Autism Ontario beneficiary of work by students, parents and teachers

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From the young elementary students to the parents and teachers at Blaydon Public School, everyone played a part in helping raise more than $3,500 for Autism Ontario.

That was the most money any school raised in the province this year per capita with every student at the junior kindergarten to Grade 5 school raising about $16 each.

"It's quite a bit more than any other school," said Ron Harrison, co-chair of Together for Autism, who visited Blaydon Public School on Friday, Nov. 28 with campaign co-chair Bonnie McPhail to acknowledge the school for its fundraising efforts. "We're always really happy to find a school that goes above and beyond."

Nearly 500 schools across Ontario participated in the 2008 Together for Autism campaign.

The school was presented with a plaque and a cheque for $1,000 to go toward supporting programs and any resources that Blaydon Public School might need.

Kindergarten teacher Suzanne Lajambe was also recognized for organizing fundraising events at the school, such as Toonies for Autism and a carnival held in April inside the school gym.

"Everyone played a hand in this," said Lajambe, who credited parent Janet Korol for spearheading the fundraising campaign four years ago when her autistic son started attending Blaydon. "We came up with an educational program for all classes to view videos about autism."

With the goal of raising both awareness and funds for Autism Ontario, Lajambe and Korol have continued the initiative to educate students and their parents through brochures and flyers that are sent home.

"It seems to be getting bigger and better every year," said Lajambe of the local school campaign, noting the Grade 3 class this year made cookbooks to raise funds for the campaign.

Blaydon has now raised about $7,350 in the past four years.

"We'll continue to do what we can," Lajambe said. "This is something that can't be ignored."

FAST FACTS

- Autism is a complex developmental disability that typically appears during the first three years of life; it is the result of a neurological disorder that affects the functioning of the brain.

- Autism is not a mental illness.

- Children with autism are not kids who misbehave.

- Autism is not caused by bad parenting.

- There is no cure for the differences in the brain that result in autism.

- There are no medical tests for diagnosing autism. An accurate diagnosis must be based on observation of the individual's communication, behaviour and developmental levels.