Walk Now for Autism
by Zoë Kirsch
Suzanne and Bob Wright are the co-founders of Autism Speaks, an organization that works “to change the future for all who struggle with Autism Spectrum Disorders,” and have been working to raise Autism awareness on Nantucket. They organized the first annual Walk Now for Autism in summer 2007. Impressed by the walk's success, the team consulted island residents about how money raised could be used in the interest of Autistic Nantucketers. The answer? The November 2007 establishment of the Nantucket Autism Speaks Resource Center at Nantucket High School.
The Center's mission is “To provide current information and comprehensive resources for families, professionals and the community for the purpose of educating and increasing awareness of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The Resource Center is dedicated to empowering families and individuals impacted by Autism to make informed decisions by providing topical and user-friendly information - from early intervention through adult care.” The hub provides family activities as well as seminars.
On top of founding the Nantucket the Resource Center, the Wrights have brought Nantucket's Walk Now for Autism back. This Saturday, August 16 on Jetties Beach, the fundraiser will start at 9:30 am with registration beginning an hour beforehand. The hour-and-a-half-long walk is doable (two miles) and family-friendly: “We welcome senior citizens as well as young moms,” asserts Kim Horyn, Director of the Nantucket Resource Center. “We even say, 'Bring the stroller!' The event is very welcoming to children. We're going to have dancing, face painting, live entertainment with the TWN, a young woman with Autism is going to sing...it's very focused on families—in fact, the whole family should come!”
The walk is an opportunity to gain insight and offer support to autistic children and their families. Money raised will be given in part to Autism Speaks, which will use it for Autism research. Thus far there is no cure for Autism, but scientists continue research in pursuit of one. Remaining lucre from the walk will go towards maintaining Nantucket's Resource Center.
Last year, Nantucket's Walk Now for Autism raised more than $310,000, and this year's occasion looks just as promising. Participants have already amassed $140,000, and more than 100 walkers are registered. Horyn has faith that Nantucketers will give enormous contributions in the fight to cure Autism and raise awareness: “People want to come out and do something to make it [Autism] end. Pouring money into research will help identify what's causing Autism and find a cure.”
If you're not already involved, there's no better time to start than the present. The number of children diagnosed with Autism is rapidly growing every year. As Horyn says, “The statistics of Autism have become unbelievably high; right now one in one hundred and fifty boys will be diagnosed. Ten years ago it was one in ten thousand...It's scary. Most of us now know someone impacted by Autism. The disorder is being compared to the polio epidemic of the 1950s.”
Horyn decided to join the Autism activism on island after her participation in last summer's walk. “Almost 1,000 people showed up [there]...I was so glad to see this going on in Nantucket. I was so shocked, uplifted, and impressed. Year-round and seasonal residents were walking side-by-side. Peo.ple realized we should help each other.” As the Resource Center Director's experience demonstrates, Autism Speaks has proven, and continues to prove today, the power of uniting behind a common goal. In such a way, the fight against Autism – a spectrum of disorders that make social interaction and bonding especially difficult for those diagnosed – has paradoxically shown just how herculean relationships can be. www.walknowforautism.org
