Max the Dog has been making the rounds at AWARE these days. He’s a Beanie Baby that was created in support of autism awareness.
FACT Case Manager Morgan Stokke introduced Max the Dog to AWARE staff earlier this year. The colorful rainbow dog with bright sparkling blue eyes was named by a boy with autism. Max is an important reminder of Autism Awareness Month, which commenced at the beginning of April.
Max the Dog’s birthday is World Autism Day, April 2, which is inscribed on his Ty heart tag. All proceeds from the sales of Max the Dog support Next for Autism.
Morgan says she’s passionate about the soft and cuddly toy in part because her husband is the Montana Account Executive for Beanie Babies. He brought Max the Dog to Morgan’s attention.
But also, Morgan comes from a long line of advocates who support people with autism. Her dad runs a school for children with autism, and her aunt also works with children with autism. In addition, Morgan is close with her older sister who was diagnosed with autism as a child.
Morgan says she is really proud of her sister. She lives in her own apartment and raises six Guinea Pigs. Recently Morgan had the opportunity to catch up with her sister who traveled to Montana to visit for a couple of weeks.
Morgan was inspired by the people in her life to work in the mental health arena. She says it gave her an insight into what families experience from day to day.
If you’d like to have your own Max the Dog Beanie Baby, you can shop for the dog that represents autism awareness at this link: https://shop.ty.com/product/max-multicolor-dog-40448.
For more information about the services AWARE provides to support adult, children and families, go to our website at www.Aware-inc.org/what-we-do.