Kids Running - Race for Autism

BRIDGE VALLEY TRAIL BLAZER RACE FOR AUTISM
It's the trend of the times. Celebrate differences. Mobilize your people. Get them moving for the good of others, and in effect do good for yourselves.

A SPECTRUM OF CHILDREN
by Carol Goodrow
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AUTISM
According to the Autism Society of America, autism is a developmental disability typically recognizable during the birth-to-3-years-of-age period. It's complex and varies markedly in the children, thus it is often called a spectrum disorder. It affects social interaction and communication skills, as well as non-verbal communication. See http://www.autism-society.org for more information.

Because the brain is more flexible at a young age (remember that it's easier to learn a foreign language if you grow up with it as a young child, than as an adult), early intervention is critical. And since we believe that each child is a gift, we want to provide our children with the best services and tools available throughout their lives.

Events such as the Bridge Valley Trail Blazer Race for Autism raise funds for their communities to insure that they have the needed resources for their population.

But there are pluses beyond the immediate and obvious benefits of the funds for the children with autism. This community has been mobilized for more than fund raising.
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INTERVIEW WITH STEPHEN CASHMAN
Stephen Cashman is the race director and Assistant Principal of the Bridge Valley Elementary School in Furlong, PA. Here is what he has to say:

Question: What will you do with your proceeds from the event?
Answer: All proceeds will directly support the Bucks County Autistic Support Coalition (BCASC). Their mission statement can be found at here. They will use the money in several different ways: including conferences, trainings, and the coolest piece is that most of the money will go to purchase land for housing. The idea behind this is that these cute, neat, and happy kids will eventually grow up and need jobs, a place to live, everyday accommodations that they now receive from their parents. BCASC wants to make sure that there are systems in place for our special friends that will allow them to be successful in the community.

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Question: Do you have a school running program? Are your students training for the race?
Answer: The students are taking part in a training program that is based on the Just Run Mode - justrun.org. A local runner and parent of a Central Bucks parent , Susan Pajer, brought the program to my attention and I threw the idea out to a few parents who I knew had an interest in running. The program is all about getting kids out running. They work in teams and get credit for both miles and "good deeds." Whenever they run with a parent or another adult they get double the credit of miles. Each team can track their progress on-line as they venture across the United States. The program has a pre-determined route that will take the kids to various spots along the way where they can learn different pieces of history or information as they go - for example one stop is the garage where the first Apple computer was created. As of now we have over 150 students participating in the program in our school alone.

Question: Tell me about the history of your event.
Answer: Fun run/walk: Last year was a test-the-waters year. We only held a 1-mile fun run/walk with the idea of making it as much a race-day feel as possible so this year we could add the 5-K portion of the event. The 1-mile run was simply held and pushed to the immediate community of our school. We had approx 270 runners just from Bridge Valley Elementary School. It was enough of a showing that we felt an all-out 5-K race/event would prove to be successful for the 2008 year. The walk itself begins and ends on the school ground and takes the students through one of our neighboring communities. This year the fun run/walk will be the kick-off event to the entire day.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Race Director: Stephen Cashman

Email: SCASHMAN@CBSD.ORG

Race Web Site: bvraceforautism.com/

Date of Event: April 19, 2008

Distances: 5K and 1 mile Fun Run/Walk

Location: Bridge Valley Elementary School, Bucks County, PA

Other information: The Bridge Valley Elementary School is one of nine schools (6 elementary, 1 middle and 2 high) of the 23 schools in this district that host regional programs for students on the autism spectrum.

Kids Running offers many ideas for incorporating children's running programs with training for events. See our links page for a variety of youth programs happening in this country.

carolgoodrow@verizon.net