Kamloops Walk for Autism raises funds and awareness

On Saturday, the Centre held their ninth annual Walk for Autism fundraiser, which drew hundreds of people who showed their support for the programs the therapy centre provides.

Executive Director Wanda Carisse says the centre offers essential supports for those with autism and as more is learned about how to treat the disorder, it remains successful because of its unique approach to dealing with the families who access the services offered.

“I remember when I first started in this field, we talked about 1 in 10,000 people had autism. Now it’s 1 in 66. That’s an incredible difference,” Carisse tells CFJC Today. “I think we’ve seen people becoming much more aware and more accepting… Each individual is so different. We want to accept them not because they have ASD, but because they are an individual.”

Jason and Allison Kreut used to access the centre’s programs regularly for their daughter; thanks to those programs, their daughter has been able to integrate into the school system. They say the Centre gave them a community where others understood what they were dealing with as a family.

Image Credit: CFJC Today

“It’s a safe place you can come, you can talk about your problems, and they’ve got resources to help,” Jason Kreut explained. “Wanda is phenomenal with suggestions and helping out. It’s a great place where there are so many people to talk to. As a parent with an autistic child, you can feel very isolated. The centre allows you not to fell that.”

For Carisse, the Walk for Autism serves two essential functions:

“One, to spread awareness of what autism is, and that we have a centre like this in Kamloops. Also, to raise funds for the centre,” Carisse explains. “[We’re] not fully funded, and we are a non-profit, so we need to fundraise around 40 to 50 per cent of our operating budget.”

by Adam Donnelly

Kamloops Walk for Autism raises funds and awareness

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