For many families, a night at the ballpark is a treat. But it can be a terrible experience for those with autistic（自闭症的）children, who are sensitive to light and noise and usually become upset and scared.

For these families, fear of how their child will react to new situations—and how others will react to them-keeps them from gaining everyday experiences others get to have.

Dr. Wendy Ross was heartbroken to see that. The pediatrician（儿科医生）in Philadelphia also knew that separation from the community didn't serve her patients well in the long run.

"If kids are not in the community, building their skills from very young ages, then there's no reason to expect them to be independent one day," Ross said. "It's a social disability. It needs to be addressed in a social setting."

So in 2007, Ross set out to do just that. Today, her nonprofit, Autism Inclusion Resources, helps families affected by autism deal with challenging social situations, such as sporting events, airport travel and museum visits.

Many Major League Baseball teams hold annual 44autism awareness nights", when they take temporary measures such as lowering the volume （音量）on the public address system. But Ross     wanted to do more. "You can't turn down the volume of the world," Ross said. "It's nice to do it for one night, but our goal is for families to be able to go to a game on any night."

To that end, Ross partnered with the Philadelphia Phillies to develop a creative program.

She armed all the Phillies players and game-day staff with knowledge about autism and how to interact with individuals who have the disorder. Each family is also provided a clinician at the game who gives additional support if problems arise. She also helps prepare the families for the event.

Ross has also found her airport travel program to be successful for families. Using the same principles, she trains airline and security staff at major airports and then guides families through the travel experience, including checking in, going through security and boarding a plane.

Ross hopes that the tools she gives families can help them explore other settings on their own. "We really see it as a stepping stone to a brighter future," she said.

You’re never too young to start being charitable. It doesn’t have to be a grand gesture, just something as simple as a lemonade stand.

But sometimes even the smallest gestures can end up becoming a rather big deal. And one perfect example of this is a neighborhood lemonade stand in Peoria, Illinois, which really took off.

It started out when a group of neighborhood kids in the Knolls neighborhood got together in order to participate in a fundraiser to help raise money for the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. The children got busy selling lemonade and other treats all throughout the week- end, and their hard work paid off. In total, they were able to make more than $3, 500 for the good cause.

But this charitable lemonade stand isn’t in its first year. In fact, it has been several years in the making, all because of one mom’s actions. Suzanne Miller has been participating in charity races for the hospital for years, and because of her actions, her kids wanted to join in her fundraising. Hence, the lemonade stand was started.

As Miller shared, “The first year we did it, we raised $220, and we thought that was amazing. Each year, it got bigger and bigger. ”

But it’s not just the profits that have increased over the years, so have the volunteers. This year, Miller’s kids were joined by her neighbor Leslie Rothan’s three kids in running the lemonade stand.

Miller posted to the Internet, “The lemonade stand for St. Jude that our neighbors hosted this weekend raised $3,515 and donated it to my run goal. I can not find the words to tell you how I feel. It’s absolutely incredible to celebrate this way.”

Leslie Rothan said, “As a parent, it really makes you filled with joy. It was their idea, and obviously we wanted to support and encourage them to be as successful as possible, but it really helped them to realize what they were doing and how that money could really help save children. ”

Hi! My name is Adam and I’m a freshman at senior high school. Going from junior high school to senior high school is a really big challenge. The first week was a little confusing.

First, I had to think very carefully about which courses I wanted to take. The school adviser helped me choose the suitable ones: maths, English, chemistry, world history, and Chinese. I know that Chinese is a very difficult language, but I hope to be fluent when I graduate. My adviser recommended that I should sign up for advanced literature because I like English and I’m good at it.

I had to choose extra-curricular activities, too. I tried to join the school football team, but the coach told me that I didn’t play well enough. Obviously, I was unhappy, but I won’t quit. I’ll find a way to improve on my own so that I can make the team next year. I joined a volunteer club instead. Every Wednesday, we work at a soup kitchen and hand out food to homeless people in the community.

I know I’ll have to study harder as a senior high school student and get used to being responsible for a lot more. I’m a bit worried about keeping up with the other students in my advanced course, and it’ll be quite difficult to get used to all the homework. Still, I’m happy to be here. Studying hard isn’t always fun, but I’ll be well prepared for university or whatever else comes in the future.