WTOC, Savannah, Georgia, news, weather and sports | Rolling For Autism Rolls into Savannah
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Some friends are raising money and awareness for autism.
Rollerblading is not something everyone can do, but the Rolling For Autism team makes it look easy. They use their skills to capture the attention of autistic students at the Matthew Reardon Center.
Dan Tatar, Jason Ortolano, Sean Streich and Carson Strang are all members of the Rolling for Autism team. The guys are all friends from college who played on the school hockey team together. After graduating, they traded their hockey skates for roller blades. "We're working with kids, we're playing with the kids," said founder Dan Tatar. "I think these kids think it's pretty cool to have four 20 something year old guys come over, playing with them and hanging out. So we're hoping the kids actually get something out of it."
Autism hits close to home for Dan. His 25-year-old brother is autistic. "Today, autism is a pretty well known term. Twenty years ago, when we were growing up, it wasn't," he explained.
Now he and his three friends are taking time to talk to autistic children and their teachers. They're learning about the programs available, or not available, for autistic children. "We just feel very fortunate to be able to do something like this to provide opportunities for children and their families," said teammate Sean Streich.
Their goal is to raise $500,00 for scholarships and programs to help autistic children and their families and to spend time with the kids.
"Just to see the smiles on their faces, and the passion, love and support the parents have. I mean, there's no better way to spend your summer," Sean said smiling.
Jason agreed and is excited about the group's mission."Just to have a better life for those afflicted with autism." he said.
The guys say they'll continue their journey, one skate at a time, until their goal is met. They have already raised close to $30,000.
But they hope to raise more. If you're interested in learning more about Rolling for Autism, and would like to donate, you can log onto http://www.rollingforautism.com for more information.
Reported by: Melanie A. Ruberti, mruberti@wtoc.com
