Wednesday, Aug. 1, 2007
‘‘Bingo,” Pedro said, during the third round of an educational game at a training center for autistic adults in Twinbrook.
For the second time, Pedro, 22, whose last name The Gazette was not permitted to use, lined up three tokens in a row on his playing card to win the game, eliciting applause from the nearly 20 people in the room.
The card was filled with signs that can be found around the community, such as those that read, ‘‘In case of fire, use steps” or ‘‘No Smoking.”
Playing the game is part of the training program for the individuals at the Community Services for Autistic Adults and Children (CSAAC), but Monday afternoon was different. This time, a handful of the adults at the center got a chance to play with a few recent college graduates.
The six graduates are a small portion of a nearly 160-member group called Rolling for Autism, led by the organization’s founder Dan Tatar. Their mission this summer is to skate 2,000 miles from Florida to Maine in order to raise autism awareness and raise money for scholarships for students with autism.
On Monday, the four men and two women sat down with five autistic adults on their day off for a friendly and educational game of Bingo.
CSAAC Executive Director Ian Paregol said the game helps build skills the individuals need on a daily basis.
‘‘It was awesome to see the smiles on their faces and having a great time,” skater Sean Streich, 25, said.
Rolling for Autism’s stop in Rockville was one of many in the past five weeks for the skaters. They skate somewhere between 30 and 40 miles each day and usually get one day off each week.
The four original skaters, including Tatar, Streich, Jason Ortolano, 24, and Carson Strang, 24, are all former collegiate hockey players who wanted one last adventure after college before heading into the world of full-time jobs, while raising money and awareness for a good cause.
With three weeks left before heading home, the group plans major stops on their way north in Philadelphia, New York and Boston, including a stop today on ‘‘Good Morning America” in New York City.
So far, the group has raised more than $100,000 and looks forward to reaching its long-term goal of $500,000 in the next year.
Victoria Kohan, 22, and Elaine Lambrinos, 22, joined the skaters just last Thursday when the four men rolled into the nation’s capital.
Kohan, who grew up with Tatar, said she was impressed by CSAAC’s work in Maryland.
‘‘I’m really impressed with the state funding and the five-tier program [CSAAC offers],” Kohan said. ‘‘It would be nice to see that in all 50 states.”
According to its 2006 finance report, CSAAC is nearly 85 percent funded by the State of Maryland and Montgomery County. Each placement into the housing or school programs is funded through the government. The only program that individuals pay for is the early intervention program for young children.
The five-tier program includes residential, vocational, education and family support services, in addition to the intensive early intervention program.
CSAAC’s Twinbrook training center is visited by the organization’s more than 100 autistic adults who receive job training and live in the 52 homes set up around the county. Many of CSAAC’s adults are trained to do various jobs, from stuffing envelopes for a company to doing reception work at CSAAC’s own main office.
Ayda Sanver, CSAAC’s director of community development, said they were pleased to have the Rolling for Autism participants visit their center as part of their route.
‘‘We were impressed with how much the team already knew about autism, and the need for children and adults with autism to receive quality autism services across the life span,” Paregol said. ‘‘We are happy they chose to visit CSAAC.”
More than halfway through the journey, the skaters said they gained much more than a fun adventure.
‘‘What was most rewarding was seeing the parents and how much passion they have for the cause and how they’ll do anything for their child,” Streich said. ‘‘When I’m skating and it’s a tough day, I think about how a lot of other people have a tougher time than we do.”
