Supporting the community
Nine years ago, when Steve Drakoulis started a local community group in Bankstown, Sydney, little did he know that it would grow into such a big network.
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Today, the Autism Community Group (ACN) connects over 1,600 families in Sydney, Newcastle, Bathurst, Goulburn and Wollongong.
"We started nine years ago as one local support group in Sydney," ACN founder Steve Drakoulis said.
"When my son was diagnosed on the spectrum, I wanted to learn as much as I could to support him.
"These groups were helping me as much as other parents. We were all learning from each other."
The support group grew and was soon registered as a not-for-profit charity.
"We never charge a cent to help families, our aim is to create a society where people with autism and their families can lead rich, full and rewarding lives," he said.
Last year, Autism Community Network received a funding boost from the federal government and will get $465,000 over a period of three years.
He recently visited Goulburn after being contacted by a parent who was keen to start a local support group in the city.
"A Goulburn resident got in touch with me and said that several local families here are keen to start a support group. I visited Goulburn and had a discussion with around 20 people," he added.
"We trained few people in Goulburn to lead the group here. We have two local mums who will be our community leaders in Goulburn."
The Autism Community Network (ACN) is a charity organisation building strong communities of support for those impacted by autism.
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