2025 Christmas Festival
🎄 Celebrate the Season at the Strong Beginnings Christmas Festival! Join us for a joyful evening of holiday magic at The Strong Beginnings Project Christmas Festival! This free, family-friendly event brings together festive fun, community connection, and holiday cheer...
Grant Impact: First Cycle Brings Communication and Support to 6 Local Families
Thanks to the generosity of our Yuma community, The Strong Beginnings Project successfully completed its first-ever grant cycle — providing essential tools and support to children with autism and other special needs.During this cycle, we were able to award: 3...
Spook-tacular Success: Our First Trunk or Treat in Yuma!
🎃 Thank you, Yuma! Our first-ever Strong Beginnings Project Trunk or Treat was a night to remember! Over 400 children and their families joined us for games, candy, music, and Halloween fun — all made possible by our amazing trunk hosts, donors, community partners,...
Trunk or Treat 2025
🎃 Trick-or-Treat for a Cause & Celebrate Community Fun Get ready for a spooktacular evening at The Strong Beginnings Project Trunk-or-Treat Night! This free, family-friendly event is the perfect way to kick off Halloween with games, treats, and community fun for...
Local 8th Grader Raises $2,170 to Support The Strong Beginnings Project
YUMA, AZ - June 3, 2025— It’s not every day a middle school student leads a successful school-wide fundraiser, but that’s exactly what 8th grader Zayd Al Lou did. Wanting to support his community and raise awareness for a local cause, Zayd turned his idea into action...
It Takes a Village: Thank You to Our Autism Walk Volunteers
A Heartfelt Tribute to the Volunteers Who Helped Make the Day a Success The 2025 Autism Walk was the biggest we've ever hosted, and it wouldn't have been possible without the incredible group of volunteers who showed up early, stayed late, and filled in every gap in...
Funding and Opportunities to Enrich Every Child’s Journey
Supporting Our Community
Community Outreach
Join Strong Beginnings for the Annual Walk for Autism in Yuma, AZ, as we come together with our community to raise awareness and support for autism. The walk features a 5k course starting at Gateway Park in Yuma. It’s a day of unity, education, and celebration, with informational booths hosted by local providers, food from community vendors, face painting, sensory-friendly activity stations, and much more. Partnering with the community vendors, law enforcement, and local families, we aim to spread understanding, foster inclusion, and strengthen our community’s commitment to supporting individuals with autism.
Don’t miss out on this chance to make a difference—whether you’re walking or volunteering, your participation matters.
Assistive & Adaptive Grants
We believe every child deserves the tools they need to thrive. Our Assistive & Adaptive Grants provide essential devices and equipment to children with special needs, giving them the ability to communicate, connect, and be more independent.
iPads as AAC Devices: With your donation, we can help provide iPads equipped with Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) apps to help children who struggle with verbal communication. These devices empower children to express their needs, feelings, and thoughts, promoting inclusion, safety, and self-empowerment.
Adaptive Car Seats: We also offer grants for adaptive car seats designed specifically for children with special needs, including autism. These car seats provide the safety and comfort children need while traveling, but often come with a price tag that many families cannot afford. Our grants help bridge that gap, ensuring that every child has access to the right equipment for their well-being.
With your support, these grants change lives by making essential resources accessible to families in need.
Therapies & Travel Grants
We understand that accessing the right therapies and diagnostic services can be a financial burden for many families. Our Therapies & Travel Grants are designed to provide crucial support to families in need, ensuring that every child has the opportunity to receive the care they deserve.
Direct Therapy Assistance: These grants help cover the costs of essential therapies such as ABA therapy, speech therapy, physical therapy, occupational therapy, and more. Many families face challenges like high deductibles, lack of insurance, or gaps in coverage that prevent them from accessing the care their child needs. Our grants aim to ease this financial strain, allowing children to receive the therapies vital for their growth and development.
Travel Assistance for Specialized Care: For families in Yuma who need specialized diagnostic services or therapies not available locally, we provide funding for travel-related expenses. Whether it’s seeing a developmental pediatrician or accessing specialized therapies, these grants help cover costs like hotel stays and gas, making it easier for families to get the care their child needs, no matter where it’s located.
Together, we can ensure that all children have access to the therapies and diagnostic services essential for their future success.
Education Scholarships
Education Scholarships aim to gradually expand access to essential services in Yuma, AZ for children with special needs and autism. These scholarships support local individuals pursuing careers in ABA therapy, speech therapy, occupational therapy, and related fields.
By helping to remove financial barriers for those seeking higher education and specialized training, these scholarships enable individuals to remain rooted in Yuma as qualified professionals. Keeping education and training local ensures that more children in the community will have access to the therapies and services they need to thrive.
Investing in local talent strengthens the community and directly increases the availability of services in an area that is often underserved. With this support, a network of dedicated providers will emerge, making a lasting impact on children with special needs and their families.
What Drives Us
Our Mission
We are driven to empower children with autism and other special needs by providing life-changing resources and unwavering support to their families.
Through grants for therapies, assistive devices, and scholarships for education, we strive to help children communicate, grow, and thrive. We also offer financial assistance for travel and boarding expenses, ensuring that every child can access the care they deserve, no matter where it’s located.
Additionally, our scholarships aim to support local individuals who aspire to become providers, increasing the availability of specialized services right here in Yuma.
Through community outreach, we are building a compassionate, inclusive network that ensures every child has the opportunity to reach their full potential. Together, we can create a future where every child is seen, heard, and supported—right in our own community.
Join us in making a lasting impact.