Greenwich, Conn. — Izabela O’Brien may have won Mrs. Connecticut and may be no stranger to beauty pageants, but she is no ordinary beauty contestant.
She founded The Fearless Angel Project to help families who do not have the opportunity to provide the interventions necessary for the development of the children with autism that they care for.
O’Brien decided to launch The Fearless Angel Project after experiencing firsthand how difficult it was to provide all the necessary interventions for a child with autism, given the financial strain that it could cause on a family’s budget.
Her daughter, Alina, was diagnosed with autism when she was just two and half years old, and although O’Brien and her husband were able to provide everything their daughter needed, it dawned on them that some families may not be as lucky. She told:
“They need resources and they need access.”
“Not all children are able to get into these therapies- not because parents aren’t willing, but because they don’t have those resources.”
“I want to give back the opportunity my husband and I have had for our daughter. People have looked at my daughter and said they would give anything to have their child progress the way Alina has.”
O’Brien says she is hoping she could use her title as Mrs. Connecticut to be a voice for children like Alina. She said:
“I knew my purpose was to be there and have a voice for my daughter and other girls and boys like her.”
Source: on the Washington Times: Mrs. Connecticut uses charity to help autistic children