Maplewood teacher runs marathon and raises money for autism awareness

MECCA

David Deeters, a teacher and coach in the Maplewood School District, raised $2,039 through the Organization for Autism Research Run for Autism and his run in the Boston Marathon Monday. That means Deeter reached his goal of $2,000.

“I decided to dedicate my race to my three lovely daughters,” Deeters said, including his middle child, Saleen, who has autism.

All three girls have experienced difficult moments as a result of the way people sometimes misunderstand Saleen’s quirks, Deeters said. One of his goals was to raise awareness of autism, which he did through several news media interviews leading up to the race.

More information is available at www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/DavidDeeter/irun2014.