Doug Flutie Jr. Foundation for Autism

Mission:

To help people and families affected by autism live life to the fullest.

Vision:

A world where people with autism lead productive lives where they are included, respected, and actively engaged in their communities.

About the organization:

The Doug Flutie Jr. Foundation for Autism was founded by Doug and Laurie Flutie in 1998 when their son Dougie Jr. was diagnosed with childhood disintegrative disorder (CDD), a very rare autism spectrum disorder, at the age of 3. They formed the foundation to help other families give their loved one with autism the same opportunities to live life to the fullest. Like other kids with CDD, Dougie developed typically for his first three years but then lost most of his language, motor, and social skills. Twenty years later, Dougie continues to inspire everyone around him with his infectious smile and passion for all things sports. During the day, Dougie attends the Scott Center for Autism in Florida, where he resides with his mom and dad, and his two dogs, Lou Lou and Elsa. Dougie's favorite activities include swimming in the pool, horseback riding and spending time with his friends and family. "People really connect with him," says his proud dad. "We give comfort to families, so they feel like they're not alone."

Doug Flutie Jr. Foundation for Autism and Ruland Manufacturing Partnership:

Ruland has had a robust direct mail program for many years. The stamping and labeling had always been done in-house by Ruland marketing and customer service staff. In 2016, the program became too large to completely manage in-house. When considering options, Tatiana da Fonseca from our marketing department came up with the idea of partnering with a local non-profit and found Flutie Spectrum Enterprises (FSE, a branch of the Doug Flutie Jr. Foundation for Autism). FSE was just launching a program of employing adults with autism to perform jobs such as mailing, assembling, and shredding. This was a perfect fit with what we were looking for. We are now in our 5th year working together and FSE stamps and labels over 50,000 pieces of Ruland mail per year.

Along with our direct mailing program, FSE now helps preassemble boxes. Ruland uses a couple hundred small boxes every week to ship product to customers. When we assessed the amount of time it took to preassemble the boxes in-house, we found it would free up hours for our shipping personnel to perform other tasks. Partnering with FSE was the only option Ruland considered because of the success we have had with the mailing program.

“I anticipate our relationship with FSE to expand more in the coming years as Ruland continues to grow. FSE performs a valuable service in our local community by employing adults with autism who would not otherwise be employed leading to a more meaningful and fulfilled life. We could not be happier with the partnership we have formed together. Dougie and the rest of the FSE team inspire us every day.”

– Chris Gumas, Director of Marketing at Ruland

"Ruland was one of FSE's first customers who gave us recurring, consistent work which helped us provide stable employment for our staff. Servicing customers like Ruland is the backbone of FSE, and we wouldn't be where we are today without their partnership"

– Lisa Collins, Director of Programs and Operations

Click here to learn more about the Doug Flutie Jr. Foundation for Autism.

If you are a local Massachusetts business and are interested in partnering with FSE please click here to learn more or email Lisa Collins LCollins@flutiefoundation.org.