Would You Walk Five Hundred Miles?

April 07, 2022 at 15:34 PM EDT

Boulder autism school to walk distance from Kyiv to Warsaw to support the autism community of Ukraine

Boulder, Colorado Apr 7, 2022 (Issuewire.com) - Contact: Jennifer Wilger

Phone: 303-554-7363

Email: wilger.jennifer@templegrandinschool.org

Temple Grandin School Walks 500 Miles for the Autism Community in Ukraine

April is Autism Awareness Month, and the students, staff, and families of Temple Grandin School (TGS) will spend it walking 500 miles for autistic Ukrainians affected and displaced by the war.

Filled with empathy and a desire to help their Ukrainian peers, TGS students and staff are raising funds during Autism Awareness month. "We have great empathy for the autism community in Ukraine," says TGS Co-Founder and Executive Director, Jen Wilger. "We know how distressing it can be to deal with unexpected and sudden changes to your daily life. We also have special compassion for those who have had the extreme disruption of leaving their homes, as some of us were recently evacuated due to wildfires in our area."

"A war is loud. There's a lot of sights, sounds, and smells - and overstimulation. Supporting people who are sensitive to that, and helping them to be able to get out of Ukraine to a place where they don't have to constantly deal with that, is important," says Grant Hutchinson, a 9th grade student.

TGS student Elliott Quist, 10th grade, adds, "Autistic people struggle with social issues and the fact that they're deemed different in spite of the fact that they really aren't. The autistic population feels unrecognized and generally hurt from the rest of the world; I can imagine it would mean the world to them that people are paying attention and helping them any way that we can."

For the campaign, TGS students, staff and families will walk a collective 500 miles, approximately the same distance many Ukrainian refugees have had to travel between Kyiv, Ukraine and Warsaw, Poland, where they are finding sanctuary. The walk kicked off with a snowshoe trek around Mud Lake in nearby Nederland, Colorado, and will continue throughout April with laps around the TGS building and grounds during breaks, lunchtime, and special class times.

The Temple Grandin School community hopes to raise $10,000. They are partnering with Autism-Europe, Fundacja JiM (Poland), and Child With Future (Ukraine) to distribute the funds, which will be used to provide legal aid, professional therapies, and material support for autistic refugees families. Donations will be accepted through April 30 by mail (3131 Indian Road, Boulder, CO 80301), or online at https://give.classy.org/Ukraine500.

About Temple Grandin School

Temple Grandin School, named for the world-renowned autism activist, author, and animal science doctor, is a not-for-profit independent school located in Boulder, Colo., serving neurodiverse students in 6th through 12th grade. Temple Grandin School was founded in 2011 and provides a challenging academic curriculum and integrated social skills support in a safe and nurturing environment to help students realize their full potential. For more information, visit http://templegrandinschool.org