ACT Today! to Honor Actor Max Burkholder at 10th Annual Denim, Diamonds & Stars Autism Fundraiser, October 25th

    LOS ANGELES, CA, July 27, 2015 /24-7PressRelease/ -- ACT Today! (Autism Care & Treatment Today!), a national non-profit organization whose mission is to provide direct care and treatment to underserved children with autism, announces today that actor Max Burkholder ("Parenthood") will receive this year's ACTivist award at the 10th Annual Denim, Diamonds & Stars gala, presented by Raiman Rocks, on October 25, 2015. The event will be held at the Four Seasons Hotel, in Westlake Village, Calif.

The red carpet fundraiser will include a cocktail reception, silent and live auctions, dinner program with surprise celebrity presenters, live entertainment and special tribute to the 2015 honorees.

"For five years, Max Burkholder educated the nation by playing the part of a child on the autism spectrum. He has also worked tirelessly to help our Foundation increase autism awareness by being a part of our national public service announcement, as well as attending numerous charity events for our cause. He is truly deserving of this year's tribute," says ACT Today! executive director Nancy Alspaugh-Jackson.

Burkholder will join fellow 2015 honorees: ACTivist TV host/comedian Howie Mandel ("America's Got Talent"), Visionary award recipient and Grammy winner/philanthropists Shawn and Sharhonda Stockman (Boyz II Men), and Golden Cowgirl award recipient, Hollywood talent agent Sydel Lisi.

In 2014, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a report showing 1 in every 68 children in America is diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, making autism more widespread than juvenile diabetes, childhood cancer, and pediatric AIDS combined.

The Denim, Diamonds & Stars fundraiser makes it possible for ACT Today! to provide families with children with autism direct access to care and treatment that they cannot afford, including Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy, medical care, autism service dogs, social skills programs, assistive technology, and safety equipment such as helmets for the self-injurious children and fencing for children who are prone to wandering.

This year's sponsors (as of July 23, 2015) include: Raiman Rocks, Tolman & Wiker Insurance Services LLC, Shape of Behavior, UBS; Nevers, Palazzo, Packard, Wildermuth & Wynner, PC; Vin Di Bona Productions, City National Bank, Rage Models and Westlake Magazine.

For more information on ACT Today!'s 10th Annual Denim, Diamonds & Stars, visit http://www.denimanddiamondsforautism.net.

About Max Burkholder:
At the young age of seventeen, Burkholder has already had an impressive acting career. He is most known for his work on the NBC hit show, "Parenthood", but has his stamp on much more than just that. Max began his career in 2003, with a major film, "Daddy Day Care", starring Eddie Murphy. In the few years following, Max took on many guest starring roles, on hit shows including, "The O.C.", "CSI: NY", and "The Suite Life of Zack and Cody". In 2006, he started working in the world of voice animation, beginning his 7-year career working on "Family Guy". His voice was also used in "The Land Before Time", and voicing the part of Roo in "Pooh's Super Sleuth Christmas Movie" (2007). Later, in 2008, Burkholder took on the voice of Roo again in "My Friends Tiger and Pooh's Friendly Tails" and "My Friends Tiger and Pooh: The Hundred Acre Wood Haunt". In 2008, he had a role in the animated series "The Spectacular Spider Man" and in 2009, "The Cleveland Show".

In 2010, Burkholder got his life-changing main role in NBC's "Parenthood". "Parenthood", a show that followed the lives of the "Braverman family," quickly became a family comedy/drama favorite. The show dealt with everyday concepts such as autism, and was very easily relatable. Burkholder played the child on the autism spectrum. Having autism represented in a major television show created much chatter in the media. Max received many messages from fans with autism telling him how well he was portraying an boy with autism, and really giving him the stamp of approval. Max took this on, and became a spokesperson for autism. In his five years of playing his role in "Parenthood", he attended various events for autism awareness and has really made his mark in the community. In 2013, Burkholder was casted as a main role in "The Purge", a Sci-Fi/Horror. The film ended up being a huge success and a fan favorite.

About ACT Today!:
ACT Today! (Autism Care and Treatment Today!) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to providing resources and funding to families of children with autism who cannot afford or access the necessary tools their children need to reach their full potential. For more information about ACT Today!, visit: http://www.act-today.org.

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