On April 26th, Parents of Autistic Children (POAC), a non-profit organization founded in 1999 to improve the lives of children and adults with autism, hosted it’s annual walk-a-thon carnival for autism at the Matthew Jago School in Sewaren NJ in support of Autism Awareness Month.
Friends and family that have a loved one with autism came out to celebrate all the accomplishments of the Autism Community as well as helping out a worthy cause by walking and donating money for a great cause. The Freshman and Sophomore Classes at Colonia High School raised $1,683 by selling Autism awareness t-shirts and bracelets.
Autism Spectrum Disorder is a complex disorder of brain development. This disorder is characterized by difficulties in verbal and nonverbal communication, social interaction, repetitive behaviors, intellectual disabilities, and difficulties in motor coordination and attention. Autism currently affects 1 in 69 children and 1 in 42 boys. Autism affects about 3 million individuals in the United States and tens of millions of people worldwide. Unfortunately, there is no cure for Autism but organizations like Autism Speaks continue to fund research on effective methods for earlier diagnosis to establish behavioral therapies to improve outcomes. Raising awareness is the key to helping individuals that are affected by autism. Every year, autism organizations around the world celebrate the Autism Awareness month with unique fundraising and awareness-raising events.
One of the Colonia teachers that attended the Autism walk, Mrs. Tanis, added, “The autism walk is a wonderful event that displays the tenacity and perseverance of the autistic population. The POAC provides hope and courage to families and the community. I couldn’t be prouder of CHS for all the contributions and dedication to this amazing cause.”
The carnival began at 11:00 A.M., with the arrival of about 100 people wearing their team shirts in support of Autism Awareness. The carnival consisted of face-painting, a Michael Jackson tribute stand, a massage stand, several tables set up with coloring books, 3 bounce houses, and an Elmo and Cookie Monster photo stand. The children were thrilled to see a carnival devoted to them, making them feel important and loved. It was inspiring to see the amount of people that came out to support Autism, whether they know someone with Autism or not. Before the walk actually began, the coordinator of the event got everyone’s attention to view the outstanding performance done by 6 children who are affected by autism. The kids dressed up as Michael Jackson, and danced to his songs along with a Michael Jackson look-alike. After the performances, it was time for the walk. The order of the walking teams depended on the amount of money raised by each time. The team that raised the most money would lead the walk, following would be the next top 4 that raised the most. The teams walked around the school in order, cheering on their teams. The carnival concluded with the participants of the walk sharing a feast together in a picnic.
Mrs. Galvin, the coordinator of all the Colonia volunteers said, “It was a great event to raise awareness. I’m impressed that so many students went to the walk.”
