YOUNGSTOWN League makes a difference for autism center

The boxes were created as part of Make A Difference Day.
By SHERRI L. SHAULIS
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
YOUNGSTOWN -- The books, puzzles, puppets and brightly colored letters were enough to make grown women want to play.
"I just want to tear this open and start dipping those in some paint," said Bethann Zoldan of Canfield, as she pointed to a kit containing the alphabet created from sponges.
Instead, the package stayed closed, and joined similar items in "The Alphabet Box," one of three prop boxes created by members of the Boardman-Poland Junior League for the Rich Center for the Study and Treatment of Autism, in Fedor Hall at Youngstown State University.
National program
The boxes were assembled Saturday at the Rich Center as part of Make A Difference Day, a national program designed to inspire volunteerism. Created by USA WEEKEND Magazine, Make A Difference Day is an annual event that takes place on the fourth Saturday of every October.
For their part, members of the Junior League chapter arrived at the Rich Center on Saturday morning, their arms overflowing with bags and boxes. They systematically sorted through the bags, dividing the contents of each into three piles. Each of the piles centered on a theme -- the post office, the alphabet or sweet dreams -- and were packaged together in plastic storage boxes.
The boxes will serve as permanent replacements for ones that were previously borrowed from an agency in Warren, explained Phyllis Ricchiuti, one of the co-founders of the Rich Center.
About the center
The center, created in 1995, serves to improve the lives of individuals with autism and their families through a variety of educational programs. Autism, which affects roughly one in every 400 Americans, is a developmental disability which affects the development of speech and motor skills.
"Most of the children here are nonverbal, and the boxes contain visual aids that center on a theme they may be working with during the week," she said.
The boxes contain everything from books and cassettes to puppets and table toys to allow children to gain a deeper, multisensory understanding of the themes. Educators can use the books during storytime, puppets in social activities and cassettes in sensory play.
Mary Florence Miller of Boardman, president of the local chapter of the Junior League, said the project fit in well with the group's efforts to help the center. The group sponsors the annual Williamsburg Christmas event, which also benefits the center, but members wanted to do more, she said.
"This was something we could get the whole club involved in, and do it as part of Make A Difference Day," she said.
The 35 members were able to purchase items, as well as secure donations from businesses such as The Supply Room and Barnes & amp; Noble.
"It's just wonderful," said Ricchiuti. "The whole community has always been so responsive to any call we put out for help or donations, and this is just the latest. It's great."
slshaulis@vindy.com