Concordiensis

Issue date: 2/22/07 Section: News

Media Credit: Nancy Borowick Members of RollingForAutism have participated in event-planning, fundraising, and distributing information for the cause.

Perhaps one of the scariest life prospects for a college student is the dreaded thought of what to do once he/she graduates. From finding a job and a place to live to settling down, there are a range of ambiguities that college graduates have to face.

These uncertainties plagued Union College senior Dan Tatar who realized that with the "real world" right around the corner, one last challenging adventure was needed to bring his exciting college experience to an end. Tatar came up with the concept of rollerblading cross-country during the summer following graduation as a means to raise money for autism. He posed the idea to friends and family, and soon the organization RollingForAutism was on its way to becoming an illustrious, successful, and above all else, fun organization.

Autism, which is a complex developmental disability resulting from a neurological disorder that affects the normal functioning of the brain, impacts development in the areas of social interaction and communication skills. Each individual is affected differently, but if addressed early on, proper intervention programs can help autistic persons live healthy and normal lives. As the RollingForAutism website explains, "a better understanding of autism results in a better life for those impacted by the disorder. However, not enough funds are available to provide immediate opportunities for those people already living with autism."

This is where RollingForAutism comes in. "Programs catering to children with autism, such as summer camps and special schools are often very costly," states the website. "Therefore, such opportunities are not available to the people they are designed to impact. Our goal is to help make these opportunities affordable to the people they are intended to reach," it reads.

Tatar explained that he has had some personal experiences with kids affected by autism and PDD spectrum, which is the terminology used to explain and refer to persons with autism and other related disorders. His experiences inspired him to create RollingForAutism. "I've witnessed first-hand the opportunities available to such kids and the resulting benefit to the kids and their families. These programs and opportunities are often too expensive to reach their intended audiences, and through our efforts, we will help to narrow that gap for many," Tatar explained.

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