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MANSFIELD — Debbie Melching has spent most of her adult life caring for others.
Now it’s time to take care of herself.
Melching, the one woman force behind the nonprofit Autism Awareness Walk-a-thon, is dissolving the organization.
“It’s just time,” she said. “It’s really sad, ending it. I’ve met a lot of great families over the years and kids.”
Melching has been serving Richland County children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and their families for almost 18 years.
ASD, often known simply as autism, is a developmental disability that affects how a person interacts with others, communicates, learns and behaves. ASD diagnoses have risen over the years. Today, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that 1 in 36 children have ASD.
Melching’s work began in 2005, after her own grandson Daylin was diagnosed. Melching organized a garage sale fundraiser to help pay for his treatment.
“He was doing ABA (applied behavior analysis) therapy,” she said. “Now there’s insurance that covers that, but at that time, there wasn’t. It cost like $60,000 a year.”
Daylin lived in Franklin County, which has numerous resources for people with ASD, Melching said. While running the garage sale, she met local families with children on the spectrum and realized there were far fewer support systems close to home.
“That’s how the walk came about,” Melching said. “I decided I needed to do something about that.”
Melching would go on to spearhead more than a dozen Autism awareness walks, along with other fundraisers. She started the work with her husband Greg and continued it after he passed away from cancer in 2014.
Through their nonprofit, the Melchings accepted applications and awarded grants to local families.
Darlene Neal has three grandchildren with ASD, all of whom benefited from Melching’s work. The family has used grant funding to pay for equine therapy and iPads.
One of Neal’s grandsons is nonverbal, but uses a speech program on his iPad to communicate. Neal said it’s part of the reason he’s able to attend regular public school. He even made the honor roll a number of times last year.
Other families have used grant money to pay for therapies, summer camp, supplements, recreational activities, transportation and sensory equipment.
Melching’s work went beyond fundraising and grants. She also coordinated events like pool parties, cookouts, Thanksgiving dinners, play dates and “Family Nights” at Lex Lanes, Splash Harbor and the Buckeye Imagination Museum. She put together sensory-friendly meet-and-greets with Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny.
“(Melching) has a heart of gold. She is so willing to work hard for people that she doesn’t even know,” said Nikki Traxler, a mother of two children with ASD. “You come in and she just makes you feel like you’re welcome and she’s glad you’re there.”
Melching also arranged events focused on parents, including a Spa Day for moms and a recurring family support group.
“I usually had stuff almost once-a-month, all year, every year,” she said.
Melching said her favorite event was a “Disabilities Talent Show” she organized about nine years ago. Children and adults visiting from group homes participated, lighting up the stage with dances, songs and piano performances.
One little girl, who was about 5 at the time, sang a rendition of “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.” Today, Melching said the same girl is frequently involved in local theater productions in Mansfield.
“The kids kept me going,” she said. “Just to see their progress, where they were and where they are now.”
Traxler started taking her children to Melching’s events 10 years ago, when her son Wade was just 5 years old. He and his older sister are both on the autism spectrum.
Wade is now a freshman in high school and a member of the Clear Fork High School marching band. He still keeps in touch with some of the friends he made at Melching’s events.
Traxler said gatherings like the ones Melching organized helped push Wade out of his comfort zone. She believes he’s a happier, more involved teen as a result.
“I think that started with us going to those events as a family,” she said.
Traxler added that Melching’s work hasn’t just benefitted kids with autism. Having a child with ASD can be isolating, but the events brought families together.
“It’s very stressful taking your kids out when autism is such a big part of your life,” Traxler said. “When we go to these events that Debbie puts on, you can relax a little bit as a family and that’s huge.
“As a parent, it’s very helpful when people are accepting. I think that’s the biggest thing that Debbie was promoting. I think we all need a little bit of that in our lives.”
Over the years, Melching became a wealth of knowledge about the resources Richland County has for children with ASD.
“Whenever we would get young mothers in here that didn’t know where to turn or what to do, I would refer them to her,” said Neal, who worked for the Department of Jobs and Family Services.
“She knows everything about (autism). She knows where to go to get this help and where to go to get that help.”
Melching said she’ll continue offering that knowledge to anyone who reaches out in the future. But she’ll also make time for herself, taking trips to Arizona in the winter and Zoombezi Bay, her self-described “happy place,” in the summer.
Most importantly, she’ll be spending more time with her two grandkids, who still reside in Franklin County. Daylin, the boy who inspired it all, is in his early 20s now. He’s working two jobs and taking classes at a local career center.
Melching said she thinks Richland County still needs more resources for individuals with ASD.
Traxler agreed.
“I think people are trying to bring more things closer to home,” she said, citing grassroots organizations like Taking Root Farms and Unstoppables Youth Sports.
“I think we still are lacking behind bigger cities in things. We still need a lot more around here.”
To contact Debbie Melching, email aawdeb@yahoo.com or call 419-565-5581.
