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August 26 - Senator Edward Kennedy who died today at the age of 77 was an important advocate for the prevention of FASD and all intellectual disabilities and played a leading role in the early days of NOFAS. NOFAS founder Patti Munter appealed to Senator Kennedy and his staff after establishing the organization in Washington in the early 1990s and he and his aides provided critical support and guidance on Capitol Hill. The Senator also hosted at his home the first ever fundraiser for NOFAS. The event featured entertainer Carole King and brought together advocates, volunteers, patrons and families that remain associated with NOFAS today. In 1994, the Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr. Foundation funded NOFAS to develop the first FAS medical school curriculum. Fifteen year later the project remains active and is the basis for all FASD education programs for medical and allied health students and practitioners.
Kara Kennedy Allen, the Senator’s daughter and friend of Ms. Munter’s served as a founding NOFAS Advisory Board member and has provided invaluable direction to the NOFAS mission, and Senator Kennedy’s son, Congressman Patrick Kennedy, is an influential member of the FASD Congressional Caucus and as a member of the House Appropriations Committee has helped increase FASD resources.
NOFAS is grateful to Senator Kennedy and his family for giving so much to the hopes and dreams of children and adults living with FASD, and today we offer our deepest thoughts and prayers to them.
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