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Thomas D’Eri, Co-Founder & COO of Rising Tide Car Wash Social Enterprise, Donates 650 of His Notable Book “The Power of Potential” to Autism Speaks’ Fundraiser Event

By February 11, 2025No Comments

20th Anniversary Autism Speaks Fundraising Event, the Celebrity Chef Gala,
to Take Place in April 2025 in Honor of Autism Acceptance Month

Rising Tide Car Wash Co-Founder and COO Thomas D’Eri is pleased donate 650 of his book “The Power of Potential” to the 20th anniversary Autism Speaks fundraising event, the Celebrity Chef Gala. Proceeds from the event, taking place on April 1, 2025, in New York, New York, benefit Autism Speaks and its mission, to create an inclusive world for all individuals with autism throughout their lifespan.

Rising Tide Car Wash is a groundbreaking social enterprise with a primary mission to employ adults with autism. In “The Power of Potential,” Thomas D’Eri discusses employment opportunities for workers with autism, discovers and corrects common problems that typically fly under the radar in businesses, and tells readers the inspiring reason why. The book has received praise from notable authors including Seth Godin, Chip Health, Temple Grandin, Steve Silberman and Chris Yeh.

“At Rising Tide Car Wash, our purpose is to help individuals with autism shine. We strive to change the root cause of the approximate 85% unemployment rate among people with autism: society views autism as a disability as opposed to diversity,” said Thomas D’Eri. “At least 500,000 more individuals with autism will enter the workforce in the next decade.

“I am proud to donate 650 copies of ‘The Power of Potential’ to the Celebrity Chef Gala, to help spread awareness and raise funds to create a world where every individual with autism can truly thrive,” he continued.

The Celebrity Chef Gala happens during Autism Acceptance Month (formerly National Autism Awareness Month), which has raised more than $17 million over the past 17 years in support of Autism Speaks’ mission. The event provides a timely opportunity to recognize the strengths, contributions and unique experiences of individuals with autism while promoting inclusion and dismantling stereotypes.

With approximately 90 employees with autism and three locations in South Florida ― Parkland, Margate and Coral Springs ― Rising Tide Car Wash is one of the largest employers of people with autism in the U.S. It has an alumni network of more than 100 individuals with autism who have moved on to new jobs or pursued higher education, proving the value that people with autism bring to the workforce.

Thomas D’Eri and his father John D’Eri, co-founder and CEO of Rising Tide Car Wash, created the innovative social enterprise to develop a scalable solution for employing individuals with autism. They were inspired to do this by watching John’s son and Thomas’ brother Andrew, a vibrant young man with autism, struggle to find his place in the world. Rising Tide Car Wash has created an innovative model that intentionally designs the work environment in a way that empowers individuals with autism to thrive and produce extraordinary results.

The D’Eri family also created Rising Tide U to empower entrepreneurs, business leaders and changemakers unlock the transformative power of inclusivity and autism employment.

Autism is a complex neurological and developmental disorder that impacts social skills, communication, speech and behavior. Individuals with autism are often unable to navigate the social dynamics and can face substantial challenges navigating the workplace. About one in 36 children has been identified with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) according to estimates from the CDC’s Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Network. Autism Spectrum Disorder is nearly four times more common among boys than among girls.

For more information, please visit risingtidecarwash.com.

About Rising Tide Car Wash

Rising Tide Car Wash is a scalable social enterprise with the primary mission to employ adults 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, team building 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 Car Wash has three locations: 7201 N. State Rd 7, Parkland, FL 33067; 2970 N. State Rd 7, Margate, FL 33063; and 10340 Royal Palm Blvd., Coral Springs, FL 33065. For more information, visit www.risingtidecarwash.com or email info@risingtidecarwash.com.

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Five Things That Need to be in Your Resume or Cover Letter

To paraphrase Jerry Maguire, help us help you. As we sift through the paperwork, here’s what we are looking for:

1. What you love to do and why.

In PR, you may love writing, editing, interviewing, pitching the media, researching, coordinating events, networking, posting to social media … whew! While we would love it if you had a passion for it all, we’d never believe you if you said as much.

What part of this zany, crazy, whirlwind, yet meticulous, tedious, detail-oriented, profession calls to you and why? Help us make the connection as to how PR is really for you, and call it your Professional Summary.

2. Something you did that changed something or someone else.

If you never showed up to your last job, what wouldn’t have happened? That’s right. Erase yourself. Now which clients disappeared with you? Which articles just fade away? What press releases cease to exist? How much social media did NOT get liked?

We are just meeting you. So take a moment to spell out your impact, and it will be easier for us to see what you can do for the clients of Durée & Company. Share this under your Job Responsibilities.

3. Anything you created.

Feeling humble? Well, stop it. This is the part where you brag. If you craft a delightful blog, master a mind-blowing website, shoot crazy video or direct wonderful events, show us.

Then tell us a bit of how you did it, so we trust that it was your brilliance and not the intern’s. Let’s dub this Your Portfolio.

4. An indication of why you belong here.

At PR firm Durée & Company, we have a culture. Really, all companies do. To learn about ours, do some legwork. At this point, if you’re on our blog, you are in the right spot to begin learning. Hate pink? Not good with women? Live in Kansas? Low energy? Then you might want to reconsider applying. However, if we resemble a group that you’d like to hang out with, share why. You can do that in the Cover Letter.

5. Correctly spelled words – all of them.

Do more than hit spell check. Know how to spell or ask someone to proofread. Correctly spelled words work everywhere, all the time. Consider them the Little Black Dresses of resumes.

So consider these five tips – we’ve just given you a “cheat sheet” about what we’re watching out for. Even if our position may not be for you, feel free to use our advice for another – it may just get you the job!