Help Zach see the world!

Let me introduce you my little hero: my son Zachariah

Zach is almost 8 years old. Zach is also autistic. (CLICK HERE to see a scrapbook page and the journalling I did on Zach a couple years ago.)

We caught his autism early....at 13 months old. He's been in intervention since he was 18 months old, as it took us 5 LONG months to find a program and someone that could help us. Both Zach and the state of Vermont have come a LONG way since then.

Zach is now in second grade and is caught up with the rest of the kids in his class and is even ahead of some of them in some subjects. It took him until 4 years old to regain the small amount of words he lost at 13 months. His vocabulary still has a little ways to go, along with his pronunciation, etc.

Zach ADORES bugs......he would live outside catching bugs all day if he could. It wouldn't surprise us if one day he ended up working for National Geographic, trekking through the Amazon and the jungles of Africa discovering and researching new species of insects. He also loves to look at biology books and can tell you where many of the body's organs are and what they do.

Zach is also in love with the great big WORLD! He's fascinated by maps, topography, geography, etc. The walls in his room are covered with maps of Italy, the planets (he loves space, as well), the US, Vermont, etc. Just the other day, my dad, who is the greatest "Dumpster Diver" in the WORLD, saw that our neighbor had thrown out a perfectly good GLOBE of the world! In PERFECT condition! My dad pulled it out and brought it in for Zach. It even has the mountain ranges in topographical form on the globe! Zach has been ECSTATIC about it since my dad brought it into the house!

Anyway....along with his autism, Zach also has a lot of Obsessive Compulsive behaviors. Right now, he's having a hard time transitioning into the end of fall and the onset of winter. With his love of bugs (and he has bug jars EVERYWHERE in our house!), he's been really upset that most of the bugs have either died off or gone into hiding for the winter. My mom had a WONDERFUL idea to give Zach something to look forward to during the winter months. She got the idea from a movie she recently watched.

Zach loves the world.....he loves hearing about different places, loves to find things on the map (and now on his "new" globe), etc.

Mom thought it would be a great project to have him receive post cards from all over the world! We're planning on buying a brand new map of the world and putting it up on his wall. We're going to get a package of little stickers so that we can pinpoint where his postcards arrive from. I'm also going to keep all of his postcards in an album so that he can page through them and look at them whenever he wants.

But I need your help for this project! Would you be willing to send Zach a postcard? This would be something he could look forward to each day after school.......the post office where we get our mail is right next to the school and he loves to open my little box with the key. It would be such a blast for him to look in that box each day with the hopes of being able to "travel" some place new without even leaving our little town (though he's just ITCHING to get out there and see the world himself!).

So......whadda ya say? Want to help put a BIG smile on my little guy's face?

Zachariah Martin
PO Box 153
Ferrisburg, VT 05456

I'll be updating here with a running list of where our postcards come from. :) Thanks in advance for ALL of your help! We'd love to get a postcard from ANYWHERE.....even if you're just down the road from us! Don't forget, he's also got a HUGE Vermont map on his wall, too! :)

Comments

[Renee V. (aka: happystamper05 on SCS)]

Watch your mailbox for one coming soon from Clarkston, Michigan!
What a great and fun idea. I'll be glad to help!
Hugs,
Renee

[Cheryle]

I'll pick up a postcard tomorrow to send to Zach. My daughter is also autistic so I understand some of the little quirks they can have.

[Caroline in Toronto]

definitely! One coming from Canada :)

[Suzanne & Friends]

Lots of postcards on their way from Ontario!

[Rachel]

I got this link from your sister's LJ. I'm sending you one from Edinboro, PA!

[AJ]

You know he'll get one from Belgium! ;D

[Alison]

Hi Erika,

What a sweet idea! I will send him one from a place you've probably never heard of - St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada!

Alison

[Judy]

I will one from Nova Scotia,Canada

[Donna]

Happy to help, we are only a state away in CT but also are going to FL in Feb. This is such a great idea for him, what a wonderful Mom!

[Danielle]

Hi! I'd love to send a postcard, will do so in the next week! All the way from ARIZONA! Complete with dreadlocks, too! ;)

[Joyce Traub]

Sending one from Illinois.

[emily]

One will be on its way soon from Guelph, Ontario, Canada. What a fun idea!

[Heidi Marvin]

I picked one up today!! Zach has one coming from Delaware!!!!

[Beverly A]

I was on a business trip earlier this week and sent Zach a postcard from Charlotte, NC.

[jessica]

What a GREAT idea! I have four children of my own and know that this is an AWESOME learning experience for your little Zach. I sent an email to all of my friends, so with any luck, he'll get many from WI and maybe some from TN, TX and OR!!!

[Renee V. (aka: happystamper05 on SCS)]

Hey I noticed that Zach doesn't have one from TN yet. I'm off to send my sis an email.....

[stacy westman]

Hi Erika
I've enjoyed being on John's call with you, and I wish you the best in 2007! I will definitely send you a postcard from Fort Saskatchewan, AB Canada as soon as I can get one- probably this coming week I will pop it in the mail. What a great idea! Is Zach loving it? I think I'd like to do that for my son when he's a bit older.

[Dana]

I love your stampin blog, been lurking for a while...but just saw that you had a personal blog today! I would love to send a small package to Zach. I am a PPQ officer with the USDA and part of my job is to trap insects. I have quite a collection and would love to send a few to him (dead, of course).

[Jodi Lenhart]

Going on a cruise at the end of the month. I have Zach's address in my purse.

[Sue M.]

Erika,
Zach will be getting a couple of pcs from me (WA State)and my Mom in Arkansas will send one as well since he doesn't have any from there.

[Lisa]

I sent one that has a lighthouse from Evanston, IL, which is a suburb of Chicago....and have one to mail from St. Augustine FL too. Hope you got the first one! -stampylisa from SCS

[Melli]

I would love to send one too! one coming up from Dallas Texas!! :)

[Melli]

I would love to send one too! one coming up from Dallas Texas!! :)

[Margie Wright]

Erica, Thought you and Zach might want to visit this site- www.rootsweb.com/~usgenweb/special/ppcs/ppcs.html

[Ashley]

One from Texas is on it's way!