SeDoMoCha Helping Hands reaching across the community for autism awareness

By Stuart Hedstrom 
Staff Writer

    DOVER-FOXCROFT — Autism Awareness Month, during April, will be busy for the SeDoMoCha community with a number of activities planned in school and with the SeDoMoCha Helping Hands team taking part in the annual Walk for Autism at the end of the month in Bangor to benefit the Autism Society of Maine.

    “We are building an interactive display on the glass wall of the conference room,” SeDoMoCha Special Services Clinician Shirley Kirkpatrick said. She explained that all students in K-4 guidance classes and middle school homerooms will fill in individual puzzle pieces with their responses to “something I can do to be a friend to someone with autism is ….” and then the pieces will be posted on the wall in the lobby for all to see. The students’ puzzle pieces will also be entered into a prize drawing to help further promote autism awareness.
    “Mrs. (special education teacher Andrea Philbrick-) Cooper did a display with information on autism and how to register with the walk online,” Kirkpatrick said about the glass display case by the school library promoting Autism Awareness Month.
    Philbrick-Cooper said several items will be available for purchase in April, with proceeds benefiting the Autism Society of Maine. “We are selling Autism Awareness ribbons, puzzle piece pins painted by SeDoMoCha students and custom-designed temporary tattoos,” she said.
    The ribbons feature blue, yellow, red and turquoise puzzle pieces as the puzzle pattern reflects the mystery and complexity of autism. The different colors and shapes represent the diversity of the people and families living with the disorder, and the brightness of the ribbon signals hope — hope through research and in increasing awareness of autism.
    “We decided to go with hats this year instead of T-shirts,” Kirkpatrick said about an article of clothing being sold to benefit the Autism Society of Maine. The blue hats feature the words “SeDoMoCha Helping Hands” along with several hands of the same colors as on the ribbons.
    She said April 2 is “Light It Up Blue” for World Autism Day and “we are encouraging students and staff to wear blue.” Kirkpatrick said across the world buildings will be decorated to promote autism awareness, such as with blue decorations and special blue lighting.
    For the third year in a row the SeDoMoCha Helping Hands, comprised of faculty and staff, students, families and community members, will be taking part in the Walk for Autism. This year’s walk, the 11th annual event, is scheduled for Sunday, April 28 — rain or shine — at four locations across Maine with the SeDoMoCha Helping Hands walking two miles around the campus of the University College in Bangor.
    Philbrick-Cooper said the SeDoMoCha Helping Hands raised over $4,000 last year, such as through donations and pledges for those walking, and had 101 participants. These totals were both the highest for any single group at any of the four walks across the state, which was the second year in a row the SeDoMoCha Helping Hands accomplished these feats.
    “Our goal is to get more people in the community involved,” Philbrick-Cooper said, with an eye toward raising more funds and having more participants than in 2012. She said that letters have been sent to different businesses and organizations in the greater SeDoMoCha area to join in and/or make contributions. “We are hoping to increase autism awareness in the community,” she said.
    Kirkpatrick said last year support came from sources, including some unexpected, outside the school, such as Dover-Foxcroft employees at the town office opting to donate the money they paid for some dress down Fridays to the SeDoMoCha Helping Hands.
    The Walk for Autism is scheduled to start at noon in Bangor on April 29, with similar events taking place in Presque Isle, Farmington and Biddeford, and registration beginning at 11 a.m. “There will be a lot of activities going on that day for families,” Philbrick-Cooper said, including face painting, entertainment and refreshments.
    More information on the Walk for Autism, such as making donations, ordering a hat and/or registering to take part, can be found on the main page of the district website at www.sad68.org. Kirkpatrick and Philbrick-Cooper can also be contacted at the SeDoMoCha Special Services Office at 564-6535
    According to the Autism Society of Maine, as many as one in every 110 children born today will be on the autistic spectrum — making it the third most common developmental disorder. Autism is a complex developmental disability typically appearing in the first three years of life and affecting a person’s ability to communicate and interact with others. Autism is defined by a certain set of behaviors and is a spectrum disorder affecting individuals differently and to varying degrees. There is no known single cause, but increased awareness and funding can help families.
    The Autism Society of Maine was founded by a group of parents and professionals in 1976. For more information, please go to www.asmonline.org.