On Thursday August 24th, I had the honor and pleasure of being one of several emcees for the Doug Flutie Jr. Foundation’s 25th Anniversary Concert at the historic Fenway Park in Boston, MA. About 4,000 people attended this milestone event for an organization that has been there for families affected by autism for the past 25 years.
Founded by the legendary football player, Doug Flutie and his wife, Laurie, the Flutie Foundation provides not only support for families, but also helps support passionate neurodivergent individuals with lifelong career goals. As you know, I joined the Flutie Foundation as a fellow last fall, and it has been a life changer for me.
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But as for the event itself, the concert comprised of mostly singers, speakers and guest stars coming together for a common cause. Some of the participants are well known for their appearances in media with the chief emcee being Brittani D’Angelo of tv’s “Big Brother” and Shawn Stockman of the group Boyz II Men as one of the guest participants. One of the benefits of the Flutie Foundation is to bring together individuals from the mainstream media into their organization. Couple that with having the concert at Fenway Park, then you got the makings of something big.
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However, one thing that I do want to make clear was that this concert was an opportunity for families that would otherwise not have to come out and just be part of a community for one night. Every single family and performer felt like they were part of something historic and that’s what the Flutie Fellow has dedicated itself to for the past 25 years.
One example of this statement is Adin Boyer, who performed his heart out and felt emotional afterwards because he set out to do something that he had trouble trying to achieve…he wanted to perform for a sold out crowd and he did. I mean, think about it…if you had set out your life to find something worth meaning, wouldn’t you feel the same way?
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And this whole concert was just that, a chance for people to accomplish a life goal and being part of something big. One of the benefits of helping achieve these goals is to provide the support needed. For the musicians and guest speakers, we had the accommodation of taking over the Ford Clubhouse at Fenway that provided a sensory space for people to decompress and enjoy the concert in an environment that they can thrive in.
If we didn’t have the Ford Clubhouse, I don’t know how we would have enjoyed the concert without getting overstimulated. In addition, Flutie was forunate to partner with Birmingham, AL based KultureCity to provide sensory items to support attendees with sensory needs.
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Some of the other highlights included Doug Flutie performing with the Flutie Brothers Band as well as performances by Jake and Sky Velasquez, MBS, along with Cierra June and C-Quig, who were awarded scholarships towards their respective college careers.
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In conclusion, it’s moments like these that make me proud to be a Flutie Fellow and by holding this concert, the Flutie Foundation looks to be supporting families and individuals affected by autism for the next 25 years and beyond.
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