By Denise D. Resnik, Founder & President/CEO, First Place AZ/First Place Global; Co-Founder, Southwest Autism Research & Resource Center; and Matt’s Mom We had packed it all: extra meds and…
First Place–Phoenix is buzzing with 30 new apartment residents and First Place Transition Academy students. A full range of emotions is ever-present, along with the excitement, adrenaline and to-do lists…
Just saying those words gives me a big case of the butterflies! In preparation for this momentous time in our family history, I’ve been reviewing lists upon lists, including reports,…
Managing expectations is important for us all. As much as we’ve been preparing for the reality of First Place® AZ for nearly two decades through research, planning and design, our…
By Denise D. Resnik, Matt’s Mom Co-Founder of SARRC and Founder/President/CEO of First Place®AZ Our son Matt just celebrated his 27th birthday. Times like these make us pause and reflect…
Dear First Place Residents, My name is Lindsey Eaton and I am a member of First Place Resident Advisory Committee. I will also live at First Place Phoenix. What drew…
After an exciting, jam-packed week, the very first Transition Academy participants can now call themselves graduates! Last Wednesday, the graduates were honored at a special convocation ceremony and lunch at…
First Place AZ hosted a Global Leadership Institute Symposium Oct. 25-27, 2017 to provide service providers, developers, educators and families with information on building a supportive community, to include fundraising…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VrLrDNG1Z9M&feature=youtu.beThanks to Dr. Harold Reitman at Different Brains for the recent conversation about housing options for adults with autism. First Place covered a range of topics such as empowering adults,…
The Foundation for Senior Living (FSL) Real Estate Services recently received a loan from the City of Phoenix’s HOME Investment Partnerships Program for the installation of a solar photovoltaic (PV)…
By Denise Resnik, Matt’s mom; originally posted on Different Brains In 1993, we were one of those families. At age 2, our son had just received a diagnosis of autism….
On April 26, 2017, we welcomed a group of leaders from across the U.S. (and Australia!). Together, we experienced the supportive community of Greater Phoenix. These pioneering leaders, families and…
By Denise Resnik, Matt’s mom; originally posted on Different Brains While Dr. Seuss was very much part of my childhood, I never memorized or retained more than a few lines…
Here is media coverage from the December 6, 2016 groundbreaking for First Place-Phoenix. First Place®AZ held a ceremony for the construction launch of First Place-Phoenix, a new $15 million residential…
First Place AZ Breaks Ground on 55 Apartments, Residential Training Program and National Leadership Institute in Phoenix First Place®AZ broke ground recently on First Place-Phoenix, a new $15 million residential…
By Denise Resnik, Matt’s mom; originally posted on Different Brains Community building is a process. It requires vision, passion, grit, resilience and an ability to connect dots—lots of them. It…
By Denise Resnik, Matt’s mom; originally posted on Different Brains Just a few decades ago, no one thought that running a four-minute mile was possible; that the three-point shot would…
By Denise Resnik, Matt’s mom; originally posted on Different Brains Our son celebrates his 25th birthday June 3, representing another time of great reflection on the progress he’s made, the…
John Donvan and Caren Zucker, award-winning journalists and authors of New York Times-best seller, In a Different Key—The Story of Autism, spent four days in Phoenix this month filming a…
By Denise Resnik, Matt’s mom; originally posted on Different Brains Something fell on the sidewalk. I saw it from a distance. I also saw other cars speeding by. As I…
By Denise Resnik, Matt’s mom; originally posted on Home Matters April is Autism Awareness Month and a time for reflection on progress made since our son Matt’s diagnosis 23 years…
By Denise Resnik, Matt’s mom; originally posted on Different Brains I’ve never been to Forest, Mississippi, and probably never will. However, I’ll always have a special place in my heart…
By Denise Resnik, Matt’s mom; originally posted on Different Brains Matt and I love to go bowling. Others detect how much when we roll in with our own bowling balls,…
By Denise Resnik, Matt’s mom; originally posted on Different Brains Cleaning out closets, drawers and the garage seemed like a good plan for ringing in the New Year. Matt’s closets…
PHOENIX, Ariz. – January 26, 2016 – First Place®AZ, an Arizona-based nonprofit serving adults with autism and other special abilities, has received a $50,000 grant from the Phoenix-based Board of…
