Consurgo Services needs a 501(c)3

Consurgo Services, Inc. is focused on training autistic young adults to thrive in fulfilling careers, providing training in such areas as Graphic Design, Computer Programming, and 3D Modeling. We are a young non-profit preparing to take the next leap-- filing for 501(c)(3) status. We have just begun to have enough regular income to cover leasing office space for a permanent address. The $850 filing fee for tax-exempt status is far above our means. The application has been drafted and is in final editing, but until it is filed with the IRS our work will be held back. We are already incorporated in Alabama as a nonprofit corporation, but many grants and business supporters look for the federal 501(c)(3) designation before donating for tax purposes.

Increased funding will allow us to retain experienced instructors to work with our interns and increase the number of people we can serve. With more than 1 in 57 young adults in the Huntsville, AL area on the autism spectrum, we have a large and under-served population that needs specific job-readiness skills and mentoring in professional areas of their interest. Our goal is for these individuals to be confident, have professional experience and be ready to interview in the career field of their choice -- not to get stuck in menial part-time work far below their intellectual capacity.

Please invest in the future of our community and the lives of these young adults with Asperger's/autism by supporting Consurgo Services with any amount you are able.

[One of our interns getting tips from a mentor in Graphic Design, with a programmer looking on.]

All of us here at Consurgo thank you for your consideration of us. We know you have many causes to consider when it comes to giving, and hope that you will be led to help these young adults who have nowhere and no one else to turn to.

To see Consurgo's website and existing supporter's page, please see www.consurgoservices.org .

Stretch Goals

If we are fortunate enough to raise more than the $850 needed for our 501(c)3 application, the additional funds will be put towards the purchase of some much-needed computer equipment for use by our students. Currently, students are forced to share equipment, and we also need to replace one broken monitor.

Many graphic artists use pen tablets to create their art, but only one of our students has his own tablet. We have a goal of having some small Wacom pen tablets available for any students who need to use one, rather than them sharing the one tablet we have in house.

The more money we raise, the more computers and other equipment for the students we can purchase. The more equipment we have, the more students we can take on. The more students we take on, the more independent adults we place in this community -- adults who move from menial, low-wage jobs into better paying careers that allow them to live independently. Isn't that what we all want for our children when they are grown?