Project enriched Canfield student, Rich Center

July 21, 2012 at 12:03a.m.

YOUNGSTOWN

Thanks to Ellie Rafoth, the Rich Center for the Study and Treatment of Autism is a bit richer.

“It was rewarding working with the children and teachers,” the 2012 Canfield High School graduate said about her experiences fulfilling a service project at the Rich Center, in Youngstown State University’s Fedor Hall. “The center is a beautiful place.”

It also is a wealthier place because the 18-year-old Rafoth was on hand Friday to present a $1,725 check to the center that was the result of her fundraising efforts on behalf of the 17-year-old facility that serves youngsters on the autism spectrum age 2 Ω to 18.

Roughly one in 88 births results in a placement on the spectrum, according to the latest figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.

Rafoth, who was a member of her school’s National Honor Society, worked at the center from June to August 2011 with students of all ages. Her duties included setting up an obstacle course as well as working with teachers and youngsters in the gym and several classrooms.

“It was fun to see all ages so I could meet everyone,” said Rafoth, who will be enrolling next month at John Carroll University near Cleveland to study English and who’s planning to attend law school.

Last spring, she began about three months’ worth of fundraising efforts by running a concession stand during her high school’s varsity boys baseball games. Friends, family members and businesses donated, Rafoth noted, adding that she has a few family friends on the autism spectrum.

Rafoth fondly recalled several positive memories associated with the center, such as when she formed a bond with a boy who, she had been warned, had a penchant for pulling people’s hair.

“I had my hair down, and instead, he gave me a kiss on the cheek, so I always gravitated toward him,” she said.

Rafoth added that a friend of her grandmother’s works at the Rich Center and that her grandmother recommended the facility for Rafoth’s service project.

“She’s always loved volunteering and giving back. She’s been like that since she was a little girl,” said Rafoth’s mother, Julie Rafoth.

Also at the center Friday was her father, Jim Rafoth.

The Rich Center has about 78 students and focuses heavily on early-intervention strategies and social-skills development, noted J. Georgia Backus, director.

To that end, the center has a peer program in which siblings and other neurotypical youngsters are taught how to integrate with those on the spectrum, Backus said, adding that autism has become more prevalent in recent years.

“I guarantee that if you don’t have a child with autism, you know someone who does. It’s incredible,” she said.