Last year, Marianne Seaman threw the kind of bash only possible for well-connected rich ladies. As a Springsteen cover band rocked out in the background, 1,000 of Seaman’s friends and friends-of-friends packed the House of Blues for Cleveland Rocks Autism, an event inspired by her 12-year-old son Austin and Northeast Ohio’s dearth of research money.
When the money was tallied, Seaman had raised a cool quarter-million. She then cut a check to Autism Speaks, a national organization, which planned to relay the money to Autism Treatment Network, which supposedly had a Cleveland branch.
There was just one problem: There was no Cleveland branch…
This article appears in Apr 30 – May 6, 2008.
Unfortunately this is not the truth ..Marianne Seaman never “cut a check” to Autism Speaks, she never wrote one check…Autism Speaks paid out every bill and then the donations went to The Autism Treatment Network in Columbus which had that year merged with The Cleveland and Cincinnatti Autism Treatment Networks. There was no intention at all to deceive anyone at all.
Three years prior to Marianne Seaman coming and asking for my help to organize the event last year I was on a committee that planned a concert with Jackson Browne and Stephen Stills to raise money for Cure Autism Now in L. A. This is a great way to raise money and not the first time a concert was used to raise funds for a non-profit. This year we moved to The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and had the event in April(Autism Awareness month) when many local and National Autism events occur.
I am really sad that this group continues to spread misinformation and for the first time have decided to speak out so that the truth can be told.
It would be great if we could all focus our energy on our children and do positive work in our community rather than spread negativity and half truths. This does not help our mutual cause and passion…our children.
I am happy to speak to the reporter who wrote this piece if you are interested in a more balanced and fair account.
Unfortunately, most of the information printed in this article is completely inaccurate. The reporter has incorrectly portrayed the majority of everything mentioned, from the details of last year’s and this year’s events, down to my city of residence, quotes and information about my child.
Cleveland Rocks Autism was a community endeavor, not by any means the efforts of one person, and attended by all kinds of members from Cleveland’s autism community. I never once said or implied that we ‘cut a check’ to Autism Speaks. As far as any questions by our organization regarding the non-existence of Cleveland’s Autism Treatment Network, they have already been answered by qualified executives at Autism Speaks.
We are a local organization that is simply trying to help our children and adults with autism achieve the best success possible. And we also have not ‘spread misinformation’ as implied by Ms. Goldberg. We hope that Autism Speaks and its Cleveland chapter will do as we have, and move forward in a positive direction in order to best help those with autism in our area.