Raise Funds and Awareness
by Zoe Kirsch & Suzanne Daub
This Saturday, Nantucket’s first ever Walk Now for Autism will be held on Jetties Beach, presented by Autism Speaks™ co-founders Suzanne and Bob Wright, summer residents of Nantucket. Arrival time for participants is 8:30 am, and the walk will begin an hour later.
This event is an opportunity to gain insight and to offer support to autistic children and their families by raising money for Autism Speaks™, an organization that works to change “the future for all who struggle with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs).” Those diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorders face huge challenges as ASDs affect the way a person interacts with his environment. Thus far there is no cure, but scientists continue research in the pursuit of one.
The number of children diagnosed with autism is growing every year. Recently, ASDs have been found in 1 of every 150 children—a new child is diagnosed with autism every 20 minutes, making it the fastest growing serious developmental disability in the United States today. Within the last thirteen years it has become eighty times more likely that a child will be autistic.
Don DeMarco, one of the co-chairs of this Saturday’s walk, explains that “now almost anyone has a friend or relative who is in the autism spectrum.” As the Autism Speaks™ slogan says: “It’s time to listen.”
Visitors are welcome to attend the event on August 25. Registration will begin at Jetties Beach at 8:30 am; the walk begins at 9:30 am. During the hour between, there will be music by Theatre Workshop of Nantucket’s Olivia Longdon; speeches by Chairpersons Bob and Suzanne Wright and Chris and Heather Kennedy and by local supporter Linda Roberts; and a variety of family activities such as face painting and a visit by Barnaby Bear. Refreshments will be available. Under the big tent at Jetties Beach, an Autism Speaks™ Resource Fair will provide autism related information from Autism Speaks™, Boston Children’s Hospital, M.G.H. Ladders Clinic, and Access Sports.
Throughout the morning, donations will be accepted at the registration tables. Activities will continue regardless of weather until about 11 am. Those attending the event are asked to leave all pets at home because unfamiliar animals can cause disturbance for these special children.
The days leading up to the event, raffle tickets are being sold mornings on upper Main Street outside Congdon & Coleman Insurance and afternoons at the Toy Boat on Straight Wharf and at the Stop-n-Shop. Tickets are $10 and the prize is two tickets to the U.S. Open, flights to and from, and transportation to the event. The raffle winner will be announced at Saturday’s event just before the walk begins; the ticket-holder does not have to be present to win.
Because parking is limited, attendees are asked to walk to the beach. It is also possible to ride to Jetties Beach via the N.R.T.A. Beach shuttle bus: the bus departs every 30 minutes from Broad Street in front of the Whaling Museum, and the fare is $1 each way. Participating walkers are encouraged to park at the Nantucket High School lot or the Nantucket Boys & Girls Club and ride in on one of the shuttle vans provided by Don Allen Ford. During the walk (which starts at 9:30 am), North Beach Street, Bathing Beach Road, Easton Street and Hulbert Avenue will be closed.
Details on how to participate and how to donate online can be seen at www.AutismWalk.org/nantucket. Also at www.AutismWalk.org is a list of dozens of walks that will be held this year around the country. If your community is not listed and you’d like to organize a walk, there is a contact page at the website. As organizer Virginia Donnan said, “Autism knows no boundaries.”
Autism Speaks™ is dedicated to funding global biomedical research into the causes, prevention, treatments, and cure for autism; raising public awareness about autism and its effects on individuals, families, and society; and bringing hope to all who deal with the hardships of this disorder.
Autism Speaks™ and the National Alliance for Autism Research (NAAR) recently combined operations, bringing together two of the leading organizations dedicated to accelerating and funding biomedical research into the causes, prevention, treatments and cure for autism spectrum disorders; to increasing awareness of the nation's fastest growing developmental disorder; and to advocating for the needs of affected families. To learn more about Autism Speaks™, visit www.AutismSpeaks.org.
