When an Allegany-Limestone (N.Y.) Central School District student diagnosed with autism told a teacher she was glad she had the disorder because it made her “unique,” the youngster’s remarks brought tears to the educator’s eyes.
The educator, Terra Lacroix, adviser of the Friends of Rachel high school group in the district, took the student’s comment to heart by setting up a fundraiser for autism awareness.
The result was the Friends of Rachel Autism Awareness project which included a visit by high school students to younger children at the elementary school Friday to do presentations and projects on autism awareness. The high school students also provided each elementary student a bracelet to wear today in honor of Autism Awareness Day. In addition, Lacroix said the high school group sold hundreds of items, with funds raised to be donated to a charity for autism awareness and research.
In commenting on how she and the club came up with the idea for their “next random act of kindness” the students said they wanted the project to include the entire school district.
“We have many students diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder in our district,” Lacroix explained. “One student touched my heart at the beginning of the year when she told me that she was glad that she had autism. When I asked her why, her response was ‘It makes me unique’ which brought tears to my eyes.”
Lacroix said that as the club members wanted to interact and influence elementary and secondary students, they chose to design and sell autism apparel to students, staff and the community to prepare for Autism Awareness Day.
“We went to the elementary school to do a presentation to the third-, fourth- and fifth-graders,” Lacroix added. “We showed a video entitled ‘Just Like You.’ The (elementary) students were very attentive and upon completion of the video, I complimented them for their attention to a 20-minute video on a Friday afternoon when a little boy yelled, ‘It was great.’
“I then asked if anyone knew why autism is represented by a rainbow of colors, and a little girl responded ‘because we are all unique.’ We were all pleasantly surprised by her response and realized that our mission was accomplished.”
Lacroix noted that the autism awareness bracelets are inscribed with the Dr. Seuss saying, “Why fit in when you were born to stand out?” to ensure all elementary students, even those who didn’t purchase T-shirts, had something special to wear today. After the presentation, Lacroix said a Friends of Rachel club member went to each elementary classroom to discuss autism and to provide a puzzle piece magnet for each child to color and put on their locker.
“The students explained that the puzzle piece represents autism because it was such a puzzling condition for doctors, since no two people with autism are alike,” she remarked.
“This was such a rewarding experience for both the elementary students and the high school students,” Lacroix continued. “We would like to thank everyone involved in our Autism Awareness endeavor. We sold nearly 400 items, which shows how much kindness and compassion we have at Allegany-Limestone.”
In addition, teachers from the district will provide additional donations to the fundraiser by participating in Jean Day today.
Friends of Rachel, which has been in existence at Allegany-Limestone for 12 years or longer, has staged campaigns in the past against bullying and suicide, as well as to benefit many community projects. The club is named in honor of Rachel Joy Scott, the first student killed in the Columbine High School massacre on April 20, 1999. Following her death, Rachel’s
traced hands were found on the back of her dresser with the statement, “These hands belong to Rachel Joy Scott and will someday touch millions of hearts.”
