Upstate Residents to Take Strides for Autism
January 28, 2010
April 17 Event Will Benefit SC Families Affected By the Disorder
SIMPSONVILLE, SC – January 28, 2010 – Upstate residents will walk in support of South Carolina families affected by autism on Saturday, April 17, in the Strides for Autism event to benefit the South Carolina Autism Society (SCAS).
Strides for Autism is SCAS’s signature fund-raising and awareness walk. This Upstate family-fun event takes place at Heritage Park in Simpsonville, and kicks off the 2010 slate of walks held across the state. The walks are among various activities that benefit the organization and the families it serves.
Honorary Chairs include Mike DeMaine, General Manager of The Greenville Drive, and Ann Kinsman, PhD of the Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics department of Greenville Hospital System. Our Emcee for the event is Kim McCrea of WYFF Channel 4.
Sponsors include Blue Cross Blue Shield of South Carolina, AT&T Telecom Pioneers, Clear Channel Communications, Eastman Chemical, and BMW.
Additional walks will be held in Columbia on May 15, 2010 and in Myrtle Beach on November 6, 2010. The Charleston event will be announced soon.
Supporters unable to participate in an actual walk can participate virtually through the event’s Web site, www.scautism.org/strides/, by forming a team, joining a team, or simply making a donation to the virtual event.
Susan Leiby, Special Events Coordinator for the South Carolina Autism Society and a parent of a child with autism, participated with her family in all four statewide walks in 2009, and plans to do the same in 2010. She has challenged other participants to do the same, to show support for South Carolina families affected by autism spectrum disorders. Participating in all four walks lets us help increase awareness, education, and advocacy state-wide” she said. “It is also an opportunity for us to demonstrate our commitment to those with autism, and give back to an organization that has provided so much to us as we’ve faced this diagnosis.
According to Craig Stoxen, President & CEO of the South Carolina Autism Society, we have two goals with our Strides event.
1) To raise the awareness of autism spectrum disorders. With the occurrence rate of autism at 1 in 110 everyone is or will soon be affected in one way or another by autism. It may be a family member or it may be coworker’s child or a friend’s child. So the better understanding our society has, the better the quality of life for those on the spectrum will be.
2) To raise funds for the South Carolina Autism Society. This fundraiser is to help ensure SCAS can meet the needs of families through information and referral, trainings and workshops and advocacy.
South Carolina Autism Society
SCAS is the only statewide agency advocating for children and adults with autism spectrum disorders and their families, while also providing assistance and resources. SCAS promotes, educates and raises awareness that one in every 110 births in the U.S. is a child with autism, and provides support for South Carolina-based research and development. Most importantly, SCAS works to ensure that the 28,000 individuals with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) living in South Carolina have opportunities to achieve a quality of life comparable to their peers.
Monies raised for South Carolina Autism Society stay in South Carolina and go towards family supports, education, advocacy, and South Carolina-based research.
Autism is a complex neurological disorder that interferes with the development of the brain in reasoning, social interaction and communication skills. Its prevalence rate now places it as one of the three most common developmental disabilities, much more common than Down syndrome. Autism is three to five times more common in males and occurs in all social and ethnic groups. Family income, lifestyle and education do not affect the chance of occurrence.
Yet the majority of the public, including some professionals in the medical, educational and vocational fields, are still unaware of how autism affects behavior. Progress is being made in developing more effective teaching methods and other interventions for individuals with autism.
Additional sponsorships are available, as are spaces at the Exhibit Fair. To participate, please contact Susan Leiby at [email protected] or 864-241-8669.
Registration and other information for Strides for Autism, along with information about autism and SCAS, is available at the event Web site, www.scautism.org/strides/, or by calling the Columbia SCAS office at 1-800-438-4790.
