HollyRod Foundation is a

nonprofit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

founded by actress

Holly Robinson Peete Holly Elizabeth Robinson Peete (born September 18, 1964) is an American actress and singer. She is known for her roles as Judy Hoffs on the Fox police drama ''21 Jump Street'', Vanessa Russell on the ABC sitcom '' Hangin' with Mr. Cooper'', and ...

and retired NFL quarterback Rodney Peete that provides "medical, physical, and emotional support" to individuals living with

Parkinson's disease Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a long-term degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that mainly affects the motor system. The symptoms usually emerge slowly, and as the disease worsens, non-motor symptoms becom ...

as well as families of children with autism."Record Breaking Support for The HollyRod Foundation." Jet Magazine 2007. 18. Web. 10 Sept 2010. LexisNexis. Galileo. Retrieved at Georgia Southern University Henderson Library. The HollyRod4kids initiative assists families affected by autism through providing resources to help improve the lives of children diagnosed with the disorder. Concurrently, the foundation provides aid for Parkinson's Disease patients through its HollyRod Compassionate Care Program in partnership with the Center for Parkinson's Research and Movement Disorders located at the University of Southern California's Keck School of Medicine.

History

Former NFL quarterback Rodney Peete and his wife, actress

, established the HollyRod Foundation in 1997 in honor of Holly's father, late actor and television producer Matt Robinson, who died of

in 2002. He had been living with the disease since the age of 46. As it began to progress, the symptoms began to affect Robinson's ability to complete certain tasks in his daily life. Rodney, Holly, and the rest of their family stepped in to support him. During the time period of caring for her father, Peete and her husband became inspired to help others suffering from the disease who lacked the financial means to pay for the associated costs. With this motive in mind, the HollyRod Foundation came into inception. In 2000, after the Peetes' oldest son (3 years old at the time), Rodney 'RJ' Peete Jr., was diagnosed with autism, the HollyRod Foundation expanded its mission to bring awareness to this issue. Holly Robinson Peete has since become a recognizable international advocate for autism causes. She and her family have appeared on behalf of the HollyRod Foundation on various television shows, events, and print media including ''

The Oprah Winfrey Show ''The Oprah Winfrey Show'', often referred to as ''The Oprah Show'' or simply ''Oprah'', is an American daytime syndicated talk show that aired nationally for 25 seasons from September 8, 1986, to May 25, 2011, in Chicago, Illinois. Produced ...

'',

World Autism Awareness Day World Autism Awareness Day is an internationally recognized day annually on April 2nd, encouraging Member States of the United Nations to take measures to raise awareness about autistic individuals throughout the world. It was designated by the ...

events, ''People'' magazine, and others, to share their personal story of how autism has affected their lives and to bring awareness to the issue. In 2003, The HollyRod Foundation partnered with

Target Corporation Target Corporation ( doing business as Target and stylized in all lowercase since 2018) is an American big box department store chain headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is the seventh largest retailer in the United States, and a com ...

. In 2007,

Anheuser-Busch Anheuser-Busch Companies, LLC is an American brewing company headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri. Since 2008, it has been wholly owned by Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV ( AB InBev), now the world's largest brewing company, which owns multiple ...

pledged $200,000 to HollyRod over the following two years. At the time the donation was the largest single contribution the organization had ever received. In 2010, co-founder Holly Robinson Peete became a candidate on the

reality television Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early ...

series ''The Celebrity Apprentice 3'' to raise money for the HollyRod Foundation. At the time of the season finale, Peete had raised the most money for her charity in Celebrity Apprentice history. However, she was not hired by

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...

in the finale and finished second to musician Bret Michaels, but earned $597,893

USD The United States dollar (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the official ...

to benefit HollyRod.

Programs and events

HollyRod Parkinson's Compassionate Care Program

HollyRod Parkinson's Compassionate Care Program was formed in 2002 in collaboration with Keck School of Medicine of USC's Center for Parkinson's Research and Movement Disorders. Through this partnership the foundation assists PD patients with little or no medical insurance coverage in obtaining medications, treatments, medical equipment, and various services. Currently the program is available only to patients residing in the

Greater Los Angeles Area Greater Los Angeles is the second-largest metropolitan region in the United States with a population of 18.5 million in 2021, encompassing five counties in Southern California extending from Ventura County in the west to San Bernardino Coun ...

."How We Help"
The HollyRod Foundation, n.d. Web. 11 Sep 2010.

HollyRod4kids

HollyRod4kids was established in 2000 in response to Rodney Peete and Holly Robinson Peete's son's autism diagnosis. The initiative's main mission is helping the families of children with autism gain access to affordable treatments and therapies. In 2008, VH1 Classic's Rock Autism joined forces with HollyRod4kids to raise funds and awareness for autism through hosting a celebrity bowl-off and silent auction. During the 2010 season finale of the ''Celebrity Apprentice'',

Snapple Snapple is a brand of tea and juice drinks which is owned by Keurig Dr Pepper and based in Plano, Texas, United States. The company (and brand), which was originally known as Unadulterated Food Products, was founded in 1972. The brand achieved som ...

donated $250,000 to the HollyRod Foundation to benefit families of children with autism in addition to launching a limited release of Robinson Peete's handcrafted Snapple Compassionberry Tea. Holly along with her daughter Ryan wrote the fictional

children's book Children's literature or juvenile literature includes stories, books, magazines, and poems that are created for children. Modern children's literature is classified in two different ways: genre or the intended age of the reader. Children's ...

, ''My Brother Charlie'', which centers around growing up with an autistic twin sibling. It is slightly based on Ryan Peete's experience of having an autistic twin brother. In March 2010, Rodney Peete released a book titled ''Not My Boy! A Father, a Son, and One Family’s Journey with Autism''. In the book Rodney Peete gives his perspective as a father raising a son with special needs. A percentage of the proceeds from both books will go to HollyRod4kids. HollyRod4kids recently began its "Giving Words Campaign" to donate communication software and hardware to non-verbal or minimally verbal autistic children who meet certain eligibility requirements. HollyRod4kids is currently developing the Compassionate Care Center for Autism in Los Angeles that will provide support services for autistic children and their families. To coincide with the Center's opening, HollyRod is also launching a national grant program to assist families living outside of

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

. Current plans have the opening date for the facility and launch of the grant program in "late 2012, early 2013."

DesignCare

DesignCare, formerly DesignCure, is an annual fundraising event that raises money for the HollyRod Foundation. Its guests and honorees range from people in the

entertainment Entertainment is a form of activity that holds the attention and interest of an audience or gives pleasure and delight. It can be an idea or a task, but is more likely to be one of the activities or events that have developed over thousa ...

, medical, and business industry to individuals and families affected by autism and Parkinson's disease. Each year DesignCare honors people with special awards like the 'Matthew T. Robinson Award of Courage', 'HollyRod Media Hero Award', 'HollyRod4kids Champion Award', 'HollyRod Media Award', 'HollyRod Founders Award', and 'Humanitarian Award'. The 'HollyRod4kids Champion Award' is presented to "people who have been an inspiration to teens with autism."Sotonoff, Jaime
"Elgin football player to receive autism group's Champion Award"
Daily Herald (2010): n. pag. Web. 11 Sep 2010. Past celebrity honorees have included:

Michael J. Fox Michael Andrew Fox (born June 9, 1961), known professionally as Michael J. Fox, is a Canadian-American retired actor. Beginning his career in the 1970s, he rose to prominence portraying Alex P. Keaton on the NBC sitcom ''Family Ties'' (1 ...

, and Muhammad Ali. In 2009, DesignCare raised over $350,000 and more than $500,000 the following year. Since DesignCare began, it has helped the HollyRod Foundation earn over $2 million to help improve the lives of those living with

and

autistic The autism spectrum, often referred to as just autism or in the context of a professional diagnosis autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or autism spectrum condition (ASC), is a neurodevelopmental condition (or conditions) characterized by difficulti ...

children."Design Care 2010"
The HollyRod Foundation, 24 Jul 2010. Web. 11 Sep 2010.

References

External links

* {{Autism resources Organizations established in 1997 Autism-related organizations in the United States Medical and health foundations in the United States Mental health organizations in California 1997 establishments in California