The NEST Project

09/25/2026

We love to see it!!

The Joshua Alert, a missing alert for children with autism and / or other developmental disabilities, went into effect statewide on Thursday.

DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) – The Joshua Alert, a missing alert for children with autism and / or other developmental disabilities, went into effect statewide on Thursday. This was after House Bill 359 was…

09/19/2026

🌟 NEW VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT: MEET KYLEE! 🌟

Hi everyone! My name is Kylee, and I’m so excited and honored to be joining The Nest Project as a volunteer! 🪺❤️

I’m a proud mom of two, and my family’s journey has taught me so much about love, patience, advocacy, and the importance of having people who truly understand.

Our daughter is autistic, and I became her mom when she was 9 years old. Her autism diagnosis came later in her life, and navigating that journey has brought challenges I never imagined I would face. I’ve had to learn how to advocate for her, understand her needs, find the right support, and help her navigate a world that doesn’t always make things easy for her.

There have been moments when I felt overwhelmed and unsure of what I was doing. I’ve had to learn things I never thought I would need to learn, ask questions, speak up, and keep going even when things felt difficult.

But through all of it, my daughter has taught me some of the most important lessons of my life. She has shown me that every child is different, every family’s journey looks different, and sometimes having someone beside you who simply understands can mean everything. ❤️

That is one of the reasons I’m so excited to volunteer with The Nest Project.

I want to be able to give back, support families, listen without judgment, and hopefully help someone else feel a little less alone in their journey. If sharing a little bit of what I’ve learned can help another parent, child, or family, then I know my experiences can have a purpose.

I’m still learning. I’m still growing. And our journey is still being written. But I’m excited to take what we’ve been through and turn it into something positive.

I’m so grateful for the opportunity to be part of The Nest Project and this amazing community. I can’t wait to meet everyone, learn from all of you, and hopefully make a difference along the way. 🪺💙

Here’s to new beginnings, new connections, and using our stories to help others. ❤️

— Kylee

09/19/2026

We love seeing the littles with our merch ♥️♥️♥️

09/15/2026

🚨 IMPORTANT PROJECT LIFESAVER INFORMATION — LAWRENCE COUNTY, PA

I’ve been working to get clear information on how Lawrence County families can enroll their loved ones in Project Lifesaver and what to do if an enrolled individual goes missing.

Please note: some information currently listed on the Project Lifesaver website for Lawrence County is incorrect. This is still a fairly new program locally, so please be patient as everyone gets familiar with the process.

💙 TO ENROLL YOUR LOVED ONE:
Contact Representative Marla Brown’s office and ask for Debbie:
📞 724-498-4397
📍 28 N. Mill St., New Castle, PA

The program is FREE and enrollment is easy.

⚠️ VERY IMPORTANT IF AN ENROLLED INDIVIDUAL GOES MISSING:

At this time, the District Attorney's Office has partnered with New Castle Police Department and is the only department in Lawrence County equipped to access/track the Project Lifesaver transmitters.

No matter which township or municipality you live in:

1️⃣ Call 911 immediately and report the missing individual.

2️⃣ Tell 911 that the individual is enrolled in Project Lifesaver. The 911 center is to call your local PD for diapatch per usual. ALSO TELL THEM that you give permission for the District Attorney Detectives/New Castle Police Department to be notified to assist with tracking the transmitter, and provide the code you received with the bracelet.

As additional departments obtain the technology, we will share updates.

📣 PLEASE SHARE THIS INFORMATION. If you know a family caring for someone with a cognitive disability who is at risk of wandering or elopement, encourage them to enroll.

This program can save lives. 💙

09/10/2026

🎃🍂 OCTOBER 17TH — MARK YOUR CALENDARS! 🍂🎃

We’re excited to share that The New Castle Prism Initiative has invited The NEST Project to be part of their Community Harvest
Festival! 🧡

We’ll be there sharing more about who we are, what we do, and the programs and resources we offer to children with disabilities and their families. And of course, we’ll have some goodies to give out, too! 👀🎁

📅 Saturday, October 17, 2026
⏰ 12:00–5:00 PM
📍 1315 E. Washington St., New Castle, PA 16101
🎟️ FREE EVENT!

There’s going to be plenty of fall and spooky fun for the whole family, including pumpkin painting, face painting, a costume contest, scavenger hunt, vendors, local organizations, a Monster Mash dance party and more! 🎃👻🍁

We’re looking forward to connecting with families in our community and seeing some familiar faces. Come find The NEST Project’s table and say hi! 💚

09/09/2026

🎙️ OUR PODCAST EPISODE WITH THE AUTISM DAD IS OUT NOW! 💙

I’m so excited to finally share this conversation!

A huge thank you to The Autism Dad for having me on and giving me the opportunity to talk about something that is such a huge part of my life, navigating the world as a parent of an autistic child, while also advocating for families through The NEST Project.

These are the conversations we need to be having.

The beautiful moments. The hard moments. The advocacy. The safety concerns. The systems that families have to learn to navigate. The things people don’t always see happening behind closed doors.

Raising an autistic child can change the way you see the world, and it can also show you just how much work still needs to be done to make that world safer, more understanding, more inclusive, and more supportive of autistic individuals and their families.

I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity to share a piece of our story and to help bring attention to the realities so many families are living every single day.

🎧 The episode is OUT NOW!

Watch/listen here
https://listen.theautismdad.com/episodes/s9e17/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=ep-s9e17

Thank you again, The Autism Dad, for creating a space where these conversations can happen. 💙

09/04/2026

💙🧩 WE WANT YOU ON OUR TEAM! 🧩💙

We officially joined the 2026 Autism Speaks Pittsburgh Empower Walk + 5K Run and we’re looking for people to come out with us!

👕 BONUS: Everyone who joins our team will receive a FREE NEST team T-shirt from us so we can all match and represent together!

🚨🚨 T-SHIRT ORDERS NEED TO BE IN BY SEPT. 7TH TO RECEIVE THEM IN TIME 🚨🚨

Saturday, September 19, 2026
Acrisure Stadium — Pittsburgh, PA

EVENT SCHEDULE:
💙 9:00 AM — Registration Opens
🚶 10:45 AM — Walk Starts
🎉 11:30 AM — Closing Ceremony

👇 JOIN OUR TEAM OR DONATE HERE!
https://join.autismspeaks.org/team/847485

08/27/2026

💙🧩 THE NEST PROJECT IS HEADING TO PITTSBURGH — AND WE WANT YOU ON OUR TEAM! 🧩💙

We officially joined the 2026 Autism Speaks Pittsburgh Empower Walk + 5K Run and we’re looking for people to come out, walk with us, and help us reach our $500 fundraising goal! 🙌

📅 Saturday, September 19, 2026
📍 Acrisure Stadium — Pittsburgh, PA

EVENT SCHEDULE:
💙 9:00 AM — Registration Opens
🦸 9:45 AM — Superhero Sprint
🎤 10:00 AM — Opening Ceremony
🏃 10:20 AM — 5K Run Starts
🚶 10:45 AM — Walk Starts
🎉 11:30 AM — Closing Ceremony

✨ WANT TO JOIN OUR TEAM?

Walking is FREE to register! If you'd like to walk with The NEST Project, please DM us to register.

👕 BONUS: Everyone who joins our team will receive a FREE NEST team T-shirt from us so we can all match and represent together! 💙

Can't make it but still want to support us?

🎯 OUR GOAL: $500!

Every donation — $5, $10, $25 or whatever you can give — gets us one step closer!

👇 JOIN OUR TEAM OR DONATE HERE!
https://join.autismspeaks.org/team/847485

Come walk with us, bring the family, meet other families, and help us show up BIG for the autism community. 💙

WHO WANTS TO JOIN TEAM NEST?! 🙋‍♀️🙋‍♂️

08/23/2026

🚨 PICTURE THIS: You have FINALLY discovered an incredible human who may have cracked the code on one of the scariest challenges special needs families face, wandering and elopement.

With backing from Clark Atlanta University and others!

👏 Meet Miss Rhonda.

Rhonda is the brains behind LumaID, and she is currently developing a patent-pending Intelligent Safety Patch designed with vulnerable individuals and their caregivers in mind.

LumaID is being designed to go beyond traditional location tracking and if your child is anything like mine, they dont wear ANYTHING. something hard to find and hard to tamper with is amazing.

The goal is for this small wearable patch to help detect things like:
📍 GPS location
🚨 Removal or tampering with the device
⏱️ Extended periods of no movement
💥 Potential falls
🗺️ Geofencing/safe-zone alerts
📲 Real-time notifications to caregivers or guardians

For families of children who elope, individuals with autism or other disabilities, seniors with memory-related conditions, and anyone caring for a vulnerable loved one, the possibilities here are HUGE.

I had the opportunity to speak with Rhonda, and her passion for making this a reality absolutely shows. LumaID is still in the development stages, which means community feedback RIGHT NOW is incredibly important.

👏 PLEASE go follow Luma ID
🌐 Visit their website: lumaidsecure.com
📝 And most importantly, FILL OUT THEIR SURVEY!
https://www.lumaidsecure.com/join-early-access

Every survey helps better understand what families actually need as she continues developing this technology.

LumaID introduces separation-aware human safety technology. A skin-worn device that detects loss of contact and sends emergency notifications when a person cannot self report. Built for licensing, partnerships, and large-scale safety applications. - A Wearable Emergency Notification Device for Human...

08/19/2026

🚨 PROJECT LIFESAVER NOW AVAILABLE IN LAWRENCE COUNTY, PA! 💙

This is a HUGE resource for families and caregivers of individuals who may be at risk of wandering or elopement.

Project Lifesaver is a public-safety program designed to help law enforcement quickly locate individuals who wander due to cognitive or neurological conditions. Participants wear a small transmitter that emits an individualized tracking signal. If the person goes missing, trained local responders can use specialized equipment to help locate them.

📍 HOW TO SIGN UP IN LAWRENCE COUNTY:

Project Lifesaver enrollment is available through the Lawrence County District Attorney’s Office.

📞 Phone: 724-656-9300
📍 Address: 430 Court Street, New Castle, PA 16101

When contacting the office, ask about Project Lifesaver enrollment and they can provide information about eligibility, enrollment, equipment, and next steps.

💗 The NEST Project is incredibly excited to see this resource available locally. Elopement is one of the biggest safety concerns many special-needs families face, and programs like Project Lifesaver can provide an additional safeguard alongside home security measures and an individualized safety plan.

Please SHARE this with local families, caregivers, teachers, therapists, caseworkers, first responders, and agencies. You never know who may need it!

🪺 Nurture • Equip • Support • Thrive