Lake Erie College students raise funds for Autism Society of America
Dec. 4—Kadin McElwain has appreciated the personal impact of services that support people with autism, and now the college freshman is part of a group of four Lake Erie College students who are raising funds to provide those same services to others.
McElwain noted that the group is seeking to raise $1,000 on GoFundMe to support the Autism Society of America. The fundraiser is part of a class project where students work "to make an impact upon the community or the world."
"Special education classes, I know, those usually have difficulty being funded, so I hope that the $1,000 we raise can help fund those special education programs, especially because in high school, I absolutely despised them, but looking back at them now, they really helped me," he said.
McElwain said that he was diagnosed on the autism spectrum at age 2.
"My whole life, quite honestly, I felt horrible about myself because of it," he said. "But eventually, as soon as I turned 18, I learned to truly love myself because of it, and I wouldn't be where I am today and I probably would still hate myself because of it if it wasn't for special education services and all the help I've had along the way.
"There was frankly a question as to whether or not I would be able to do a lot of this stuff I'm doing now like college, getting a license, getting a job, all of that," he added, citing "hard work and dedication" as factors in achieving those milestones.
McElwain hopes that the fundraiser supports services that have a similar impact on others.
"The resources we're hoping to offer up with the GoFundMe and help to fund are simple things like special education programs, more mental health awareness on autism, more resources, more counselors, basically, anything and everything that was able to help me during that dark time in my life," he said.
According to the Autism Society of America's "What We Do" web page, the group is involved in areas such as public policy, training and safety. It also has affiliates throughout the United States, including the Autism Society of Greater Cleveland and Autism Society of Ohio.
The group members will present the project for their class on Dec. 7, McElwain said, though he hopes to continue receiving donations through the end of December or by the start of the new year. The group with the top class project will receive a prize, while projects may also receive grant money.
Those who are interested in donating can visit gofundme.com and search for "Please Help Those With Autism Get What They Need," selecting the post from user Kadin Ronald. As of Dec. 2, the group had raised $444 out of its $1,000 goal.
