SOUTH OTSELIC – Saturday will mark the fourth of Otselic Valley’s annual Autism Awareness Walk, and with more and more people attending the event, this year coordinators decided to add even more to it.
This year’s Autism Walk, to be held from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on May 3, will be combined with the district’s first health and wellness fair. Walk coordinator Natalie Beckwith was approached by school nurse Stacey Morse about the idea earlier in the year. The school had been awarded a grant to hold an in-school health and wellness fair. The two decided combining the events could increase attendance and help educate more people.
Autism is an important issue for Beckwith, who works at the school and has three children with autism. “There has definitely been a visible increase in the number of kids with autism since five or ten years ago,” Beckwith said. She explained that currently, 1 in 150 children is diagnosed with autism, and among boys, the disorder is more likely, occurring in 1 of 94 boys.
Over 200 people attended last year’s Autism Walk, and the event was able to raise over $4,000 for the Autism Society of America. This year, Beckwith will be donating the money to Autism Speaks, and she is hoping she will be able to hit the $5,000 mark.
The school is actively involved in the event, and many of the classes are already helping to raise funds. Seventh through twelfth grade classes will be creating theme baskets to be raffled off at the event. Half the money will go to the Autism Speaks, the other half will go to the classes. Other raffles, baked goods and health snacks will be sold the day of the event to help raise funds.
In addition, since the event will be combined with health and wellness activities this year, several area agencies will be on hand to give free information to the public about preventable illnesses and tips for a healthy lifestyle.
“Our goal is to get information to people of all ages to help them be aware of health issues and to know where they can get information,” Morse said. Information will be available from the American Cancer Society, Chenango Health Network and the Tobacco Coalition, Child Health Plus, Mental Health, Office of the Aging, Cornell Eat Smart New York, Dairy Coalition, Mothers and Babies Perinatal Network, Opportunities for Chenango’s WIC Program, and Public Health. State Troopers from Troop C will be doing the child identification program all day. The program provides for children to be finger printed and puts an updated photo of the child into a data bank, which ensures the police have up to date information in case of an emergency.
Tim Brown from DCMO BOCES will be doing a “Right to Know” presentation at 11 a.m., which will discuss different chemicals and products that are often used in the home. A recent graduate of the Broome Dental Program will be talking about proper dental care. Area fire departments will be doing demonstrations. Nurses will be on hand to perform blood pressure screenings, Sherry Grello’s high school science class will prepare a crime-type scene, that will depict an unhealthy scene. Fourth grade teacher Elizabeth Spalluto will lead a line dancing class, and Elementary Principal Nancy Gallaher will give an Internet safety demonstration at 11 a.m. in the computer lab. The adults only demonstration will show how children can access sites like MySpace and other social networking sites and post personal information.
Countless other activities will be held during the event. “Our goal is just to get all of the information out there. There are so many organizations that people are just not tapping into,” Morse said. The Autism Walk and Health and Wellness Fair will be held from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday at the Otselic Valley High School. For more information contact the school at (315) 653-7218.