BECKLEY, WV (WOAY) – Jan Care, local and state police departments, and many other teams made their return to the courts at Memorial Baptist in Beckley for Volleyball 4 Autism, the annual fundraiser dedicated to helping bring awareness to Autism Spectrum Disorder and to honor Autism Awareness Month.
After having to cancel the event last year due to COVID, it was made up for this year as it was bigger than it’s ever been.
“I’m amazed! I got here a little after 7 and the parking lot was filling up.”
“I love that there was a big turn out and I love that the community is helping us to raise awareness.”
The event was organized by students in New River Community and Technical College’s Browning Social Service Club to help raise money for Autism Health and its non-profit, The Un-Prescription, which have helped hundreds of families in treating a wide range of Autism-related side-effects and symptoms.
“I have several family members that are Autistic, one, in particular, is my cousin, he’s 6. So, I just want to raise awareness because there’s a lot of people out there that have no idea of the symptoms and the things that may trigger an Autistic child,” says Skyler Green, a student social services volunteer.
Autism is more prevalent in the U.S than ever before, and so are the misconceptions behind the disorder. And beyond raising funds to help people with Autism, a huge part of the event is to bring awareness to these misconceptions and to bring more understanding behind some of the potential causes of Autism.
“There’s lots of discussion about vaccines and maternal health, but my entire doctoral dissertation was on food because I think it has to do with the preservatives we put into our bodies,” says Dr. Kelli White, Assistant Professor of Social Services at New River Technical College.
Many doctors like Dr. White are changing the approach to treating kids with Autism by using more natural, biomedical approaches rather than straight prescription medications, and Volleyball 4 Autism is just one event that can help bring more awareness of how Autism is being treated today.
