3-Time Super Bowl Champion Donates $7500 For Autism Awareness

THREE-TIME SUPER BOWL CHAMPION DURON HARMON DONATES $7500 TO Crossroads

Duron and Christine Harmon donate funds from Karaoke Night Fundraiser to Individuals with Autism at Crossroads in Marlborough, MA

MARLBOROUGH, MASS – (June 9, 2020) - Three-time Super Bowl Champion Duron Harmon donated $7,500 to Crossroads, an organization in Marlborough MA that provides education and services to individuals with autism.

Last year, Duron Harmon formerly of the New England Patriots and now a Detroit Lion celebrated Autism Awareness Month in April by climbing to new heights with students from Crossroads. 25 individuals with autism, along with another 30 of their teachers and staff, joined Duron at Boundless Adventures in Berlin for a full day of climbing, swinging, and overcoming physical and mental challenges.

This year, the celebration was cancelled, like so many others. Crossroads celebrated Autism Awareness Month with virtual Social DisDance parties over Zoom, but they were forced to cancel half a dozen other events aimed at raising awareness and funds for the non-profit, including their trip to Boundless Adventures.

Harmon, however, refused to let the distance and disease stand in the way. “With this being autism awareness month, I was hoping that me and my family could stop by and visit you guys again,” Harmon said in a video he recorded at home with his son, Christopher. “Obviously with the times, that just won’t happen right now. But we do have a surprise for you. On behalf of myself, my son, and my family, we want to present you guys with a check for $7500.”

“Duron was incredible with our students at Boundless Adventures last year,” says Kelley Borer-Miller, Development Director at Crossroads. “He was genuine and compassionate, and he took the time to introduce himself to each and every student. He truly made an impact on our students and staff members, and now he’s done it again with this generous donation. We can’t thank him enough.”

The funds were raised at Singing for Autism: Karaoke Night, a celebrity fundraiser held at The Grand in Boston in September. The event was hosted by Harmon and his wife Christine, with a portion of proceeds from the fun-filled evening supporting Autism Speaks and other nonprofit organizations supporting individuals with autism.

Harmon has been extremely passionate about supporting autism research, as his nephew was diagnosed at a young age. “This is a cause that’s dear to my heart,” he says in the video, “When I thought of who I could donate it to, Crossroads School was the first that came to mind. When I was able to spend the day with you guys at Boundless Adventures, I made so many memories and met so many good people and I knew that you guys were doing it the right way.”

This donation comes just in time, as Crossroads, like so many other nonprofits, are seeing their revenues impacted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. “Right now we are relying on the generosity of our community to help us through this crisis. We continue to try to make our staff as whole as possible, provide whatever supports services we can remotely to our students, their families and our clients despite the challenges associated with the COVID-19 crisis, despite having to modify annual events such as our Crossroads 5K and Family Fun Day, which provides an estimated $50,000 in revenue each year,” says Dr. Mark Dumas, President and CEO.

The organization resumed home-based services the first week of June and continues to provide remote learning and support in the day school while developing the procedures following the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s guidance on when and how in-person instruction can resume this summer.

Harmon’s full video can be viewed on the Crossroads Facebook page: www.facebook.com/CrossroadsSCHL, and donations can be made at www.crossroadsschoolma.org/donate.

For press inquiries regarding Duron Harmon or the Karaoke Night, please contact JoJo Wetterau (jojo@jjmediallc.com) and Janelle Driscoll (janelle@jjmediallc.com). For inquiries about Crossroads, please contact Jamie Faulkner (jfaulkner@crossroadsschoolma.org).

About Crossroads: Crossroads was established in 2002 to provide individualized, comprehensive education and related services to individuals with autism and other related disabilities. Autism, or autism spectrum disorder (ASD), refers to a broad range of conditions characterized by challenges with social skills, repetitive behaviors, speech and nonverbal communication. Crossroads addresses these challenges with an intensive staffing model; all services are provided in a staffing ratio of one direct-care staff to two students/clients or one-to-one. These intense educational and behavioral supports are required due to high rates of challenging behavior (e.g., aggression, self-injury, property destruction) and/or the individual’s cognitive deficits and the level of prompting required for learning. Those served by Crossroads at school and through home-based services program require highly individualized curricula to meet their educational and behavioral goals.

In response to our student’s needs for a structure routine, Crossroads School operates year-round, providing consistent educational instruction and related services 226 days a year to enhance quality of life and independent functioning so students and clients may reach their full potential. Home-based services are delivered in partnership with clients’ families and include parent training so parents can apply best practices in the home and together prevent the need for residential placement. Since moving to Marlborough in 2017, Crossroads has experienced tremendous growth and success. The Marlborough Regional Chamber of Commerce recognized Crossroads as 2018 Business of the Year. To learn more about Crossroads, visit www.crossroadsschoolma.org.