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Thursday, January 10, 2008 Autism to get spotlight at |
The
first coffee house raised more than $8,000 for Alex's Lemonade
Stand, an organization that funds pediatric cancer research. It was
chosen because a member of East Singers had a brother with leukemia.
Last
year, the event raised $5,000 for the Ian Oliu Foundation for Life,
dedicated to furthering mental health awareness/crisis prevention
and education
initiatives. The foundation was established by the family of Oliu,
an East student who took his own life in 2002. This
time, students are tackling autism, a neurological disorder that may
affect one in 150 children and has no known cure. The disorder is
often characterized by social detachment, heightened senses and the
tendency to obsess on one thing. The
teens were drawn to Just 2 Moms, whose founders -- Debbie Schmidt
and Christy Carlson -- developed a DVD on the topic narrated by
Schmidt's son Jordan, 12. The pair give presentations in Cohen
said she baby-sat for Carlson's son, Erik, 6, who has the disorder.
Another East Singer, junior soprano Caitlin Weaver, 16, said she has
a cousin who was just diagnosed with it. Along
with East Singer Katerina Madson, Cohen will sing Ingrid
Michaelson's "The Way I Am," with lyrics that talk about
accepting people as they are. Former
Miss New Jersey Erica Scanlon of Pitman, whose younger sister has
autism, will sing and speak about her Miss America platform, autism
advocacy and awareness. Jordan Schmidt, a sixth-grader at While
most of the 27 acts involve singing or instrumental performances,
there also will be a stand-up comic routine and ballet en pointe.
Each act has a thematic link to understanding autism, often viewed
as a puzzle in which the pieces don't quite fit. In
fact, this year's event has been dubbed "Everybody Fits." "Even
people with autism can lead a normal life," said East Singers
President Richie Sklar, 17, a senior tenor. Art
students Emily Grossman and Susan Song designed a logo incorporating
a swirling ribbon of puzzle pieces and musical notes, which has been
transferred onto T-shirts being worn by coffee house participants
and for sale at the event. The
price of admission, $5, covers beverages, entertainment and an
autism-logo puzzle pin. The pins were assembled by East students and
members of STAR, a In
addition to the T-shirts, patrons can buy pottery and jewelry
crafted by East art students and baked goods. "The
bake sale is really great because it gets everyone involved,"
said East Singers alto Shanny Shmuel, 17, a senior who makes
peanut-butter brownies. In
all, about 100 students are participating in the coffee house in
some fashion. East
Singers Director Laurie Lausi said the students have been looking
forward to this event since the last one ended. "They
love to use their talents to give back to the community. They're
determined to see that the money they raise impacts the students of
the Debbie
Schmidt said the money will help her and Carlson to reproduce and
distribute their DVD and expand Just 2 Moms. "This
will take us to the next step and help us make this a national
program. I'm tickled and humbled that the students picked us. It's
an extreme honor," she said. Reach
Barbara S. Rothschild at (856) 486-2416 or brothschild@courierpostonline.com
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