Swinging and stepping to make a difference

Tue., Sept. 12, 2006

By Heather Lalley heatherl@spokesman.com

Dawn Sidell has big dreams for the Northwest Autism Center she founded a few years ago.

She, along with a group of volunteers, has made some of those dreams a reality. But her checklist is long, and the nonprofit group needs more money to make things happen.

“It all takes a little more funding and more space,” says Sidell, whose oldest son has autism, a neurological disorder that affects communication, social, cognitive and behavioral function.

She hopes a golf tournament Wednesday will allow her group to better help area families coping with autism and autism-spectrum disorders.

The fourth annual WFS Financial Golf Challenge will be held at the Fairways at West Terrace. The tournament raised $30,000 for the group last year; organizers are hoping for double that this year.

The Northwest Autism Center operates a preschool for children with the disorder. The organization also provides information and referral services to families, as well as community education and legislative advocacy.

Last-minute golfers interested in signing up for Wednesday’s tournament may call (509) 570-3154 or (509) 789-1925.

For more information about the Northwest Autism Center, or to make a donation, call (509) 328-1582 or log on to www.nwautism.org.

The autism center’s golf tournament kicks off a month full of health-related fundraising activities for area groups. Here are some upcoming events:

•More than 600 walkers have signed up for The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation’s Walk to Cure Diabetes. Juvenile diabetes, also called Type 1 diabetes, affects the body’s ability to control sugar levels. The walk takes place Saturday at Riverfront Park. The three-mile walk begins at 10 a.m., with registration starting at 8:30 a.m. To register for the walk or make a donation, log on to www.walk.jdrf.org/ and select “Washington.” For more information, call (509) 459-6307.

•The SIDS Foundation of Washington will hold its 24th annual Fallen Leaf Run/Walk Sunday at Mirabeau Point Park in Spokane Valley. SIDS, or sudden infant death syndrome, is the leading cause of death for babies 1 month to 1 year old. Check-in begins at 8 a.m., and the walk starts at 9 a.m. Download registration forms at www.sidsofwa.org or get more information by calling (509) 456-0505.•The Cancer Care Northwest Foundation Golf Classic takes place Sept. 22 at Indian Canyon Golf Course. The foundation focuses on helping families, especially children, of cancer patients. Money raised from the golf tournament will help send the children of cancer patients to Camp Reed. Registration begins at 10:30 a.m.; golfing starts at noon. For more information or to sign up, call (509) 228-1009.

•The Mad Hatter Walk and Roll for Lupus will be Sept. 23 at Manito Park. Lupus is a chronic inflammatory disease than can affect many parts of the body, including the skin, joints, blood and kidneys. Registration starts at 9 a.m., and the walk begins at 10 a.m. For more information, call (877) 774-2992 or log on to www.lupuspnw.org/.

•The Walk to d’Feet ALS takes place at 10 a.m. Sept. 30 at Mirabeau Park. The walk will benefit the ALS Association, which helps people and families dealing with the motor neuron disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. For more information, call (866) 786-7257 or log on to http://walk.alsa-ec.org/site/PageServer.

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