STRIKEOUTS FOR AUTISM

Hello! My name is Mickey Coyne. I am 9 years old and I live in Northern California. I have a younger brother named Brendan who has Autism. We are less than a year apart. When he was younger he couldn't talk or play with me and this made me feel very sad.

Every day I tried to help my brother play and be happy. When my brother started going to a special school he started to talk. We even started to play together.

One day my Mom took me to his school to see him. I saw a lot of kids like my brother. There were even older kids at the school. This confused me. I thought my brother was this way because he was little and that he would get better as he got older. Later that day, I told my Mom that I wanted to do something for Brendan and every kid like him. I want to make them happy and so I came up with an idea!

I am going to put together a team of family and friends that play baseball and softball. We will get sponsors to make a donation for every batter we strikeout as a pitcher. Together, the number of batters we strikeout will raise money for Autism Speaks.

Autism Speaks raises money for research and gives a voice to families affected by Autism. One out 150 children born in this country will have Autism. More research is needed to find a cure and help children with Autism live normal lives.

Donations can be made for an individual pitcher or the whole team. You can put limits on the size of your donation either in the number of strikeouts for the season or a set donation value.

Most youth baseball/softball players will play an estimated 16 games this season, with another 4 possible playoff games. They have limits on number of pitches a child can throw. For example, I (Mickey) can pitch a total of 3 innings a game and no more than 6 innings a week. So that's 9 possible strikeouts a game and that would be a dream game.)

I hope this explains what we are trying to accomplish. You can donate any amount and adjust the size of your donation at any time. For example, if your pledge started at 50 cents per strikeout and the pitcher is having a great season, you could adjust you pledge amount at any time.

We are also looking to sign up pitchers to join the team this season. Both youth softball or baseball pitchers of any age are welcomed.

Would you like to sponsor an individual pitcher?
Email us for a Donor Form.

Do you know a pitcher that would like to be a part of our team?
Email me for the application.

Would you like to sponsor your son or daughters youth team?
Email me for the application.

For more information, please email us at k4Autism@gmail.com.

Please pass this email on to any you think would like to support us! Look forward to hearing from you.
So, lets play ball and strikeout autism now!

Thank you, Mickey and The Coyne Family