Amanda Bell .

4009 Sherman Drive ● Anderson, Ind. 46012● ●(765) 518-6397

Oct. 6, 2013

Veronica Zysk, Managing Editor

Future Horizons, Inc.

Autism/Asperger’s Digest

Magazine Submissions

721 W. Abram Street

Arlington, Texas 76013

Dear Veronica Zysk:

Last year, Carrie Kile founded the Hope Montessori School at Bethany United Methodist Church in Fort Wayne, Ind., after other Montessori schools in the area could no longer accommodate her son, Adam. The school educates 35 students between the ages of 18 months and 16 years—five of them falling somewhere on the autism spectrum—and this is a mix that not only benefits each child in the school but also represents the growing population of people with autism in northern Indiana.

Adam Kile’s autism diagnosis said he would probably never learn to speak, go to school or be able to make friends. But when he began drawing pictures of Godzilla for hours on end, his mother, Carrie Kile, understood something was going on. After she came across a notice for G-Fest, an annual national gathering of Godzilla fans held annually in Chicago, Adam, 17, entered a costume in a contest at the convention and won first prize in his division.

I would like to propose a 1,200-word profile of Carrie Kile and her son, Adam, for your Personal Stories & Personal Accounts section. I plan to shadow Carrie for a few hours on a typical school day to record a few anecdotes of her experiences as director of the school, most notably how she interacts with students—both developmentally and non-developmentally challenged.

I have been the Features co-editor for The Ball State Daily News, the university’s award-winning student daily newspaper, since August 2008 and have written profile, trend and preview stories for that publication for the past two and half years. This summer I was the Features section intern for The News-Sentinel, a daily newspaper in Fort Wayne, Ind., and have written profiles on stand-out members of the north Indiana community. My freelance writing work will soon include published profile and trend stories for Madison, a regional magazine based in Anderson, Indiana. I am willing to do this profile of Carrie Kile on speculation and can deliver to you within two weeks of its assignment.

Sincerely,

Amanda Bell