We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Claire Dees. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Claire below.
Hi Claire, thanks for joining us today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?
Getting involved as the co-founder of Spectrum was a life changing experience for me. I got involved to assist, thinking that having a 10 year old with autism had given me some experience to share and support others on the journey and I ended up as the primary leader in the first few years. Our first meeting drew over 100 people so there was no doubt a need for support in our community. People wanted more than just support group meetings. They wanted respite, summer programs, after school care and judgement free family events. So Spectrum quickly became more than just a support group, now serving over 1800 individuals with autism per year and their families. Spectrum offers support groups for parents of individuals with autism of all age and ability, sibling support group for ages 5-14, Dads group, Grandparents group, groups for autistic adults, and one in Spanish only for Spanish speakers. We offer day camps and overnight camps, respite, social skills groups, drama club, technology club, family events and community education and training. My son with autism taught me so much and when he passed away of a sudden heart attack in 2011 it only increased my passion for helping families and became a part of his legacy that I continue the work. So, after running the organization for 19 years as a volunteer I took a risk and a leap and after a strategic plan to board hired me as a paid Executive Director in 2016 which has made all the difference in Spectrum’s mission to provide support, education and resources for individuals and families impacted by autism, giving the time to accomplish so much more. I am proud that we took our annual budget from $125,000/year to now almost $1 million in less than 7 years. And, we took a really big leap and bought our first building in September 2022! We have been using area churches primarily for the past 24 years and to celebrate our 25th anniversary in 2023 we will have renovations completed and occupy our own space giving us the opportunity to serve more, offer more programs and supports and to make a bigger difference with a greater impact in our community. Raising $1,550,000 is not an easy task but I am up for the challenge and know God has brought us this far and will bring us where we need to be. Connecting families and sharing hope is what brings me the most joy and the risk has been more than worth it!
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers
I think I covered it all in the first question! Maybe I did not answer it as you intended. I will say we will have the first ever Autism Support Center in Gwinnett County and we will be better able to fill in the gaps in services and supports to fill the needs in our community. Even though based in Gwinnett County, we have a large reach across the metro area and even the state and beyond. Our FaceBook page has a following of close to 18,000. We started a support group for neurodiverse partners in 2020 and it reaches over 500 individuals across the country and the world even.
Can you open up about how you managed the initial funding?
When Spectrum began in 1998 I truly only pictured a small support group of about 20 people sharing with one another and offering solutions and encouragement. When over 100 people showed up for the first meeting wanting much more than just support, my vision began to expand to think of how we could meet the needs and fill in the gaps that existed in supports and services. The generosity of our community has made all the difference in our growth. The Sugarloaf Womens Club took us on a beneficiary of their charity giving in 2005 and donated $45000 to Spectrum, helping us start our day camp program. We served 25 kids for 2 weeks that year and now serve 70 kids per week for 6 weeks each summer, offer school break camps and overnight weekends and weeklong camp, serving over 600 in camps each year. I have had great success with fundraising and grant writing since that time to keep our programs going and growing. Local grants have been key for us and the Georgia Race for Autism and Fall Festival, our largest fundraiser, draws over 2500 people per year (georgiaraceforautism.com) We also host a wine tasting event as well as the StarShine Gala, recognizing local employers who employ individuals with autism, creating great connections with our business community who love to give back. The rate of autism is now 1 in 44 and only continues to grow as do the needs so I am committed to making a difference in all the ways we can.
If you could go back in time, do you think you would have chosen a different profession or specialty?
If I could go back I do not know if I would have chosen the exact same specialty in my profession, but I do know that with a background in business administration I had the gifts needed for this job, but having a child with autism helped me find my true purpose and the perfect career of service combined with my administrative skills. Only God knew how to get me where I am today! Community outreach and service has always been my passion since a child, but ,making it a career is the perfect way to find joy in my life every day.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.atl-spectrum.com