Notre Dame Senior Faith Falkowski is helping to organize a fundraising event that will raise money for a planned Autism Trail at Letchworth State Park in Wyoming County.
An indoor Cornhole Tournament is scheduled for March 23, 2019 from 4-6p.m. at the Notre Dame High School Gym at 73 Union street.
The project consists of 8 stations and is a one and a quarter mile trail just behind the new Humphrey Nature Center at Letchworth State Park.
It will assist with sight, sound, touch, smell, balance and motor skills.
Different from walking through a sensory garden, visitors to The ANT will interact with nature and build sensory perception and integration through spatial orientation, pattern recognition, balance, and materials manipulation. Guides for increasing communication skills, language development, and body movement utilizing the Trail are in development by researchers. Staffing and programming will be coordinated by Camp Puzzle Peace/Family Autism Center of Rochester.
(Submitted information)
Falkowski first heard about a nature trail designed for persons with autism spectrum disorder when she was a freshman at Notre Dame High School. Now, as a senior who is headed to D’Youville College in the fall to study occupational therapy, she has become a strong advocate for the planned Autism Nature Trail (The ANT) at Letchworth State Park, so strong that she is spearheading a fundraiser for the project at her school.
The event has sparked a month-long set of activities at Notre Dame to promote inclusion in the school and community-at-large. Students will be encouraged to sign an inclusion pledge to accept people of all abilities, respect others and act with kindness and compassion, and include people with special needs in every aspect of their lives.
Living with a family member who has special needs can limit the entire family when it comes to recreation and social activities. Most services are offered in urban centers, putting rural residents at an even greater disadvantage.
“To have this first-of-its-kind trail so close to where I live and go to school is really exciting,” says Falkowski.
Falkowski and members of her family are sewing dozens of bean bags for the event with duck cloth donated by JoAnn Fabrics in Batavia and feed corn donated by Tractor Supply in Warsaw.
Students in Jared Radesi and Scott Henahan’s Building Trades program at Genesee Valley Educational Partnership in Batavia are designing and building cornhole boards that can be used by other ANT volunteers for future fundraising tournaments. All the materials needed for the boards were donated by the Batavia Home Depot.
Winners in each of 3 age brackets will receive trophies, compliments of Joe’s Pro Shop in Batavia.
Raffle items come from far and wide and include gift cards for local goods and services, themed baskets, one-of-a-kind wood and metal items, and highly collectible pieces, such as a photo and ball cap autographed by actor Joe Mantegna (who is honorary chair for The ANT) and a celebrity package from the TV show “Modern Family.”
The appeal of being involved with The ANT, according to Falkowski, is the ability to tie her future career interest to her current role as a student, to demonstrate that she and her Notre Dame classmates want all individuals to be able to access the jewel that is Letchworth State Park, and to help build a unique experience in nature that will be available for generations of special needs visitors.
For more information about the event at Notre Dame on March 23, call (585) 201-8066 or email letchworthsensorytrail@gmail.com. To learn more about The ANT, go to: autismnaturetrail.com