Autism Serves – Helping Hands
Empowering Neurodivergent Teens & Young Adults Through Volunteerism
A neurodivergent-led volunteerism program from Autism Empowerment that brings teens, young adults, families, and community supporters together to serve others, build friendships, and make a positive difference.
The Next Generation of Service is Here!
Autism Serves – Helping Hands grew out of Autism Empowerment’s nationally award-winning Autism Serves Kids Care Club. After the pandemic, the original club paused. Then one of our founding youth leaders, Sumi Dyment, returned with a vision to create something new: an inclusive, neurodivergent-led volunteerism program for teens and young adults that focuses on kindness, leadership, service, and community connection.
Whether you are autistic, neurodivergent, disabled, a sibling, family member, peer mentor, or community supporter, you are welcome here. Our goal is to create meaningful volunteer opportunities where people can contribute their gifts, meet others, and grow in confidence while helping make our community more inclusive.
Who Can Join?
- Neurodivergent teens ages 13+ and young adults
- Individuals with disabilities who want to participate in community service
- Parents, caregivers, siblings, peer mentors, and supportive volunteers
Please note: Autism Serves – Helping Hands is not a drop-off or respite care program. If a participant is under 18 or is an adult who needs support to participate safely and meaningfully, a parent, caregiver, or approved support person must remain on-site for the duration of the event.
We do our best to share information in advance about sensory factors, accessibility, and expectations so each participant can decide whether a project is a good fit.
Why Volunteer?
- Make a positive difference in the community
- Build friendships and social connection
- Grow leadership, teamwork, and communication skills
- Discover that your gifts and contributions matter
What Kind of Projects Will We Do?
Autism Serves – Helping Hands participates in a variety of fun and meaningful service projects throughout the year in Southwest Washington. We want our members to help shape the direction of the group, so we welcome ideas and brainstorming about future projects.
Areas of service may include disability advocacy, kindness projects, helping local nonprofits, community resource support, environmental service, hunger relief, literacy support, animal welfare, and holiday outreach.
- Packaging resource bags for community partners
- Environmental clean-ups and beautification projects
- Food and donation drives
- Projects that support disability inclusion and accessibility
- Kindness-based outreach for seniors and community members
- Seasonal and holiday service opportunities
Upcoming Event
Creating Resource Bags
Join Autism Serves – Helping Hands as we package resource bags for the SW WA Coalition for Disability Services and Autism Empowerment.
Date: March 14th
Time: 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Location: 501 SE Ellsworth Rd, Vancouver, WA 98664
Register: https://bit.ly/helpinghandsreg
This is one of several volunteer projects planned throughout the year, so even if you can’t make this one, we’d still love to have you sign up and stay connected for future opportunities.
Join Autism Serves – Helping Hands
Registration form: https://bit.ly/helpinghandsreg
Questions? Please contact our teen leader and founder, Sumi Dyment.
For general Autism Empowerment questions, please contact John Krejcha at info@autismempowerment.org.
You are also invited to join our Facebook group: Autism Serves Helping Hands
Learn More About Sumi Dyment and the Vision Behind the Program
Read our Spectrum Life Magazine interview with teen advocate and Helping Hands leader Sumi Dyment to learn more about her heart for service, inclusion, and creating opportunities for neurodivergent youth and young adults.
Watch Our Kickoff Meeting
Want to get a feel for the heart behind the group? Watch our kickoff Zoom meeting and learn more about how Autism Serves – Helping Hands began.
Volunteerism matters. Service changes lives.
Support Autism Serves – Helping Hands with a donation and help us create a kinder, more inclusive world through the power of service, leadership, and community connection.
Donate Now – Help Us Grow the Vision
Last updated March 2026