Jacquelyn Jablonski On Her Second Event For Autism Speaks

by The Daily Front Row

Looking for something to do this Thursday? Model Jacquelyn Jablonski is throwing a cocktail party to support Autism Speaks at Milk. Tickets are $75 in advance and $100 at the door and can be found HERE. The Daily recently got on the phone with Jablonski to find out why the event is so important to the mod, and what guests can expect on Thursday night. See you there!

How did you get involved with Autism Speaks?
I became involved with the charity a couple of years ago. My mom and I researched charities online, because we wanted to be involved with my brother being autistic. He was diagnosed at the age of two, so it’s something that’s really close to home. We always wanted to help out, but we never knew how to get involved. Finally, my mom got in contact with a woman at Autism Speaks and explained our story. I have wanted to do an event for so long, but I had no idea where to begin. We did our first one last year, which was a success.

Tell us about your brother.
Tommy is on the severe end of the spectrum. Originally, the doctor told us that he would never talk. It’s hard to have a full conversation, because he loses focus and doesn’t keep eye contact. But he will come up to you and say, ‘I want this, I want that, I want chicken fingers, I want to go to the boardwalk’. I’m really impressed with how much he’s grown over the years. I was just home and came from the airport holding my suitcase, and he associates the airport with vacations and Florida, so then all of the sudden he wants to go on vacation. He loves going on rollercoasters; maybe it’s the adrenaline rush. He has different obsessions. Another one is chicken fingers; that’s why we had them at the first Autism Speaks event I worked on!  

Tommy is 18 now: does he still live with your parents?
Yes, which is why I wish that we could find a way for his school to [continue]. A lot of the parents of his friends wish that the kids could be together because they got used to seeing each other around. It costs a lot of money to have someone watch them around the clock, so it’s not easy to organize. I don’t want him to just sit at home, so this is what I’m really trying to find.  There is so much emphasis on the younger kids, but now that my brother is 18, I’m really struggling to figure that out. I want to raise this awareness about this. The numbers are increasing: there are now 1 in 68 children and 1 in 54 boys being diagnosed. It’s a big deal for people having kids to be aware of.

What kinds of silent auction items will be up for bids?
I’ve slowly been giving little previews online to get people excited! Once again, we have a contribution from Patrick Demarchelier. Last year, he donated a photograph with elephants, and this year, it’s a shot of a giraffe in the distance which looks really cool. We’ll have work up from Craig McDean, Greg Kadel, Fabio Chizzola, and more.

How is your agency, Supreme, helping out with the event?
Everyone has been reaching out to all the photographers they personally work with, plus they’ve been sending invites to their friends and personal contacts. I’m like, ‘Send it to everyone that you know; the more the merrier!’ They’ve been a big help. I don’t know how I would do all of this myself: getting organized, doing the invites and everything. 

Last year, you raised $32,000! 
I’m super happy about that! I had no idea what to expect. I was so happy that so many friends came to show their support.

Will Tommy be there on Thursday? 
He’ll definitely be there! I think he liked the attention that he got last year. 

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