On Saturday, August 22, more than 800 people turned out at Jetties Beach for the third annual Nantucket Walk Now for Autism Speaks. The walkers, on 52 teams, raised over $300,000 in support of Autism Speaks' initiatives.
Following a performance by children from the Nantucket Dreamland Foundation's week-long autism theater camp, Autism Speaks Co-Founders Bob and Suzanne Wright welcomed the
Following a performance by children from the Nantucket Dreamland Foundation's week-long autism theater camp, Autism Speaks Co-Founders Bob and Suzanne Wright welcomed the
Suzanne Wright cuts the ribbon with the help of the Walk Co-Chairs and Autism Speaks board members!
crowd to the event. Massachusetts State Rep. Tim Madden (D-Barnstable, Dukes and Nantucket District) urged Walk attendees to participate in autism insurance initiatives. Tim Lepore spoke on behalf of the Nantucket School Committee, offering support for autism awareness. Patty Roggeveen, executive director of the Nantucket Dreamland Foundation and a member of the Nantucket Board of Selectmen, spoke on behalf of the Town, sharing words of support.
Suzanne Wright then called the more than 67 participants in the 2009 Whalers Sports Challenge to the stage. The students, representing the 67 children who are diagnosed with autism each day, gathered on stage creating a poignant reminder of why Walk Now for Autism Speaks is so important in raising awareness and funds. Walk Co-Chair Sydney Fee Barsanti, with her sons Roarke and Beck Barsanti, spoke movingly about her experience of raising a child with autism on Nantucket, and what the Nantucket Autism Speaks Resource Center, which offers year-round support for families, has meant to her family over the past three years.
The Walk organizers would like to extend heartfelt thanks to the Chairs, Bob and Suzanne Wright, and the Co-Chairs: Sydney Fee Barsanti, Shannon and James Broder, Karyn and Bill Frist, Stephen and Jill Karp, Ozzie Medeiros and Ed Schmidt, Susan and Bill Vareschi for their dedication to the success of the Nantucket Walk. Special thanks to Diamond Sponsors Suzanne and Bob Wright, Shannon and James Broder, Stephen and Jill Karp, Roger and Kathy Penske, and Susan and Bill Vareschi, and to Platinum Sponsors Nantucket Golf Club and Maureen Orth.
Suzanne Wright then called the more than 67 participants in the 2009 Whalers Sports Challenge to the stage. The students, representing the 67 children who are diagnosed with autism each day, gathered on stage creating a poignant reminder of why Walk Now for Autism Speaks is so important in raising awareness and funds. Walk Co-Chair Sydney Fee Barsanti, with her sons Roarke and Beck Barsanti, spoke movingly about her experience of raising a child with autism on Nantucket, and what the Nantucket Autism Speaks Resource Center, which offers year-round support for families, has meant to her family over the past three years.
The Walk organizers would like to extend heartfelt thanks to the Chairs, Bob and Suzanne Wright, and the Co-Chairs: Sydney Fee Barsanti, Shannon and James Broder, Karyn and Bill Frist, Stephen and Jill Karp, Ozzie Medeiros and Ed Schmidt, Susan and Bill Vareschi for their dedication to the success of the Nantucket Walk. Special thanks to Diamond Sponsors Suzanne and Bob Wright, Shannon and James Broder, Stephen and Jill Karp, Roger and Kathy Penske, and Susan and Bill Vareschi, and to Platinum Sponsors Nantucket Golf Club and Maureen Orth.
Fundraising totals are "to-date" – teams are still raising money and the site is still accepting donations. The final Walk Now for Autism Speaks summer event will be held on August 29 in
Nebraska.
Kick-off events for fall Walks are taking place all across the country; click here to find an event near you.
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