Autistic Kids Cooking Class on 3/30/12 Kicks Off Autism Awareness Day in April

By: Young Chefs Academy | 32 Shares 255 Reads

CLAREMONT, CA--(Marketwire - Mar 6, 2012) - Developmentally disabled children of all ages will attend the 4th Annual 'Autistic Kids Cooking Class' workshop and fundraiser, with featured speaker and autism author Monica Holloway, Friday, March 30, 2012, 5 - 7 p.m. at the Young Chefs Academy located at 514 W. 1st St., Claremont in observance of World Autism Awareness Day on April 2.

The event will feature a theme of promoting greater awareness and understanding of autism in schools, including speaker workshops for parents, and hands-on food activities for kids, including a gluten-free Angry Birds cake pop station.

Cost is $15 per participant, with all proceeds supporting Autism Speaks LA. A new special this year is bring one or more friends and receive $5 off. Businesses or individuals may sponsor a child for $35. In 2011, the event raised $1,300 for Autism Speaks, with 25 participants.

Speaker Monica Holloway, best-selling author of Cowboy & Wills, which shares the story of the golden retriever puppy that changed her disabled son's life, will address participants on her personal experiences with autism and on overcoming adversity with grace.

"This event is a wonderful sensory and social experience for children with disabilities," says Leslie Sassaman, owner of Young Chefs Academy in Claremont.

Autism Speaks LA leadership Matthew Asner, Executive Director for Southern California, and Pam Eisenberg, Walk & Event Director, will participate with their children, and will be available for interviews.

For more information, visit http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Autistic-Kids-Cooking-Class/186026081431123

Media inquiries, contact Jess Block, 909-706-8525, jessblockpr@gmail.com.

To register, contact Leslie Sassaman, Young Chefs Academy Owner, 909-625-7505, cheflesliesassaman@yahoo.com.

About Young Chefs Academy

Young Chefs Academy offers kids, teens and adult culinary-themed classes, mini-camps, and birthday parties. YCA gives individuals the opportunity to discover the significance of cooking while building self-confidence and improving academic skills. http://www.youngchefsacademy.com/stores/store_page.php?franchise_id=217

About Autism Speaks

Autism Speaks is the nation's largest autism advocacy organization, dedicated to increasing awareness of autism spectrum disorders, to funding research into the causes, prevention and treatments for autism, and to advocating for the needs of individuals with autism and their families. http://www.autismspeaks.org

About Monica Holloway

Monica Holloway is the bestselling author of Cowboy & Wills, a Mother's Choice Award's Gold recipient, and the critically acclaimed author of the memoir Driving With Dead People, described by Newsweek as "unforgettable," Glamour christened "a classic," and the Washington Post deemed "irresistible." http://www.monicaholloway.com