Students organize charity gala for children with Autism

By Mirjana Janekovic

Students organized the 8th Charity Gala “A Golden Mind” on January 18th at the Fogolar Furlan Club.

The event was organized by the Behaviour, Cognition and Neuroscience Student’s Association at the University of Windsor.

BCN Association representatives say the purpose of organizing charity galas is to raise funds for charity. Proceeds from this year’s gala are going towards the Bruce Awad Summer Program for the children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

“It is something that we have always done, and we love to get back to the community, something our student really expect from us and it is something they really love to happen,” says Alaa El-Cheikh, Vice President of BCNA.

Bruce Awad Summer Program is run by the Autism Services Incorporated Agency. It offers a program of daily support and helps children with Autism Disorder learn more about communication, behavior and social skills.

This year, the program will take care of 60 children between the ages of six and 21. Demand for the program is huge, according to Awad, as more and more children are diagnosed on Autism.

The waiting list of families who wish to enroll their child into ASI’s Summer Program is growing but there is isn’t enough funding to take care of all children. Provincial and federal government funding covers only 50 per cent of the budget and the rest of the budget depends on fundraising events and donations.

“We could not deliver the service without the fundraising,” says Bruce Awad, Founder of Bruce Awad Summer Program “If we have zero fundraising, we would probably have to cut the program in half.”

Also, for the success of the program the crucial ratio of staff and children should be one on one especially for those at the severe end of the spectrum.

The ASI has an Autism Registry, which gives parents the opportunity to register their child with the Windsor Police in the case the police ever encounter a child or a person with Autism who is behaving inappropriately. They also provide literature at the their public office for all parents or people in the education field.

Awad emphasized how people with Autism need support, “I think it is imperative for all of us to develop that understanding, compassion and understanding for those with Autism Disorder.”

The Annual Open House is in August and is open for the general public to have a closer look at how the program works or how the money from the investments is distributed.