Making a Difference, One Step at a Time

On Monday, September 2nd , 2013, the Forsyth County community came together for the Labor Day Run for Autism to benefit local families living with autism.  Over 600 runners participated in the event to raise autism awareness and funds for the Georgia Chapter of Talk About Curing Autism (TACA). 

As a parent of a child with autism, I’m beyond grateful when I see the community rally around a cause that is near and dear to my heart.  That’s just what happened with the Labor Day Run for Autism!  The run was organized by Totally Running and many local businesses sponsored the event.  As one of the Coordinators for the Georgia Chapter of TACA, one of my duties was to find volunteers to work the day of the event.  Sounds easy, right?  Oh wait, there was a catch…the volunteers needed to report for duty at 5:30 AM on Labor Day!  It takes some special people to want to get out of bed that early on a holiday!  But a special group of people is just what I found.  I got a call from a local organization, the Sawnee-Cumming Optimist Club and they told me they wanted to help.  I held my breath as I told them what time they would need to be at the event and I waited to get a response of “Are you crazy?.”  They instantly responded with “We’ll be there.”  I’m thinking to myself “You’ll be there?  You mean I don’t have to beg and plead, you’ll just be there?”  Fast forward to the event and they did so much more than just “be there” at 5:30 in the morning.  They stuffed race packets, they carried cases of water in the dark, served coffee, handed out medals, and worked water stations.  Basically, if there was a need, they saw it and jumped in to help.  They do not have children with autism and many of them do not even know anyone with autism.   So, why did they do it?  They simply wanted to help the community and specifically, they wanted to help make a difference for families with autism.  I decided to look up the mission statement of this wonderful organization and this is what I found:  “The Optimist Club:  Providing hope and positive vision, Optimists bring out the best in children.”  After watching this group in action, I can definitely say they are a group of people that lives up to their mission.

So, why am I writing this blog?  As a parent of a child with autism, I know the autism journey is a difficult one.  Families face many struggles, disappointments and rejections.   But, the autism journey also helps me to notice the good in people as well and to realize there are people that truly want to help.  The world is filled with good people and I was able to see firsthand on Labor Day morning the many good people in Forsyth County.  On behalf of parents of children with autism and Talk About Curing Autism I want to say thank you to Totally Running, the Sawnee-Cumming Optimist Club, the sponsors, volunteers and race participants to took steps to make a difference in our community for families living with autism.  It’s great to live in a community that cares.

To learn more about:

Georgia Chapter of Talk About Curing Autism:   www.tacanow.org/georgia

Labor Day Run for Autism:  www.facebook.com/laborday10K