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Canfield High School raises autism awareness
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Neighbors | Abby Slanker.Canfield High School seniors, from left, Alisha Boykin, Marisa Pinto and Nora Young, wore blue in support of Autism Awareness Month and Light it Up Blue for Awareness Day April 2. Boykin wanted to raise autism awareness and make a difference by starting a new activity for the school to be involved.
By ABBY SLANKER
Canfield High School senior Alisha Boykin wanted to raise autism awareness and make a difference by starting a new activity for the school to be involved.
Autism awareness is a cause close to her heart, as her elementary school-aged brother has autism.
April is Autism Awareness Month and April 2 was Light it Up Blue for Awareness Day, as blue is the campaign’s official color.
Boykin, the Leo’s Club public relations officer, encouraged students to wear blue and, with the help of the Leo’s, sold puzzle pieces, which students wrote their names on and taped to the wall in the cafeteria, and raffle tickets to win prizes throughout the month to raise money for autism.
Prizes included two tickets to the Senior Banquet or two Prom tickets.
“My inspiration for this awareness campaign is my little brother, who has autism. He was diagnosed when he was very young and my mom involved my whole family in trying to raise awareness for autism,” Boykin said.
All the proceeds will be donated to the Autism Speaks National Foundation.
“The Autism Speaks National Foundation is a good foundation to donate to. It takes an average of $60,000 to care for a child with autism. This foundation helps families and donates money to autism research. The National Institutes of Health donate only .5 percent to autism,” Boykin said.
According to Boykin, autism awareness has come a long way, but still has a long way to go.
“We want people in the community to be aware and donate to this cause during Autism Awareness Month and beyond. This cause is less acknowledged than other causes. It is up and coming, though, and has garnered more attention, which we can attribute to awareness campaigns,” Boykin said.