Autism walk set for Saturday

Michelle Hannon is working to raise awareness of autism as the Monroe County Autism Foundation’s president.

The foundation is organizing their second annual Walk  for Autism from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Saturday to raise money for community members who have autism.

The Monroe County Autism Foundation is a nonprofit organization that serves children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and provides financial resources for educational and therapeutic interventions, Hannon said.

The event will feature a 5-kilometer walk at the Monroe County YMCA, as well as live entertainment, contests and a booth with information about autism.

All proceeds, which are collected from entry fees, sponsorships and donations, will go to the foundation and be donated to families who experience autism by providing scholarships.

Hannon said this weekend is expected to draw in a large crowd after success from last year’s walk.

“We’ve added a few new vendors at the resource tent so that families with kids on the spectrum can get information on how to help their loved one,” Hannon said.

Last year, the event focused more on autism awareness and was not fundraising-oriented, but Hannon said this year, the walk is more established and expected to bring in more participants than last year.

Andrew Lambert, marketing director for the foundation, said the idea of the walk came from the foundation’s board members.

“We were determined to mix health and wellness with the world of autism,” Lambert said.

Lambert said with the many challenging changes that are a part of insurance coverage, the foundation wants to be a stop gap between what private and public insurance companies are willing to pay and the money needed to get children services they need.

“We are hoping to have somewhere between $5,000 to $10,000 in contributions coming from this event, but of course we strive to do even more after the event finishes,” Lambert said.

Follow reporter Brett Frieman on Twitter @brttfrmn.