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Welcome to the Michael Lorenzen Foundation!

We would like tell you a story about an amazing little boy named Michael. Michael was born in July of 2013 and was always the brightest light in the room, even from birth. His family adored his joyful spirit and his smile touched everyone he met. This beautiful, bright-eyed child was only 4 when he perished in a house fire on January 26th, 2018. Despite our grief, we formed The Michael Lorenzen Foundation to keep his star shining.

When Michael was 2 years old, he was diagnosed with autism. Autism is characterized by challenges with social skills, repetitive behavior, speech delays, and nonverbal communication. Michael demonstrated all of these behavioral tendencies, but also was a happy little bug who loved Paw Patrol, fire trucks, trains, and Halloween.  In the 2.5 years following his diagnosis, we worked tirelessly to overcome these obstacles. Michael attended four hours a day of specialized ABA (Applied Behavior Analysis) therapy and went to the local Pre-School. His dedication to progress from only saying “go!” to having a vocabulary of over 400 words shows how determined he really was. In fact, Michael exceeded expectations and was on course to attend Kindergarten in the Fall. We have no doubt that he would have graduated from high school and even gone on to college.

We established The Michael Lorenzen Foundation to help other children with autism. It is our hope that all children on the autism spectrum have the opportunity to achieve a college education, as we feel Michael would have. We know first hand how much little contributions can add up to big successes. Your donations and support of our events will help us in our mission for valuing education for those who share Michael’s uniqueness.

Thank you so much for your interest in and generosity for The Michael Lorenzen Foundation!

Sincerely,

Kellie Signature edit

Kellie Lorenzen

President and CEO of The Michael Lorenzen Foundation,

And Michael’s Mommy

loving contributions > big successes

We invite you to make a donation of any amount to help support our cause.

If you’d like to be added to our mailing list, please fill out the form below.

 

 

 

About Michael

We called him Bug, short for both Snugglebug and Lovebug. As a newborn he curled up on his mother’s chest to sleep and cradled in her arms to eat. As he grew into a curious and energetic toddler he still found time to snuggle up with his loved ones.

He adored his siblings. He looked up to his big brother, Zacheri, and enjoyed using him as his personal jungle gym. He often blesses his brother’s lap with snuggles. Although he was uncertain at first when little sister Penny was born, he soon grew to adore her and often enlisted her help in when causing mischief. He even allowed her to share mommy’s lap.

Michael’s love, light and energy were infectious. He touched and left his mark on every heart he came into contact with. His bright eyes and smile could turn your day around. He worked hard and played harder. His imagination ran wild as he played with vehicles and dressed in costumes. His eyes widened as he learned new words and how to spell his name. He took pride in knowing his colors, shapes and numbers.

No matter what his days consisted of, they always began and ended snuggled in his mother’s lap.

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Mission & Vision

Mission

The Michael Lorenzen Foundation is a charitable organization whose goal is to assist students with autism in paying for college. We want students on the spectrum to feel supported, financially and academically, as they move into adulthood.

Vision

We hope to grow every year! We want to grow our foundation so that we are providing financial assistance to multiple students with autism every year. We want to see our foundation help students on the spectrum thrive in college.

little contributions > big successes

We invite you to make a donation of any amount to help support our cause.

How to Apply

The Michael Lorenzen Foundation is proud to offer a college scholarship program for those on the Autism spectrum. We have witnessed the struggles that Autism presents and also seen the passion and dedication that envelops these particular students.  For the academic year 2024-2025 we will be doing ten scholarships of equal amount.  Since 2024 is our final year of awarding scholarships, the amount is to be determined based on fundraising success between now and April of 2024.

We invite you to submit an application if you meet the following criteria:

  • Diagnosed with ASD.
  • Enrolled in or accepted to an accredited school.
  • A U.S. citizen.
  • Either a recent high school graduate or a current undergraduate.

During our selection process, the Board Members of the Michael Lorenzen Foundation will be making our determination of the award winners based on the following criteria:

  • Meeting the criteria as outlined above.
  • Completion and Submission of the Application Specifications as outlined on the Application Form by the deadlines presented below.
  • An articulate and clear essay explaining and outlining the answers to the proposed question. We will be looking for your unique personality and what makes your experience special. Please try to include something that makes you stand out from the other applicants. The Board is looking to learn something about you as a person.

Please remember that if awarded scholarship funds, you will be representing Michael Lorenzen and his legacy; something that is very dear to our hearts.

2024 is the final year this scholarship is being offered.

To qualify, please print out the Application Form and mail it to the designated address with the following requirements:

1) A letter of recommendation from a teacher or therapist.

2) A letter from a doctor or therapist confirming your diagnosis of Autism.

3) A copy of your high school transcript.

4) Your application essay. Your essay should be approximately 600 words and should address your answer to the one of the following questions:

  • What does it mean to you to be going to college?
  • What was your biggest accomplishment in school?
  • What do you see yourself doing in 10 years?

Please mail application and additional materials to:

Michael Lorenzen Foundation: Applicant Submissions
21 Partridge Drive
Exeter, Rhode Island 02822

Applications will be accepted from September 1, 2023 thru January 31, 2024.

Those that have been awarded funding will be notified by May 14, 2024. Please note, we understand not all acceptances are received by this time.  Scholarship recipients will need to provide a copy of their college acceptance letter will need to be provided prior to distribution of funds.

Contact

If you would like to contribute to our mission or would like to reach out for assistance, please fill out the following form and we will be in touch.