Santa Barbara Residents to Walk in Support of Autism
San Marcos High School-Autism Speaks Club members to attend Santa Barbara Walk Now for Autism Speaks, 11/5
As members of the SMHS Autism Speaks Club, Waters and Seale bring support and awareness to children and families affected by autism, and raise funds for Autism Speaks.
About 25 members of the club walked during the 2010 Los Angeles Walk Now for Autism Speaks. “We had a huge group of members from the club at last year’s LA Walk, and we all made t-shirts to show our support,” says Renee Waters. “There were informational signs throughout the Walk route and I really enjoyed learning more about people with autism.”
Although Waters and Seale do not have relatives with autism, Seale says of her inspiration for supporting autism, “I love to work with children with special needs.”
Powered by volunteers and families with loved ones on the autism spectrum, Walk Now for Autism Speaks generates vital funds for autism research and raises awareness about the increasing prevalence of autism, the fastest-growing serious developmental disorder, and the need for increased research funding to combat this complex disorder.
ABOUT WALK NOW FOR AUTISM SPEAKS SANTA BARBARA: The 3rd annual Santa Barbara Walk Now for Autism Speaks 2011 event will take place Saturday, November 5, 2011 at East Beach in Santa Barbara at 8am. The Master of Ceremonies will be Andrew Firestone. The 2010 Santa Barbara autism walk hosted 1,000 Santa Barbara and Ventura County residents and raised $200,000. Walk Now for Autism Speaks is North America’s largest grassroots autism walk.
http://www.walknowforautismspeaks.org/faf/home/default.asp?ievent=475309
https://www.facebook.com/autismspeaks.santabarbara
ABOUT AUTISM SPEAKS: Autism Speaks is the nation’s largest autism advocacy organization, dedicated to increasing awareness of autism spectrum disorders, funding research into the causes, prevention and treatments for autism, and advocating for the needs of individuals with autism and their families. www.autismspeaks.org
ABOUT AUTISM: According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC), autism now affects 1% or 1 in every 110 American children, including 1 in 70 boys. Autism is a complex condition that affects a person’s ability to communicate and develop social relationships, and is often accompanied by behavioral challenges.