Support for Autism Caregivers

The founders of the Jaxon’s Gift Foundation, Brian and Kim LaForest are parents of 3 wonderful children. Their oldest, Jaxon, is a young man living with Autism. Over the years, Kim and Brian have had support from friends and family to get the needed reprieve to give the best care they can to Jaxon. 

Being a part of the autism community, they have witnessed how many families don’t have a strong support system that provides them with the financial stability or respite to take time away from their child even if it’s a brief amount of time. They understand the love, endurance, will and strength needed to care for someone with Autism (it’s a lifetime of intense care). It’s not as easy to find sitters that understand the unique needs of their son. It’s not as easy for their adult son to spend time away from his parents, especially his mom Kim. However, over the years they have acquired a support system that allows them to occasionally recharge. 

They have lived a blessed life and they want to bless other caregivers even with the littlest amount of reprieve. 

Our mission is to give reprieve and respite to caregivers of people with Autism. 

Often, resources are provided for the person with autism but support for families is left to the caregivers to figure out. It is critical that people with autism not only have a support system but strong support in place. We at Jaxon’s Gift strive to strengthen families of people with autism by giving caregivers the resources to find reprieve from their daily routines. Autism can evoke a range of emotions on a day-to-day basis, we want to give time to caregivers to process/manage these emotions while facing the challenges of caring for a person with Autism. 

Whether we are giving the little things (that are really so BIG) a cup of coffee for the tired Autism mama who just needs 5 minutes of reprieve. A dinner out so a set of autism parents can have a couple of autism free hours. 

A new mattress for a person with Autism because not only can life get messy but so can Autism (the details that no one really talks about…or the costs to the caregivers). 

We want to be able to give the caregivers reprieve no matter what that may look like. Our mission is to listen to the needs of the caregivers and then find a way to give.  Jaxon’s Gift is where help and need come together. 

Our ultimate goal would be able to provide affordable housing for people with Autism. A place where people with Autism could live with full support outside of their family’s home. Opening multiple Jaxon’s Joints would be a dream come true! With your help and support we can turn this long term goal into a reality.