Erin’s Way

10/11/2026

Behind every Erin’s Way program is a board working to turn ideas into opportunities for our community. 💜

Over the past few weeks, our board has been participating in training through the Scranton Area Community Foundation’s Center for Nonprofit Excellence. Friday, several of our board members attended the all-day Margin & Mission Ignition Earned Revenue Lab—although not everyone who participated is pictured! 📸

We spent the day setting goals, planning, and exploring how earned revenue can help sustain our programs and expand the support we provide to autistic individuals and their families. We’re excited to put what we’re learning into action!

We also want to thank our followers and the families sharing their ideas and feedback with us. Your input is helping shape programs we’ll be introducing soon. Our goal is to be what our community needs us to be, and your voices are an essential part of that. 🌈

Thank you to the Scranton Area Community Foundation for making this opportunity possible, and to Mike and Larry from No Margin, No Mission for sharing their knowledge and guidance. Learning alongside other dedicated nonprofits makes the experience even more meaningful.

Our board members balance jobs, school, and family responsibilities, and we’re grateful for the time and heart they give to building Erin’s legacy.

Erin’s Legacy, every child’s future.

10/10/2026

🌈 More resources to help responders help you!

We’ve already shared information about the Blue Envelope Program, and now we want to highlight two more FREE Pennsylvania safety resources: Yellow Dot and PennDOT’s Emergency Contact Information System.

These resources can help drivers and passengers—not just autistic individuals. Emergencies can happen to anyone who travels in a vehicle. You do not need to drive to participate in Yellow Dot, and emergency contacts can be linked to a PA state-issued photo ID or driver’s license.

🟡 Yellow Dot alerts first responders to check your glove compartment for medical information and emergency contacts if you cannot communicate.

📱 Emergency Contact Information allows law enforcement to quickly reach the people you choose if you cannot speak for yourself.

Erin’s Way currently has a limited number of Yellow Dot kits available, and we’re expecting more in the very near future! Please reach out if you’re interested.

You can also go directly to PennDOT using these links:

🟡 Request a Yellow Dot kit https://www.pa.gov/services/penndot/sign-up-for-the-yellow-dot-safety-program

📱 Add or update emergency contacts for your PA driver’s license or state photo ID https://www.pa.gov/services/dmv/update-emergency-contact-information

Every person and family is different. Our goal is to share options so you can choose what works best for you while considering safety, privacy and individual preferences. 💜

Erin’s Legacy, every child’s future.

10/10/2026

Today is World Mental Health Day, and we want to recognize people who hold a special place in our hearts: our first responders. 💙

As the Feeney family, our gratitude is deeply personal. First responders were there for us on the worst night of our lives, and their care didn’t end when we lost Erin. We still receive phone calls, check-ins, and messages. They continue to show up for our family, and that means more than we can put into words.

That night stayed with us. We know it stayed with many of them, too.

Through Erin’s Way, we now work hand in hand with many of these same caring people. We see their dedication and compassion, and we want them to know that their wellbeing matters to us, too.

Behind every uniform is a person. What they witness and carry can follow them home long after their shifts end.

Please keep our police officers, firefighters, EMS personnel, and dispatchers in your hearts and minds. Check in. Listen without judgment. Offer them the same compassion they so freely give to others.

To every first responder: thank you for continuing to care for our family and our community. You matter beyond the work you do, and you deserve support, too.

If you’re struggling or worried about someone, call or text 988 for free, confidential support, available 24/7.

10/08/2026

For those of you have children with IEP's The Arc of Northeaster PA is hosting a zoom you might be interested in.

Please join The Arc of NEPA for our next training on Tuesday, October 13th at 10:00 for "IEP Red Flags."

We will be identifying things in the IEP that may prevent it from being an effective document.

Please use the link below to register, and feel free to share with anyone who may be interested.

You are invited to a Zoom meeting.
When: Oct 13, 2026 10:00 AM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Register in advance for this meeting:
https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/Zg2xIW1zRbGo15KDnDUMLA

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

10/07/2026

💜 Help us shape what’s next for Erin’s Way! 💚

Our goal is to be what autistic children and their families need us to be—and that starts with listening to YOU.

As we plan our fall and winter events, we want to know what your family would enjoy and what would make life a little easier, more connected, or more fun.

Would you like craft nights to make sensory bins, traditional dances or silent discos, sensory-friendly movie nights, parent education in person or on Zoom with children welcome, events at local businesses, or lending library nights to try equipment and sensory toys before buying?

💬 Comment below with your favorites—or suggest something we haven’t thought of! Ask your children what THEY would enjoy, too. Their ideas matter just as much.

Tell us what would help your family participate, whether that’s timing, age groups, or accommodations. Your feedback will help guide what we plan. 🌈

10/06/2026

💜 Erin’s Way wants YOUR opinion!

Our Junior Board is getting a Maker Space! They’ll design, make, and sell items while gaining hands-on experience in design, money management, and communication. Every purchase will help support their program! 🌈

What would you be interested in purchasing?

👕 Erin’s Way merchandise
♾️ Autism awareness merchandise — infinity or puzzle-piece designs
🚗 Car stickers
🐉 3D printed fidgets
💡 Other items — we’d love your ideas!

We’re starting small, with hopes of growing to offer classes for local teens and host sensory nights!

👇 Please comment below and tell us what you’d buy! Your suggestions will help our Junior Board decide what to create first. 💜

10/05/2026

💜 Grants up to $5,000 for families impacted by autism! 💚

Erin’s Way is sharing this Autism Care Today opportunity to help families access support such as protective fencing, sensory equipment, communication tools, and eligible therapies.

📅 Application deadline: October 15, 2026

Before applying, please review the Grant Application Checklist and FAQ page. Have these three required documents ready:

✅ Proof of autism diagnosis and recommended treatment from your doctor or school IEP
✅ Proof of the cost of the requested item or service
✅ Proof of family income, such as a tax return or documentation of other income

🔗 Apply here:
https://www.act-today.org/apply-for-grant/

📋 Grant Application Checklist:
https://www.act-today.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Grant-Application-Checklist.pdf

❓ Frequently Asked Questions:
https://www.act-today.org/apply-for-grant/autism-care-today-grant-faq/

Erin’s Way is sharing this information only. We do not administer this grant or choose recipients. Autism Care Today reviews applications and makes all funding decisions. Applying does not guarantee an award.

Please share so more families can learn about this opportunity! 💜

Erin’s Legacy, every child’s future.

09/21/2026

We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to the Ladies Ancient Order of Hibernians JFK Division 1 for their generous donation to Erin’s Way. 💜🌈

Their support means so much because it did not begin with this donation. For many years, the members of JFK Division 1 welcomed Erin into their meetings and events with open arms. They never simply allowed us to bring her—they made sure she belonged. They would take turns holding her, playing with her, and loving her, giving us a few much-needed moments to breathe while knowing she was safe and cared for.

When we lost Erin, they stood beside our family through the unimaginable, and they continue to stand beside us today as we carry her love forward through Erin’s Way.

Thank you, JFK Division 1, for loving Erin, supporting our family, and now helping us build a future in her name. Your generosity is deeply appreciated, but your years of friendship, compassion, and love mean even more to us.

Erin’s legacy, every child’s future. 💜

Here are some pictures of Erin at LAOH events

09/17/2026

🍦 Snoop, we’re officially applying for the sweetest job ever. 💜

Why pay one person $10,000 a month to taste ice cream when you can get NINE Junior Board members… plus however many friends they convince us to bring along? 😂🍦

But for Erin’s Way, this opportunity would mean so much more than ice cream.

Erin absolutely LOVED ice cream. She also inspired everything we do today. Erin’s Way was created in her memory to help build a world that is safer, more accessible, more inclusive, and a whole lot more fun for children and families of all abilities.

Our Junior Board—made up of autistic children and teens and siblings—already takes their responsibilities very seriously. And apparently, official ice cream taste tester is a role they were born for. 😂

If Erin’s Way were chosen, that $10,000 a month would be turned into real impact: equipment, materials, adaptive items, 3D-printed mobility chairs provided FREE to families, inclusive programs, and opportunities for our Junior Board and community to be part of something pretty incredible.

So, Snoop Dogg… we’ve got the mission.
We’ve got the tasting crew.
We’ve DEFINITELY got the appetite.

And we think Snoop + Erin’s Way might just be a pretty great combination.

Sorry, Martha. 😂💜🍦

Erin’s Legacy, every child’s future.
.bombay_icecream

09/15/2026

🎉💚 A Birthday Celebration That Gives Back! 💚🎉

A HUGE thank you to Christina Barbone for choosing Erin’s Way as her birthday fundraiser and asking friends and family to give to our mission in lieu of birthday gifts. 🥹💚

Christina set a goal of just $20… and YOU all blew it out of the water!

✨ $292 raised for Erin’s Way! ✨

Christina, thank you for thinking of Erin’s Way and for choosing to celebrate your birthday by helping other children and families. Your kindness means more than you know. 💚

Stay tuned to see exactly what Christina’s donation will help make possible. Our Junior Board is SO excited about what’s coming, and we can’t wait to share it with you! 👀💚

🎂 Did you know you can choose Erin’s Way as your Facebook birthday fundraiser?

Because Erin’s Way is PayPal Giving Fund approved, you can select us directly through Facebook when setting up a birthday fundraiser. Instead of gifts, you can invite your friends and family to give toward creating inclusion, compassion & hope for every child.

One birthday.
One simple choice.
A whole lot of impact. 💚

Thank you, Christina, for helping us see things Erin’s Way.
We are so grateful for you! 💚