MANSFIELD, Ohio – The Autism Awareness Walk-a-thon will step off at 10 a.m. Saturday at the Richland County Fairgrounds, marking its 10th year of raising awareness and funds for the disorder in Richland County.
According to Debbie Melching, founder of Autism Awareness Walk-a-thon Inc., the walk and the organization stemmed from a garage sale she had 10 years ago to aid her grandson, Daylin Scott, who was diagnosed with autism at 3 years old.
“We were doing an in-home [applied behavioral analysis] program with him, and I decided to have a garage sale to help with his program because an in-home ABA program can cost up to $60,000,” Melching said.
She raised $3,600 for her grandson, who now is 13 years old, though the garage sale. And after hearing feedback from people about the lack of autism services in the area 10 years ago, Melching decided more could be done.
So she organized the first-ever Autism Awareness Walk-a-thon to bring light to the disorder.
The first walk, she said, was at Mansfield Motorsports Park – now Spitzer Motor Speedway – on Ohio 545 in Mansfield.
“I did everything by phone and knocking door to door because I didn’t even have a computer at that point,” Melching said.
Ten years later, the event and the organization that came from it still are ticking – even though Melching said she didn’t know if it would last this long.
She’s been in charge of the walk all 10 years, and aside from the help of her many volunteers and sponsors, she does everything on her own.
The walk this year will feature its usual festivities, Melching said, which include food, informational tables, raffles, and several children’s activities.
She added that there also will be a magician between 11 a.m. and noon, a bounce house, and a DJ providing tunes all day, among other things.
The biggest difference this year, however, is that she will be putting on the event without her husband, Greg, who died of melanoma cancer last October.
The walk is dedicated in his memory.
“He was always my biggest supporter and the muscle behind each and every walk,” Mechling said in the walk-a-thon’s newsletter.
Last year, the walk-a-thon raised around $14,000, Melching said. All the proceeds from each event the organization hosts stay within the community for local autism services.
“People can apply for funding,” she said. “And lots of our families have no idea they can.”
To apply, families need only contact Melching for an application. She said the only criteria is that the families must live in Richland County and the diagnosis must be documented.
Melching can be reached via email at aawdeb@yahoo.com or by phone at 419-589-8762.
For those unable to attend the walk but still want to help the organization, donations are accepted year-round through its account at Richland Bank.
In addition, Melching’s organization participates in the Kroger Community Rewards Program, which donates funds to groups, including Autism Awareness Walk-a-thon Inc.
“You just sign up online for that,” she said. “We raised like $1,200 for that last year just from people shopping at Kroger.”
The Autism Awareness Walk-a-thon Inc. is a registered nonprofit organization that holds several events each year to further its mission to raise autism awareness in the Richland County community and educate the general public about the complex condition that affects one out of every 68 children born today.
“The future is to just raise as much awareness in our community as possible,” Melching said. “It’s good to raise funds for families, but the awareness is the main thing.”
