PARKLAND, Fla. – The groundbreaking social enterprise Rising Tide Car Wash, with the primary mission to employ adults with autism, is taking its efforts to empower people with autism a step further. RisingTide president/co-founder John D’Eri and COO/co-founder Thomas D’Eri have launched Rising Tide Plus (www.risingtideplus.org), an initiative to bring together local adults with autism to gather resources, socialize and grow as individuals.
 
Rising Tide Plus will host social events for local adults with autism in partnership with University of Miami/Nova Southeastern University Center for Autism & Related Disabilities (UM-NSU CARD), Florida Atlantic University Center for Autism and Related Disabilities (FAU CARD), Slomin Family Center and other local partners. It will also host workshops on a variety of topics to equip local adults with autism with thetools they need to live independently.
 
Rising Tide Plus’ first event is Game Night, a free event open to adults with autism spectrum disorders, on Tuesday, Sept. 24 from 7–8:30 p.m. Participants will enjoy a friendly night of laughs and fun including video games, checkers, tic-tac-toe and card games. Participants will meet in the Rising Tide Car Wash lobby.
 
Event registration is required at http://bit.ly/RTPGameSignUp. Adult attendees should be able to participate independently or have a family member or caregiver present to facilitate their participation. For more information, contact Donna D’Eri at dderi@risingtidecarwash.com.
 
“Rising Tide Plus represents an evolution in Rising Tide Car Wash’s operations,” said Thomas D’Eri. “Our goal is to have Rising Tide Plus be a completely volunteer-run program as a means of further engaging the community.
 
“As we strive to scale the Rising Tide Car Wash model, we’re also striving to scale the resources available to adults with autism to help them achieve an independent lifestyle,” he continued.
 
Rising Tide is actively seeking partners to scale its model for local and regional expansion beginning in 2014.
 
Rising Tide is the brainchild of the D’Eris, a father-and-son team, who wanted to create a supportive environment where John’s son and Thomas’ brother, 21-year-old Andrew D’Eri, a vibrant, lighthearted individual with autism, could thrive and achieve independence. Currently, unemployment among people with autism is approximately 90 percent, and at least 500,000 more individuals with autism will enter the workforce in the next decade.
 
About Rising Tide Car Wash
Rising Tide Car Wash is a scalable social enterprise with the primary mission to employadults with autism. By delivering a first-rate car wash experience to the consumer, Rising Tide strives to inspire communities to change their perception of the capabilities of people with autism. Through intensive training, teambuilding and caring for the community, Rising Tide sets its employees up for success. With this model, Rising Tide has a goal to provide people with autism with an opportunity to build a career and achieve an independent lifestyle.Rising Tide aims to be Broward County’s first B Corporation (the gold standard in verifying that a company is truly a social enterprise) and the fourth in the state of Florida. Rising Tide Car Wash is located at 7201 N. State Rd 7, Parkland, FL 33067. It is open seven days a week from 8 a.m.–6 p.m. For more information, visit www.risingtidecarwash.com, call (954) 344-1855 or email info@risingtidecarwash.com.