Miriam from the Akadem Association in Modi’in, a unique non-profit association acting for children on the autistic spectrum and their families, contacted me to ask that I take part in a fund-raiser for building an ‘active park’ for children on the autistic spectrum. “But it is important that you first meet Sharon, a member of the community in our synagogue ” she asked.
Sharon shared with us her son’s personal story. “Every noisy place (‘noise’ meaning laughter and sounds of children) which is not fenced off becomes irrelevant for him and fertile ground for anxiety and obsessive pre-occupation with protecting himself. We”, she said, “cannot get him out of the house in the afternoon to play in the park like the other kids”. I listened to her and thought about her son, my son and his friends. How can it be that there is not one park out of the many parks in the area, that can give them this basic need?
“We were asked in the past by the community how they can help. So the minute I went to Yair, a member of the community, and told him that what my son and his friends need is a safe place to play”, she told us, “he said: I am on it”. Just so. From that moment on, a fund-raising evening for building an ‘action park’ for kids on the autistic spectrum was shaping up at a pace hard to keep up with. The evening was managed by Yair and Amira from the community, on one side, and by the Akadem Association on the other side. I was asked to share my parental experience, “to give them the angle of a coping parent…”. I was intrigued and of course agreed.
I think that only when I arrived at the house of the organizers, Yair and Amira, I understood the scope and magnitude of the event. I stepped into a house full of people busy organizing the place. I scanned the number of chairs, the food on the tables and the pace of everyone involved and was wondering what is going on. I was not prepared for such a magnitude. I was a bit shocked by the number of people that started arriving, embarrassed by the gracious welcome and surprised by the gratitude expressed at my arrival. I told my story in a slightly trembling voice.
The program began with a short explanation of the activities of the Akadem Association by it manager, Mr. Yanki Tzur, and then my story, followed by music by Roy, a musically gifted sweet boy on the autistic spectrum who played a tune that he himself composed(!), and finally Rabbi Sobol, the Rabbi of the community who talked about what mutual help means and the importance of giving. When the evening’s program ended, Yair, the host and leader of the evening, stood up with a smile suggesting that something is about to happen. He emphasized again the purpose of the evening, and I then began hearing beeps from the direction of the crowd. Looking back, I realized that the link to the fund raising website was sent to each of the guests. “We have a target and we must reach it” said Yair. People naturally responded and the donations started coming in.
When I left, I realized that although I came to make other people know and to raise their awareness, I myself benefited from something great and wonderful.
A big thank you to everyone involved.
