(L-R) Eco-artist Grant Manier with his mother, Julie Coy Manier, Darla Farmer, and the “Heroes” artwork he created for this year’s Strike Out Autism auction. The work contains more than 2,500 puzzle pieces

At Family Fun Day on April 27, the community rallies again for families living with autism

By Melanie Saxton

Last year, Hope for Three joined ranks with the Sugar Land Skeeters to “Strike Out Autism.” This community gathering of families and baseball athletes was one of the largest in Fort Bend County, with 18 mayors throwing their support behind the effort. The inaugural Strike Out Autism Family Fun Day at Constellation Field included a pre-game meet-and-greet, autograph session and field play. Children were paired with buddies to give parents and caregivers a rare opportunity to relax, unwind and enjoy the company of other adults in the Bud Light Pavilion.

Many countries around the world celebrate April as Autism Awareness Month. In 2012, local mayors in 18 cities in Fort Bend County signed a Proclamation of support for April as Autism Awareness Month in their communities. The proclamation honors parents, children and adults living with autism. Mayors Moore, Thompson, McJunkin, Bittner, Pavlock, Kuykendall, Newsome, Elder, Jessup, Owen, Morales, Scarcella, Anderson, Reid, Haenel, Zdunkewicz, Humphrey and Wendt participated.

Hope for Three, a 501c3 nonprofit, was established by Darla Farmer to support local families living with autism. After last year’s Strike Out Autism celebration, Farmer received heartwarming feedback such as, “My family had a blast! Our hearts are still so full of joy! No one has ever done anything special like this for our entire family. I had to let you know how special it made my son feel.”

THIS YEAR’S FAMILY FUN DAY EVENT

With these special testimonials spur­ring her on, Farmer knew Strike Out Autism was destined to be an annual tradition in Fort Bend County. Presented by Rangeland Energy, the second annual Family Fun Day is scheduled for Sunday, April 27. Strike Out Autism is once again partnering with the Sugar Land Skeeters, Honorable Judge Bob Hebert, and the local Fort Bend mayors who signed the original Proclamation (with the addition of newly elected Fabol Hughes of Katy and Evelyn Jones of Arcola).

A silent auction has been added for Opening Weekend on April 27. Parents look forward to a social hour, kids look forward to the parade, and everyone looks forward to the two-hour buffet prepared for families who live with the reality of autism spectrum disorder. As an extra special treat, kids are invited to run the bases at the end of the baseball game. Auction winners will collect jerseys from players and coaches.

This year, a notable artist who has received national acclaim, Grant Manier (maun-yay), will participate in Strike Out Autism by showcasing and donating a custom piece of his remarkable “Eco-Art” exclusively for the Strike Out auction.

GRANT MANIER’S RARE GIFT

“Joining us this year is Grant Manier, one of the most intriguing and captivating young artists today living with autism,” says Darla Farmer. As the world becomes more Eco-friendly, Manier’s Eco-art has everything to do with recycling. Because of his autism, Grant tears paper for hours and with precision. Today, he has incorporated conservationism into his work by reusing magazines, calendars, wallpaper, posters, puzzles and more. Each art piece contains thousands of cut or torn pieces of recycled paper, which he constructs into masterpieces. Manier uses cool colors, cool shapes, and cool textures to produce each piece, which he refers to as “COOLAGES.”

Born in 1995, Manier’s eco-friendly talents are in full bloom and his artwork has captured national media attention. Manier has been honored with awards for his Eco-Impressionism and outstanding contribution to the autism community. He is extremely proud to have his Texas eco-art displayed in the U.S. Capitol and travels around Texas teaching children and adults the importance of environmental responsibility, and raising the awareness of special talents. You will often hear him say to individuals and families living with special challenges, “It’s not what we can’t do… it’s what we can do that makes the difference.” Manier has come a long ways from his early years, but still struggles.

Manier has generously created a signature piece titled “Heroes,” which is inspired by his early years of playing T-ball and learning about the great heroes of baseball, in particular Harmon Killebrew. Killebrew’s daughter, Shawn Killebrew Bair, is friends with Manier’s mother Julie and is pleased to see how baseball has touched so many lives.

“I am touched that Grant and children everywhere have been inspired by the great players and heroes of baseball,” says Bair. “My dad loved the game and had a great love for children. He was very involved in the Miracle League, a program giving kids with physical and mental disabilities, a chance to play ball. Those children were his heroes. Thank you, Grant, for keeping my dad’s memory and his love for the game swinging forward.”

Manier will be in New York April 15-20 to appear with Dr. Temple Grandin, a noted autistic person and expert with many publications, who is also captivated by Grant’s work. Both artists are collaborating at the NYC conference “Train the Talent.” Says Grandin of Manier’s artwort, “It is fabulous and his images are beautiful. Grant has attained the status of being a professional artist.”

When not attending shows, doing interviews or traveling, Manier attends FOCUS Academy, a school for children on the spectrum that offers academics and social classes for him. He has also started a job skills program working with adults with disabilities (Different Abilities, Inc.) who assist him in packaging and producing his art and promotional products.

THE ORIGINS OF HOPE FOR THREE

More than 2,200 children enrolled in Fort Bend County public schools have been diagnosed with autism. As the leading developmental disability in the United States, autism affects 1 in 50 school age children and is more common than AIDS, cancer and diabetes combined. It is common for a family to spend $600-$800 per week, per child, for therapies and services. The lifetime cost to care for a person with autism is estimated to range from $3.5 to $5 million.

Blessed Be Hope for Three Inc. was founded in April 2011 in honor of one of those special families. Hope and Eric Montgomery of Richmond were already parents of a son, Collin, when their lives changed drastically with the arrival of triplets in 2006. Imagine having spontaneous and natural-born identical triplets. Those odds — 1 in 200,000,000 — make the Montgomery trio of daughters a near miracle. Then the seemingly impossible happened when Londyn, Lakin and Lauren were diagnosed in 2009 with autism, an unheard-of phenomenon. The odds of having identical triplets with autism: unknown.

In honor of the Montgomerys and other families living with autism, Hope for Three exists to provide hope and help, primarily in the form of financial aid, so these families can obtain services from providers, There is no answer as to what causes autism,and there is no medical detection or cure. Children do not “outgrow” autism, but studies show that early diagnosis with early intervention lead to significantly improved outcomes. Autism is treatable and there is hope through therapy and acceptance.

Visit the following websites to see the great support of autism awareness in the Fort Bend community and beyond:
hopeforthree.org, grantecoart.com and
sugarlandskeeters.com.

Grant Manier’s Awards

Grant Manier’s art work has been displayed in the U.S. Capitol. The young artist also has received many awards, including:

• Houston Mayor’s Disabilities Youth Advocate and Volunteer of the Year 2011-2012

• Austin’s Rodeo Eco-Art Grand Champion 2011 and 2012

• Houston’s Bayou City Art Festival, 2013 New Emerging Artist

• Recognized for his Achievements by the Texas State Senate, May 2013

• Waste Management Overall Student Eco-Art Winner, Houston, 2013

• High School Congressional Art Winner for the 8th District of Texas

Grant created this happy sun using recycled calendars, magazines, gold paper, and paint

More than 300 volunteers and 400 family members get ready for a pre-game parade at last year’s event

(L-R) Hope for Three founder Darla Farmer with Rangeland Energy President and CEO Chris Keene and his wife Kathy, along with several other happy volunteers and participants at the previous Family Fun Day. Rangeland Energy is returning this year as MVP Presenting Sponsor

(Front, l-r) Dewanna Steamer, Lauren Montgomery, Sabrina Lolley holding Londyn Montgomery, Lakin Montgomery, Artesha Barsock; (rear) Dad Eric Montgomery, Grandpa Jesse Collins, mom Hope Montgomery, big brother Collin Montgomery

Grant created this artwork through inspiration from a horse he rides for his autism therapy, named Dhan Zhao. He used recycled poster board, magazines, books, and calendars and collaged on foam board. Grant’s artwork won Grand Champion in the 2011 Austin Eco-Art Rodeo Exhibit

Skeeters players and Mascot “Moe” support autism awareness at at the inaugural event

Grant’s expression of gratitude is clearly displayed through his original eco-art created exclusively for Focus Academy in Stafford. The piece is titled “Changing Lives.”