Posts in the past week have mainly focused on the topic of Skateboarding and Autism.
Almost six years ago, a 53-day, 2,000-mile in-line skating journey was undertaken to to help raise awareness and funds for Autism education. The journey began in Amelia Island, Florida and ended in Kittery, Maine…
…"We’re still tallying the final contributions, but expect to top $120,000,” said Dan Tatar ’07, who created the Rolling for Autism campaign. “The support has been amazing. Dozens of Union College alumni came out to the events in New York City and Boston, and 15 or so skated nearly 100 miles with us.”
…the 23-year-old psychology major began pursuing the idea of a summer roller blade trip aimed at raising money and awareness for autism. Tatar’s older brother, Ben, is on the high-functioning end of the autism spectrum… The idea for a roller blade trek gathered momentum as Union classmates joined the effort and donations began pouring in. That is also when the real work of trip planning began, according to Tatar.
…“We were fortunate to have such an amazing network of support,” Tatar explained.
…Ben Tatar, 25, joined his brother and the roller blading crew for a week near the end of the trip. Ben, a graduate Adirondack Community College, is in many ways a success story and beacon of hope for parents with children with autism spectrum disorders.
…“We’re planning to retain half the money raised within the organization to fund education and awareness programs,” Tatar explained. “We’ve targeted the other half to provide grants for children with autism to give kids life opportunities they wouldn’t normally be able to afford.”…
Here is a link to a video on the fundraising trip: Rolling for Autism - YouTube
(source: http://www.union.edu/N/DS/edition_display.php?e=1456&s=7499 )