Grab your walking shoes and get ready to have some fun!
Grab your walking shoes and get ready to have some fun! Autism Pensacola presents its’ 2nd annual “Steps for Autism” walk on September 22nd, 2012 from 9am -12pm on the track of the Pensacola State College Pensacola campus. Funds raised through the event will be used to promote a safer community for children and adults on the autism spectrum and ensure that the greater Pensacola area is a community where everyone is understood and accepted, regardless of their differences. Registrations and donations can be made online through the Autism Pensacola website at www.AutismPensacola.org/events.html or by emailing walk@AutismPensacola.org.
Steps for Autism will be a fun, family-friendly event with bouncy houses, great food, entertainment and a special “sensory tent” manned by occupational therapists from Sacred Heart Hospital. Come walk for autism awareness and take steps to a safer and friendlier community for children and adults living with autism. Simply take a few symbolic laps around the PSC track or continue walking throughout the morning. Between laps, enjoy fabulous entertainment, lively beats from D.J.Franchize and Ms. Reese Andrews will be our event emcee. Delicious lunches will be available for sale as well as “Steps for Autism” T-shirts. This will be an event that everyone can enjoy so create a team and get your family and friends to join in your cause!
Funds raised from Steps for Autism 2012 will be used to create a public awareness media campaign to educate and inform community members on the safety issues faced by those living with autism, as well as to host our 2nd Annual Safety Conference for First Response Professionals in our area.
The idea that sparked “Steps for Autism” stems from the frightening situation when a child or adult on the spectrum is mistaken for a normal functioning individual. Often, adults with autism are misunderstood by the very people who are there to protect them, and this can sometimes result in unfortunate and preventable situations. Understanding the full range of characteristics associated with this disability – such as the inability to process facial expressions and not being able to read body language – is vital to the safety of individuals along the spectrum, especially if those particular individuals also exhibit symptoms of wandering or not being able to verbally communicate. Toward that effort, Autism Pensacola has been working with officials and first responders from Escambia and Santa Rosa counties to implement safety programs like “Take Me Home” and “Project Lifesaver.” The biggest hurdle to establishing and keeping these programs active in our community is funding. It is the hope of Autism Pensacola that fundraising events, such as “Steps for Autism” can generate awareness and funding for these and other necessary programs.
For more information about “Steps for Autism” or the autism spectrum, please visit the Autism Pensacola website atwww.AutismPensacola.org.
