Girls use 'superpowers' to help children with autism

Everybody has a superpower, according to 16-year-olds Erin Talbert and Kayleigh Grandy. Their superpower seems to be a knack for changing peers’ attitudes about autism.

“We want everybody to know that kids with autism are amazing people, and that they can do so much,” Erin said.

Erin and Kayleigh are finishing their sophomore year at Orchard Farm High School. Both have brothers with autism. Erin’s brother, Adam, attends eighth grade at Orchard Farm Middle School. Kayleigh’s brother, Jake, is wrapping up Kindergarten at Orchard Farm Elementary School.

Both brothers attended preschool at United Services for Children, a nonprofit organization that provides pediatric therapy and developmental learning services for children with disabilities, as well as typically developing children.

On May 8, Erin and Kayleigh presented United Services for Children with checks totaling $717, the culmination of their fundraising efforts during April, nationally recognized as Autism Awareness Month.

Erin said it was a way to thank United Services for the help Adam and Jake received, and for being a great resource for families of children with autism and other disabilities.

This was the second year the girls conducted an autism awareness and fundraising campaign.  Last school year, Erin and Kayleigh worked with classmate Ella Duffy to raise $400 for United Services.

“After we did this last year, people’s perspectives changed,” Erin said. “They started treating kids with disabilities better.”

The girls said they have witnessed Orchard Farm students bullying their brothers and other children. School officials have taken steps to combat bullying, but the girls have made it their personal mission.

“We want to change how other kids feel about people with disabilities, so they will be their friend and not put them down,” Erin said.

The girls made a video called “Myths and Facts About Autism” and showed it to students during lunch periods in April. They conducted several other lunchtime activities, including demonstrations simulating what life is like for children who have sensory problems associated with autism.

The girls organized a “Warm Fuzzy Day” April 22, inviting students to wear yarn necklaces with removable tassels. Students would give each complements while exchanging tassels.

The girls landed two sponsors. Koch Air and Welsch Heating and Cooling each donated $100.

The rest the money raised came from bake sales and T-shirts. The girls sold shirts that read, “What’s your superpower?”

Tara Olendorff, a social worker for the Orchard Farm School District, helped the girls plan their autism awareness activities. Olendorff said Erin came up with the “superpower” theme.

“That has been a focus nationally, the idea that people with autism have gifts,” Olendorff said. “The ‘superpowers’ theme is an easy way to connect with kids, and a very positive way to look at things.”

Olendorff said the annual autism awareness campaign has helped instill a sense of community within the high school, and has underscored the importance of making sure every student feels included and supported. The more students become aware of something, the better they are able to handle it in a positive way, she said.

Jeanne Palombo, director of planned giving for United Services for Children, accepted the $717 donation on the organization’s behalf. Palombo said United Services would use the money to purchase equipment for its Intensive Behavior Intervention Classrooms (IBIC), which provide one-on-one services for children who require intensive instruction, including children with autism.

“We are so humbled and impressed by Erin’s and Kayleigh’s drive to foster understanding and improve the lives of other young people,” Palombo said. “And we are grateful for the continued support of the Orchard Farm School District.”

United Services is flexing its own “superpowers” this summer, partnering with Unlimited Play to launch the Superhero Dash, a 5-kilometer run and 1-mile “walk-and-roll” June 8 at Frontier Park in St. Charles.

Using the tagline “Because every child is a superhero,” the Superhero Dash echoes the theme embraced by the Orchard Farm students. The event will benefit United Services and Unlimited Play, a nonprofit organization that helps plan, design and build playgrounds that are fully accessible for children of all abilities.

Dash runners and walkers will receive superhero capes to wear as they traverse the Katy Trail along the St. Charles riverfront. Participants will encounter costumed superhero characters along the way. For more information on the Superhero Dash, visit www.superherodashstl.org, or call 636-926-2700.