Autism Services Network (OASN)
OASN is a faith based non-profit organization founded 5/12/2011. We provide annual events (Autism Walk, Community Resource Fair, Sensory Sensitive Christmas Party), educational programs (inclusion private school & fun educational inclusion summer program), resource guide (updated annually or as often as possible), referrals, & support meetings to individuals on the spectrum for autism & related neuro immune disorders (their families & caregivers) residing in the state of FL within driving distance of Ocala, FL (conveniently located in North Central Florida).
Everything we do is dependent upon donations & funding received.
This organization was started in 2011 because there were no autism services or support available in Marion County, FL when our executive director and founder sought assistance for her own children. Autism services are still, after all these years, grossly underfunded. Due to this, OASN's role in the community is to point families to current resources available regionally (& sometimes statewide since other counties are having similar issues of having limited services available) and to get funding to provide needed services (which, unfortunately, has become increasingly more difficult post 2020).
What can YOU do to help?
Making a tax deductible donation helps us continue assisting our community with the increasing costs of providing our current services and events. You can also help us fund a desparately needed larger building so that we can expand our current services! This cannot be done without additional funding. You can ask local businesses, government officials, foundations or anyone to fund OASN and the work we do by providing tax deductible donations (CH39857).
You can make a difference in the lives of the families we serve! Even small donations help! We are a local grassroots organization-not a national non profit organization. Monies raised here stays here.
GENERAL # (352) 462-0168 9am-2:30pm August-May. June-July 2024 phones are answered: to be determined (TBD).
K-12 EDUCATION # (352) 509-4085 9am-3pm August-May. June-July 2024: to be determined (TBD).
HOURS OF OPERATION Our reception area is open August-May 8:45am-2:30pm M-F June-July 2024: to be determined (TBD).
WE ARE CLOSED Spring Break, Good Friday, the last week in May, the month of July (TBD for 2024, could be the entire month or possibly for two weeks), Thanksgiving Week, Christmas break and all major holidays.
WHAT DOES OASN DO?
OASN collaborates with doctors, therapists, schools, & other non profit organizations to provide valuable resources, services, inclusion education, events & support meetings.
We currently provide services for individuals with autism up to age 21. We hope to offer services to adults in the future (with funding in place and a larger building). Please see our resource guide that offers resources compiled by our staff for all ages.
OASN Services and Events are 100% dependent on grant funding and donations received. Just because we want to provide additional services, does not mean we have the funding available to do so. Please remember this when you talk to our volunteer that answers our phone OR our (under)paid staff that work at OASN because they feel led to be in service to those in need.
Help us fundraise if you want a service or event funded you do not see listed.
Our subsidiary school, Ocala Preparatory Academy (an inclusion holistic faith based Christian private school) is funded in part by choice scholarships & parent financial participation. Help us sponsor a child to attend our inclusion school! Your sponsorship help can defray or eliminate a family's out of pocket costs not covered by a choice scholarship.
Special needs non profit organizations are sorely underfunded. Your tax deductible donation truly helps LOCAL families!
OASN FOREVER HOME
We continue our search for our forever home for OASN! Our needs are as follows:
1. A lodge, church, school, or similar type of building with a minimum 6500 square feet and at least 2 acres of land. This property must be zoned PUD or B2 and not part of a homeowner's association.
OR
2. PUD or B2 land (we must have this zoning to be able to build an building for educational purposes) and at minimum, 2 acres to be able to expand.
Our current location is in SW Ocala (on SW 60th Avenue near 200) so we are seaching for a location between 484 and 200 (or just a bit north or south) near 75 (preferably west of 75 but would consider just east of 75 as well). Staying within this boundary area will enable us to continue to serve families that have moved close to our current location that has been our home for 8 years.
Many of our staff and families we serve are Marion Oaks residents, so we would love to serve in this community!
Finding our forever home means that we can begin the process of offering services to adults and children ages 3-5 (if we are able to build a larger building than we currently have)! You can contribute financially to our forever home fund by clicking here. We also appreciate your prayers to help us with getting funding to build or to purchase a property.
OUR BEGINNINGS
OASN was started as a once a month support group at College Road Baptist Church on May 12, 2011. We were then called Ocala Autism Support Network. See OASN History for more information about how we started and more information about some of the pictures listed above.
We have done all of this guided by our faith through Jovovah, God. our father, every step of the way!
OASN MISSION
To facilitate the best outcomes for individuals with autism & related neuroimmune/neurodevelopmental disorders. This is accomplished by offering educational programs, services, support meetings, events & referrals to the individuals, families & caregivers served. All that we do is lead by faith and hope to impact our community in a positive way.
OASN HISTORY
OASN has always been an expression of Christian faith, founded to help autism families that have struggled with finding support, services and receiving a formal diagnosis.
In December 2015, after lots of prayer and mindfulness, OASN started the process to open our subsidiary school, Ocala Preparatory Academy, an inclusion school. After being in two smaller offices, we were excited to move to our current building in March 2016. This move was done as a huge leap of faith by our board of directors that our executive director would be able to raise the funds to stay in our current building long term. We have since outgrown this buildng and need a larger space. We appreciate your prayers and donations to find or build a larger facility.
Everything we do has always been done within the framework of our Christian faith. In the past, our faith has taken a sideline because we did not want to turn away federal funding needed for OASN programs and services. In the spring of 2022, OASN learned that there was an Executive Order issued May 3, 2018, to ensure that faith-based organizations have strong advocates in the White House and throughout the Federal Government. This has not been the case in the past for faith-based organizations. Moving forward, we are faith based in all that we do.
NON DENOMINATIONAL STATEMENT OF PURPOSE
OASN abides by Christian principles in all that we do:
Believe
Our students are taught to live out Christian principles at school, home, and in the world.
Learn
We look at our students holistically and ask for God's direction in all that we do. Our small class sizes and holistic approach help us to achieve this daily goal of supporting each student's success.
Lead
Our students are taught the importance of their character, morality and integrity. We are mindful of this in our daily prayers with our students and in our morning staff meetings.
Serve
Our students are taught that they have a greater purpose in life. Through mindful prayer and instruction, our staff helps guide our students to learn what their true purpose is.
EXPANSION PLANS=CAPITOL CAMPAIGN
Please contact our Programs Administrator, Ana Vonsander at avonsander@oasn.info for more information about our capital campaign. You can contribute financially to our forever home fund here.
We know the road, so we have paved it for others to have an easier journey!™
What is Autism?
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a developmental disability that can cause significant social, communication and behavioral challenges. Individuals with autism process information differently than those not on the spectrum for autism.
Our beginnings: Starting as a once a month support group at College Road Baptist Church on May 12, 2011, to our first Christmas party, to our summer sponsored bowling league, respite care, our first office, the MUGS, one of our many amazing autism walks from our first few years when we were Ocala Autism Support Network and later transitioned to Outreach Autism Services Network to outreach to other counties and later the entire state of FL (noting that our office is located in Ocala, FL but we do link families and individuals in other parts of the state with local resources).
How many individuals are diagnosed with autism?
Are there higher medical costs associated with autism?
Individuals with an autism diagnosis have medical expenditures that exceeded those without an autism diagnosis by $4,110–$6,200 per year. On average, medical expenditures for individuals with an autism diagnosis were 4.1–6.2 times greater than for those without an autism diagnosis. Differences in median expenditures ranged from $2,240 to $3,360 per year with median expenditures 8.4–9.5 times greater. In 2005, the average annual medical costs for Medicaid-enrolled children with autism were $10,709 per child, which was about six times higher than costs for children without autism ($1,812). In addition to medical costs, intensive behavioral interventions for children with autism cost $40,000 to $60,000 per child per year.
Reference: Centers for Disease Control:
https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db291.pdf, please visit the CDC website for more information.
HUGE thanks to Howard Middle School and the Jr. National Honor Society for volunteering, choosing OASN as their study project, and for their generous donation. Community support allows OASN to offer low cost/no cost programs/services. We are so grateful!
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