December 6, 2024

Outreach is often hard to explain to those unfamiliar with the practice. We might be well known as those sitting behind tables at events handing out swag bags or giving talks and speeches about an organization, but outreach is more extensive than some might think. We are connectors. Recently, I had a great moment of pride in being able to assist a stranger in need by doing what I do in my role – connecting.

I received an email from a mother with an autistic teenage son. She requested services and support because she and her family were 'beginning to feel isolated' and needed help. I responded by asking a few basic questions, including where she lived. She told me, "I have a hard time around here finding resources since I live in the boonies of Virginia!" I was admittedly out of my league here, seeing as she was about 250 miles away from Philadelphia, but because I am really good at being a connector, I knew I could figure something out and jumped into action. 

I first contacted my coworkers at the Autism Institute to see if anyone had any connections to people in Virginia. Luckily, two people pointed me to the same person out of the University of Virginia's (UVA) Supporting Transformative Autism Research Program. I emailed this person to introduce myself and explain what I wanted. She quickly got back to me, directing me to the outreach person on her team – outreach people unite! Their outreach person had no hesitation in assisting us in this task. 

Simultaneously, I contacted a past guest lecturer we had from Johns Hopkins University since this was close to their area. She was happy to join the case as well.

Here I was, with folks from Johns Hopkins and folks from UVA, helping a person from Drexel who is helping the mother from Virginia – full circle connectors! Within a few short days, we came up with this fantastic list of resources: some recommended by researchers, some from local connections, and some from caregivers. We were able to provide a robust list of new resources to this mom, who started as a stranger and ended as a friend, simply because she was someone in need, who reached out. 

So, this is a tale of what outreach is and does. It is a group of people who come together to connect people and places and opportunities and supports simply because helping each other is what we do, and it's who we are. It doesn't matter that you are strangers, that you are states apart, and that you may never cross paths again—it just matters that you help one another when someone needs it most.