ZACK GREER

With lots of help, I am currently in the process of starting a foundation.  It is geared toward helping support financially stressed families who have children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.  The whole idea is to raise some money for those families who need it, as the costs associated can get pretty ridiculous.  We are going to be partnering with Turfer Athletic to make some awesome gear as well.

So let me give you the full rundown on where the inspiration for the Zack Greer Foundation comes from.  First of all, the game of lacrosse has been great to me, along with all of the help and support I have received from family and friends over the years.  As a result I was looking for a way to give back to others who could benefit from some of the opportunities I have been afforded.  I had to look no further than my adorable, energetic, and intelligent nephew, Daniel “Owen” Rouse, who was born March 27^th, 2003 in Fairhope, Alabama.  My sister Danielle and family moved back home to Ontario in November 2003 when Owen was only nine months old.  Shortly after that, when Owen was about twelve months, they started to notice that something wasn’t quite right.  With persistence from Danielle, the family doctor sent Owen to a pediatrician, and he was officially diagnosed with “Classic Autism” when he was eighteen months old.

Given a lot of hope from the pediatrician based on all of the new therapies available to children with autism, they left his office optimistic. Quickly they were given a reality check. They were devastated, hearing that most of the cost would be put on them, due to the massive waitlists, lack of funding, research, and awareness for autism. They ended up making the decision that Danielle’s husband, Tyler, should go to Iraq on a 1 year contract as a firefighter, so they could afford Owens Intense Behaviour Intervention (IBI) therapy. Meanwhile, they sat idle waiting on a list for government funded programs. Although it was hard on the family to be apart, and have Tyler in such a dangerous place, Owen was receiving the therapy he needed.

At the time, I was living with my sister, as my siblings and I all rented a house together. This was a period I cherish, as I haven’t had much time over the past five years to spend with any of my nieces and nephews, being so far away at school.

I got to see first hand the love and heart ache that comes with autism.  I loved being able to come home, toss Owen in the air and play rough housing games with him, but it was also tough to see the situation my sister was facing.  In 2007 Owen was finally picked up off the wait-list at the age of 4. He has flourished ever since, and his progress is amazing, thanks to the great IBI therapy he receives. Everyone is so proud of him.

However, the family’s financial needs don’t stop with just IBI therapy. They have to pay for respite care in order to get a break from the demanding attention Owen requires. There is also a lot of equipment that helps Owen with his daily life, such as a voice output communication device, sensory integration equipment, and occupational therapy equipment.  The love that Danielle, Tyler and the rest of the family has for Owen is endless, however money is not. Because of the love, pain and struggle I have seen my sister face, trying to care for my nephew, I decided I would find a way to help other families like ours.

We are still in the initial stages of putting this thing together and there is a lot of leg work still to be done.

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