Dr. Kerry Magro: Why I Started A Non-Profit And An Autism Scholarship Program
By, Dr. Kerry Magro Ed.D., CAS
“At the end of the day, it's not about what you have or even what you've accomplished. It's about what you've done with those accomplishments. It’s about who you've lifted up, who you've made better. It about what you've given back." – Denzel Washington
When I was growing up, I was horrible at test taking. Because of my autism and having challenges with reading comprehension I did only okay on my SAT’s leading to minimal scholarship aid to go to college. Then when I started telling people I was on the autism spectrum in college it led to meeting more and more autistic adults who would share similar stories about the same exact issue. I wanted to do something to help these individuals and that is how my nonprofit got its start.
In 2011, right when I was about to graduate from Seton Hall University with my undergraduate degree, I started filing my 501 c 3 paperwork to start KFM Making A Difference, a nonprofit organization’s which mission was to help students with autism with scholarship aid to go to college. While waiting to see if my organization would receive nonprofit status, the ideas continued to build on what I could be doing to help others in the special need’s community. In 2012, once I was granted my nonprofit status, we had extended our mission to promote disability advocacy, with a long-term goal of spearheading affordable housing for those with disabilities.
Fast forward to almost a decade later and our ‘Making a Difference for Autism Scholarship Program’ has given 86 partial scholarships for students with autism to go to college. We’ve had winners attend universities such as the University of Alabama, Virginia Tech, Stevens Institute of Technology among other esteemed universities!
My work does not stop there. When I started speaking at conferences for the first time about autism, I realized that I was often one of the only self-advocates represented at these events. In the spirit of celebrating and educating on neurodiversity, I started an educational video series called A Special Community to give a platform for those impacted by a diagnosis to share their stories. This has led to over 150 self-advocate videos from across the spectrum all the way from an 18-month-old with Down Syndrome to an older gentleman who is an army veteran who has cerebral palsy.
Among other initiatives I’ve worked on via our nonprofit have included hosting 7 years of sensory events (in the video above I also play Santa for these kids), a grant for small businesses that hire people with disabilities and so much more.
I’m grateful for everyone who has lend their support to continue to help our initiatives shine. Today, 1 in 5 Americans has a disability making up the largest minority in the United States. It is my hope that I can continue to help make a difference in this often-underserved community for many years to come.
You can learn more about how can support my nonprofit and our initiatives here. Thanks everyone!
Sincerely,
Dr. Kerry Magro EdD, CAS
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