What do you get when you combine punk and rock music with fundraising for Autism research and awareness?
Project: Rock For Autism (PRFA), of course.
USF freshman and civil engineering major Steve Toth started the series of benefit concerts in 2008 as a volunteer requirement for his International Baccalaureate program at Gulf High School. What separates his involvement in it is that he continued to coordinate the concerts after graduation, raising more than $10,000 since the program’s inception.
“You can’t quantify awareness but I want to create more of it,” Toth said. “It’s helping a lot of people and keeping me involved with music. Music is something I’d do anyway and Autism doesn’t get a lot of media attention but it affects a lot of kids.”
Toth finds the bands, secures the venues and stages, negotiates and advertises and coordinates the project’s efforts. His band, Worst Case Scenario, also plays up on stage to help raise money for the developmental disease.
Although Toth has a huge role in the success of PRFA, he doesn’t like for people to make a fuss over him. Recently, he won the WEDU Be More Entrepreneurial “Rising Star” award presented to an individual, under the age of 30, who has distinguished themselves by using entrepreneurial skills to build a successful endeavor in the nonprofit arena that can be directly accredited to their inspiration, motivation and business acumen.
“He’s a pretty humble guy,” said his mother, Patricia Toth. “He always hated when I bragged about hm. He always wants to do the right thing and help. None of it has ever been for him to get attention. He wants all the focus to be on the cause.”
He was put up for the award by the University of South Florida’s Center for Autism and Related Disabilities (CARD), an organization at the university that seeks to provide communities, organizations, agencies, service providers and families with the knowledge and skills to support children and adults with autism and related disabilities. CARD serves more than 6,000 families and professionals across 14 counties in southwest Florida.
PRFA gives the concert proceeds to CARD to distribute to families.
“I was really amazed that this high school student was putting on this type of event and really doing everything,” said Christine Rover, the community inclusion coordinator for USF CARD. “Its not often that I get people who call and say ‘We want to do this event and give you thousands of dollars’.”
Though the last concert was held in May 2010, Toth is a busy college student now, after all, another one is being planned at USF this fall. His networking with various bands in the Tampa Bay area and with the professionals at CARD will benefit the concerts as it will bring in more people who can be involved.
This semester, Toth has taken his support one step further and signed up as a mentor for the learning academy at CARD for young adults with Autism, Rover said. Toth is paired with an individual to help him get more information about going to college or joining the workface. They will work on projects and homework, and more than likely Rover said, enjoy music together.
Check out some more pictures!
Courtesy of Patricia Toth
Worst Case Scenario on stage at the May 2010 Project: Rock for Autism benefit concert.
The compilation CD will be be for sale soon on Facebook for $4.
Christine Rover and Steve Toth at the WEDU awards ceremony last month.