The Autism Van
The Autism Van
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Acceptance is a journey.

Acceptance is a journey. Acceptance is a journey. Acceptance is a journey.

 Welcome to Autism Van Life!

 - a journey powered by creativity,

 - driven by community,

 - fueled by courage. 

Acceptance is a journey.

Acceptance is a journey. Acceptance is a journey. Acceptance is a journey.

 Welcome to Autism Van Life!

 - a journey powered by creativity,

 - driven by community,

 - fueled by courage. 

The Promise

Someone entrusted me with the 'Autism Van'. 

I made a promise: I would make it immortal. 

This website is my attempt to keep that promise. 

About The Autism Van

How the Van Found Me—and What Comes Next

 

I did not know the Kirk family, and I did not know the Autism Van existed. I met them while campaigning for Jill Stein. They later chose to sign the van over to me with no strings attached, and I took delivery on November 8, 2016—the day Donald Trump was elected president.


Ten years later, 'Alita, the Battle Veloster' is intended to begin the next chapter. The goal is to make her the first of 210 Autism Van doppelgangers placed in cities across the United States as the original van travels from Florida to California.


The ideal first placement would be a one-year, payment-free lease for a college student diagnosed with autism. At the end of that year, the lease could be renewed with the same nominee or the vehicle could continue its journey with someone new. Each doppelganger would carry the mission forward through visibility, storytelling, opportunity, and community participation.

COUNTDOWN TO NOVEMBER 8, 2026

Ten years after I received the Autism Van, Alita is intended to begin its next chapter. 

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Keeping the Journey Moving

The Toy Bulldozer


 At a Green Party rally in Omaha, I presented this toy bulldozer—an unexpected moment that may have brought me to the Kirk family’s attention. I did not know them, and I did not know the Autism Van existed. What happened next changed the course of my life.

    THE MAGIC PENNY

     Love Multiplies When It Is Shared 

    A Birthday Present to Myself

    On my birthday at 34th and Farnam in Omaha, my girlfriend, a friend, and I wore green morph suits and turned a street corner into an autism-awareness event. One member of our group had a son recently diagnosed with autism. Channel 6 stopped to interview us. The coverage was not arranged—I simply knew how to get noticed. 

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Start here for answers about the Autism Van, the Inspiration Lottery, and the Magic Penny artifact. 

    The Autism Van is a mobile autism-acceptance project built around creativity, visibility, storytelling, and community participation. What began as an unexpected gift has grown into a larger effort to keep opportunities, vehicles, and stories moving forward. 

    Because years ago, someone entrusted me with something extraordinary: The Autism Van. Before I accepted it, I made a promise: I would make it immortal.  I didn't yet understand what that promise would require. 

    This website, the Mythos Engine, the Inspiration Lottery, Glitchy & Friends, and everything connected to them are my attempt to keep that promise—not by preserving a vehicle, but by creating something that continues helping people long after any one person is gone.

    The Inspiration Lottery is a nomination-based storytelling and opportunity system designed more like a sweepstakes than a traditional lottery. People may nominate themselves or someone else whose story, dream, talent, or need deserves greater visibility and support. The word lottery refers to drawing inspiration and future recipients from a growing pool of verified nominations—not to selling chances in a cash-prize game.


    Each nomination requires follow-up contact to verify the information, confirm permission, and obtain an approved photo before anything is shared publicly. Verified nominees may be featured through Autism Van Life, inspire Glitchy & Friends characters and stories, connect with community resources, receive campaign artifacts, or be considered for future opportunities such as custom Autism Vans shoes and vehicle placements.


    The long-term funding model is not intended to depend on donations. Heiden Powur will direct 30% of its direct commissions from qualifying solar installations toward the Inspiration Lottery and the larger Autism Van ecosystem. As the network grows, solar projects contracted through participating markets are intended to create a renewable source of funding for nominees, vehicles, storytelling, community activity, and continued expansion.


    Contributions made during the launch period help meet immediate needs that solar commissions cannot yet cover. They support nomination verification, website and campaign development, Magic Penny production, vehicle preparation, and the personal stability Billy York needs to devote consistent time and energy to launching the system. Donations help it begin; the solar network is intended to help it sustain itself.

     

    Glitchy & Friends is the storytelling world at the heart of the Mythos Engine. Glitchy is more than a mascot. He is a guide—an approachable character designed to help people enter difficult conversations about identity, trauma, belonging, conflict, and acceptance.


    The word “Friends” has an intentional double meaning. It refers both to the growing cast of characters and to the Heart Shards—pieces of lived experience, personality, memory, and meaning contributed through verified nominations and community participation. With permission, those stories can inspire characters, storyboards, artifacts, challenges, and other parts of the larger Autism Van journey.


    As more stories are added, the Mythos Engine is intended to become a living—and loving—archive. It preserves the connections between characters, people, places, symbols, and experiences while helping Glitchy become a more effective guide for understanding trauma and navigating disagreement.


    The purpose is not to reduce anyone to a diagnosis or turn real people into cartoons. It is to create a world in which neurodivergence is treated as part of the human experience and nobody is excluded by outdated stigma. Glitchy & Friends connects the Inspiration Lottery to storyboards, scavenger hunts, trophies, map pins, destinations, vehicles, flash mobs, and real-world opportunities—turning individual stories into shared belonging.

    The Magic Penny is a physical artifact designed to turn curiosity into participation. It carries the Autism Van identity and directs the person who receives it toward the Inspiration Lottery, where they can nominate themselves or someone whose story deserves to be seen, supported, and carried forward.


    Its meaning comes from two connected ideas. In Malvina Reynolds’ song “Magic Penny,” love grows when it is given away. In the familiar doubling-penny example, one cent repeatedly multiplied becomes more valuable than an immediate million-dollar payment. The Autism Van combines those ideas: a small act of belief can grow far beyond its starting point when each person passes it to someone new.


    The artifact is not a promise of financial return. It is an invitation. A promoter carries Magic Pennies, starts conversations, gathers nominations, and places the next step directly into another person’s hand. One artifact may lead to one nomination; that nomination may become a verified story, a Glitchy & Friends character, a Heart Shard within the Mythos Engine, a community connection, or a future opportunity.


    The Magic Penny therefore acts as the smallest working unit of the larger ecosystem. It connects real-world encounters to the website, the Inspiration Lottery, the Mythos Engine, campaign artifacts, destination cities, and future vehicles. Its purpose is simple: help love, attention, belief, and opportunity travel farther than any one person could carry them alone.

    WHO COMES TO MIND?

     

    Someone probably did.


    The people who change our lives often arrive through a simple introduction.


    Before you leave this page, think of one person who would appreciate this journey. A friend. A family member. A teacher. A neighbor. Someone who needs hope, purpose, or simply the reminder that one act of kindness can ripple farther than we ever expect.


    My little brother once spent countless hours braiding hundreds of green keychains by hand. Most of them were given away. Years later, that's exactly what they were meant to do—not sit in a drawer, but travel from one person to the next.


    This website works the same way.


    Pass it forward.

    Nominate Someone

    Think of One Person

    You don't have to reach everyone. Just the one person who came to mind. 

    Make the Introduction

    A simple text, email, or conversation can begin someone else's journey. 

    Pass It Forward

    Every introduction helps this story travel farther than any one person ever could. 

    Learn a New Skill

    Every movement needs people who are willing to build, create, and teach.


    This tutorial shows how to braid the same keychains that once traveled with the Autism Van. Learn the technique, make a few of your own, and discover how simple handmade artifacts can start conversations wherever they go.

    Would You Choose $1 Million—or One Penny?

    Given the choice between $1 million today and a penny that doubles in value every day for 31 days, the million may seem obvious. But under the example used by Forbes, the penny reaches $10,737,418.24 by day 31. 


    The lesson is not a promise of financial return. It is a demonstration of what can happen when one small beginning is repeatedly carried forward. The Magic Penny applies that principle to love, belief, nominations, stories, and human participation. One person takes part—and helps the next person do the same.

    Read the Forbes Article

    Put a Nominee’s Story in Motion

    A 'Spark' tier contribution of $21 supports the personal work behind each Inspiration Lottery submission: contacting the nominee, verifying information and permission, requesting a photo, and creating a place where their story can begin to grow. It also helps move Alita toward repair and the goal of competing in SCCA before the Autism Van’s tenth anniversary on November 8, 2026. 

    Contribute $21

    Put the Movement on Your Feet

    A 'Stone' tier contribution covers a custom pair of “Autism Vans,” designed by Billy York with the Autism Van logo—a design only he can effectively recreate. The shoes attract attention wherever they go. People stare, ask questions, and regularly offer compliments.


     Wear the shoes, fill your pocket with 'Magic Penny' artifacts, and soliciting nominations becomes second nature. When someone notices your feet, the conversation has already begun. Together, the Autism Vans and Magic Pennies turn a supporter into a full-fledged promoter. 

    Contribute $210

    Wear the Signal

    The 'Autism Van' logo makes the shoes immediately noticeable and gives people a natural reason to ask questions. 

    Start the Conversation

    A compliment becomes an opening to explain the 'Inspiration Lottery' and invite someone to nominate a person they believe in. 

    Pass the Penny

    Carry 'Magic Penny' artifacts and place the next step directly into someone’s hand. 

    A hand holding a round Autism Van token while wearing campaign wristbands.
    THE INSPIRATION LOTTERY

    Help Carry the Journey Forward

    The 'Autism Van' began as an unexpected gift with no strings attached. Its future depends on people who are willing to share a story, make an introduction, nominate someone, or help one piece of the larger vision move forward. 

    Nominate Someone

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