Naina Chernoff is by no means new to OAR. She has been a dedicated OAR supporter and volunteer for many years. She recently started a new chapter in her involvement when she joined the OAR staff as the first Hire Autism associate on January 9.
She began her association with OAR as a freelance writer and the editor of “The OARacle” newsletter in 2002 just as OAR was getting started. “I really enjoyed helping to start the newsletter and writing about OAR’s progress during its initial years. I had a personal interest in autism as I have an adult brother-in-law with autism,” she explains.
Chernoff continued her work as editor until 2005 when she had her first child. Her second child, Dhillon, was born in 2006 and life got busier. When Dhillon was diagnosed with autism at the age of 5, her interest in OAR and its mission was renewed. She and her family have raised money for OAR through the RUN FOR AUTISM program by running the MCM 10K for many years. Last year, she took it to a new level by running the Chicago Marathon.
As she was training for Chicago, OAR called on her for something entirely different. When OAR/Hire Autism advanced to the semi-finals of the Encore Prize Contest last August, OAR executive director, Mike Maloney, needed a person to deliver an OAR/Hire Autism pitch, which ultimately would be part of the finals. His first and only call was to Chernoff, who accepted without hesitation.
The rest is history, as the saying goes. Chernoff’s almost two months of rehearsals paid dividends in October, when her pitch earned OAR the People’s Choice Prize and a cash award of $50,000 for the Hire Autism program. So it was only natural for Maloney to contact her again as OAR looked to add a second person to the Hire Autism staff team. Once again, Chernoff responded enthusiastically and without hesitation.
“I came back to OAR in January to help families like mine achieve the goal of finding meaningful employment for their loved ones,” she notes. “A job is so important in the lives of all adults. I believe that Hire Autism will help many individuals with autism find work and reach their fullest potential.”
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