In the game Six Degrees of Separation, you try to connect Kevin Bacon to another actor in six steps. Now, a Eugene woman has found a direct link to Kevin Bacon, by landing at the top of his national fund raising effort.

You might call Ali Edwards an accidental celebrity. "People all over the world read the things that I am writing on here."

She turned a love of scrap booking into a career as a magazine editor, author and teacher. Now you can add philanthropist to that list. She says, "This whole fundraiser in general has been surprising to me."

Ali joined Kevin Bacon's web-based fundraiser when the actor challenged celebrities to champion their favorite cause on his web site,"Six Degrees" Kevin Bacon said in the January interview, "It's kinda like social networking with a social conscience."

The badge on Ali's blog and website, encourages her scrap booking fans to donate to the charity Autism Speaks." Ali says, "They are both for promoting research to find a cure, but also about promoting awareness." A charity close to her heart. Ali's five year old son, Simon, is autistic.

Ali's simple badge struck a chord. More than 340 people have donated almost $9,000 to date, sending her to the top of the Six Degrees web site. Ali says "It's been amazing, it's really been amazing."

A local Autism Speaks volunteer is impressed with the power of celebrity and the Internet. Teri Baker says "thank you, thank you, thank you Mrs. Edwards." She says Autism needs more attention and money.

And Ali wants to raise even more. "I'm like go go go." If she stays in the top six, at the end of march, Kevin Bacon will personally match up to 10,000 dollars of Ali's collected donations.

She says "I never would have imagined that autism would be in my life 1st of all I never would have imaged any sort of celebrity either, and then to have those 2 things come together is an amazing part of the journey for me."