"I want my children to be able to be who they are and participate in the world around them"; a mother's passionate advocacy that made all the difference

FAAN Board

Fatima Naylor went to St. Mary’s elementary and St. Bernard’s High school, she was born and raised in Eureka and married her high school sweetheart and has two wonderful sons. Born and raised in Eureka, Fatima works at Humboldt Land Title. She is active in Kiwanis, Soroptimist and Rotary.

There was a time she wanted to pursue a career in criminology so she worked part-time while earning her Psychology degree at Humboldt State University. Her promotion to escrow officer and the birth of her sons made Fatima walk down a different road; and that has made all the difference.

I first got acquainted with Fatima when she won the Woman of Distinction Award last year given by Kiwanis of Henderson Center.

 johnchiv.blogspot.com/2014/10/kiwanis-club-of-henderson-center-to.html

Of all her many accomplishments, raising awareness for Autism is what Fatima is most passionate about. For her, this issue is very close to home. Fatima is the mother of a two children with autism spectrum disorder.

Fatima is one of the founding members of “Families Advocating Autism Now”.  

FAAN, a non-profit, was started by Fatima and seven other mothers of children with autism in 2009. They are dedicated to finding new and better ways in assisting the education system adapt to the growing and changing needs of a child with autism.  They provide financial support to the public school system, with technology and continuing education for both the special education, and mainstream teachers. They also provide social activities for families in our area.  Because of her son, she is passionate about raising the level of awareness and advocacy in our community about autism.  She is instrumental in speaking to large groups in Northern California about autism and the ways that others can help in their area.  She believes in not only talking about ways to help those with autism, but also putting her words into action.

From 2010-2013, Fatima was the highest fundraiser for Autism Speaks for their annual autism awareness walk in Northern California.  In 2013, she was specially recognized by Autism Speaks for all that she has done to shine a light on autism. In October of 2014, Fatima and her husband were honored in Las Vegas for all of their support for the Ernie Els foundation for autism research and awareness.

"I have so much I want to say but what I want people to know most is that Autism affects my life every single day," said Fatima.  "I want my children to be able to be who they are and participate in the world around them.  I will make it my priority to make a difference in that world and make it ready for them to be loving, respectful and hard-working members of society.   I honestly feel that if your dreams don’t scare you, then they aren’t big enough.  We have one life and we need to make a difference.  I feel like I’m doing my part by being a member of Families Advocating Autism Now. "

www.families-advocating-autism-now.com

April is Autism Awareness Month. Check out FAAN's facebook page for more information

On the Autism Speaks site, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 1 in 68 children identify  on the autism spectrum–a ten-fold increase in prevalence in 40 years. Autism Spectrum Disorder affects over 3 million individuals in the U.S. and tens of millions worldwide. If you are unfamiliar with autism, this site is a good one to check out.

www.autismspeaks.org/what-autism