In an effort to raise awareness and money for autism, the Alpha Epsilon Pi Fraternity and the Sigma Delta Tau Sorority will hold a “UWere, UAre, USpeak Autism SpeaksU 5K Race/3K Walk” outside of the Student Union on May 3.
The event includes a 5K run, a 3K walk, autism information, entertainment, auctions and raffles. Entertainment will range from face painting for kids to live bands for college students. With over 50 teams signed up, people can register individually or with a team. Each team will have a captain and a sum of money that it donates to the cause. Every participant will receive $5 worth of Burrito Bucks from Bueno Y Sano, and the top female and male runners will each receive a $100 Visa gift card.
To further promote the event, Lazer 99.3 FM and CBS 3-Springfield will be attending.
Autism is a brain development disorder that impairs social interaction. Autism disorders are diagnosed in one in 150 children in the US; however, they are more common in boys.
The diagnosis of autism has increased dramatically in past years. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has called autism a national public health crisis whose cause and cure remain unknown.
According to the Autism SpeaksU website, “Autism SpeaksU is an initiative of Autism Speaks focused on engaging youth on campuses all across the US with its ultimate goal of connecting college students with the autism community. The team at Autism SpeaksU guides students on college campuses across America through the process of organizing and coordinating fundraising events on their campus to benefit the Autism Speaks Foundation.”
The idea for the event first began at Penn State University with a walk called Autism Speaks, which raised more than $91,000 in the first year and over $550,000 over the past four years.
Penn State then began an initiative to spread the philanthropy to other universities, such as the University of Connecticut, Maryland University and the University of Massachusetts with a subsequent event called Autism SpeaksU.
“Not only are UMass students getting involved, but the surrounding community of Amherst is as well. Although our main objective is to raise our goal of $50,000, we are also trying to raise awareness,” said UMass Autism Speaks Chairman, Jason Grass. “There will be schools coming out, and we hope that children will be able to come together and share this special event with one another. I believe that this event will be a great opportunity for autistic children to share this special moment with each other.”
“So far, we have about 250 people signed up and we hope that this number increases within the next week,” he added. “Currently, it is $20 to register and you get a free T-shirt when you sign up.”
The walk is expected to be the biggest fundraiser on campus, and so far, more than $15,000 have been raised. One can sign up and get more information at Autismspeaks.org/u/umass.
Dinah Gorelik can be reached at dgorelik@student.umass.edu
UWere, UAre, USpeak: Autism SpeaksU 5K Race/3K Walk
Published: Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Updated: Tuesday, April 28, 2009
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