The winery is donating 15% of all proceeds from our 2018 Carneros Chardonnay <\/a>online sales as well as from \u201cFrank for a Cause\u201d packages <\/a>featuring a limited-edition blue t-shirt and bottle of Chardonnay. Our donations will help fund vital programs that increase global understanding, advance breakthroughs in autism research, expand early childhood screening, and improve transition to adulthood. <\/p>\n\n\n\n We hope you enjoy a bottle of Chardonnay with your loved ones, in-person if possible, and on social media using #FrankForACause <\/strong>to help spread the word every time you wear our exclusive Autism Speaks t-shirt. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The inspiration behind our 2020 fundraising campaign is a very important staff member at Frank Family Vineyards, Jennifer Higgins. For the past 12 years, Jen has worked in Frank Family\u2019s retail department and she graciously shares her family\u2019s story with autism below. <\/p>\n\n\n\n I want to start by saying that we were very lucky. We noticed the signs early on. When my son, Owen was one and a half he was not speaking. He could clap his hands but not wave bye-bye. It was enough for my husband, Todd and I to voice our concerns with a nurse practitioner. As a parent, you of course want them to tell you that you misread the signs and it\u2019s all going to be okay. But we were handed a pamphlet about the \u201cEarly Start Program\u201d and were given a list of resources to call. I needed time to digest it all. It was difficult for me to wrap my brain around the idea that Owen could have autism. Afterall, like everyone, you picture how your life will be and this never crossed my mind. <\/p>\n\n\n\n It took me a few months to build up the courage to make the call. We brought Owen in and he received diagnosis on the autism spectrum around age two. Once the shock of it wore off, I realized just how important that early intervention was. The resources, to which there are plenty of, suddenly opened up. Owen started special education a year later where he has received personal lessons and support ever since. Now, Owen is in high school where his lessons are aimed at transiting into an adult. He\u2019s learning how to do laundry, how to cook, and is exploring employment paths. <\/p>\n\n\n\n We\u2019re learning that every parent stresses and worries about their kids. For us, our concerns are just different. It\u2019s been a long journey, but we\u2019ve accepted it. Six or eight years ago, this would have been difficult for me to talk about. But it\u2019s our life, and it\u2019s not something to be pitied. We love Owen for all that he is and want to see a world where people with autism can discover their true potential. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Owen loves entertaining others. He\u2019s incredibly social and loves making others laugh. He\u2019s very proud that he was voted \u201cmost likely to host a game show\u201d at school. Owen is also great with computers, numbers, and art. Coming from a music family, where I sing in a barbershop quartet and my husband plays the trumpet, Owen can hear a chord and sing it perfectly on pitch. He never misses a note. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Every person and experience with autism are different. It\u2019s important not to generalize, assume, or underestimate anyone\u2019s abilities. Another thing that always strikes me is the notion that autistic people lack empathy. Some people may shy away from social engagement and others want to be part of it but don\u2019t know how. It\u2019s true that processing and expressing emotion can be a challenge for many people with autism, but that doesn\u2019t mean they have any less empathy than neurotypical people. <\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s actually quite simple. I hope this campaign, along with all the work this charity does throughout the year, helps to create a kinder, more inclusive world. I love that Frank Family Vineyards is backing up this amazing cause! <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The outbreak of the coronavirus has had an unprecedented impact on the world, with the fast-changing environment requiring navigation through uncertain times. We realize what is needed now more than ever is to spread love and kindness. As we welcome April, and with it, World Autism Month, we at Frank Family Vineyards want to encourage […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":844,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[155],"tags":[195,196,116,7,194,165,162,197],"class_list":["post-837","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-giving-back","tag-autism-awareness","tag-autism-speaks","tag-charity","tag-featured","tag-frank-for-a-cause","tag-giving-back","tag-in-the-community","tag-wine-for-a-cause"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.frankfamilyvineyards.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/i-Grzv4Mc-O-2.jpg?fit=1500%2C1000&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/parYsd-dv","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.frankfamilyvineyards.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/837","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.frankfamilyvineyards.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.frankfamilyvineyards.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.frankfamilyvineyards.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.frankfamilyvineyards.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=837"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.frankfamilyvineyards.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/837\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.frankfamilyvineyards.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/844"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.frankfamilyvineyards.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=837"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.frankfamilyvineyards.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=837"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.frankfamilyvineyards.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=837"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.frankfamilyvineyards.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Jen-2.jpg?resize=640%2C427&ssl=1\")
1. Can you share your family\u2019s experience with autism? <\/strong> <\/h4>\n\n\n\n
2. Owen is an amazing kid and we loved seeing him grow up. Can you tell us a little more about him? <\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.frankfamilyvineyards.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/i-s8vrQrh-O-1-2.jpg?resize=640%2C960&ssl=1\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n3. Since it is Autism Awareness month, what\u00a0do you\u00a0wish people would be more aware of?\u00a0<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
4. What do you hope the Frank Family and Autism Speaks partnership accomplishes? <\/strong> <\/h4>\n\n\n\n