Autism Empowerment Inspires Acts of Service

According to Karen Krejcha, Executive Director for Autism Empowerment, their program began in October 2015. Since that time, 27 children ranging in age from seven to 13 have participated and completed 547.5 hours. Their service projects are designed and adapted by both age and ability level.

The Autism Serves Kids Care Club projects vary, but are typically created around a specific theme, including Peace and Kindness, Veterans/Military, Hunger and Poverty, Literacy, and Random Acts of Kindness. The organization partners with other groups like the Clark County Veteran’s Assistance Center, the Vancouver Public Library, Clark County Food Bank, Martin Richard Bridge Builder Project, and generationOn.

Krejcha says many of their volunteers are siblings who serve as peer mentors ranging in age up through 16 years old. In addition, as club members have a wide range of ability levels and require different levels of support, at least one parent, guardian, or adult support partner is required to participate in club activities alongside the youth member.

Other volunteers include high school students interested in child development with a familial connection with autism, college students studying autism and wanting practical hands-on experience, and adults on the autism spectrum looking to give back to the community.

“We look for volunteers who self-identify with the following traits: patience, kindness, acceptance, flexibility, openness, and a willingness to learn and understand about autism and the autism spectrum,” emphasizes Krejcha. “There is a popular saying in the autism community, ‘if you’ve met one person with autism, you’ve met one person with autism.’ What this means is that each person on the autism spectrum is different and has different strengths, gifts and challenges. Although there are often commonalities, (e.g. challenges with communication, sensory issues, motor skills, and executive functioning), how these issues present themselves will be on a spectrum and will be different with each person.”

In addition to helping those in need in their community, the Autism Serves Kids Care Club members and their families also benefit personally from their service projects and volunteering. Krejcha says that frequently kids on the autism spectrum are used to being the recipient of services. “They get used to people doing things to help them, but not so much the other way around. Kids are making friendships with other kids and the shared experience of service learning and doing good in our community has given our club members a lot to be thankful for and proud of accomplishing.”

The service projects provide a quality bonding time and shared experiences with club members and their families. “The kids have an increased knowledge and awareness of social issues in our region and in our country,” says Krejcha. “Many issues like hunger and homelessness seem abstract and difficult to understand, especially for children who have not been exposed to these challenges. Age and ability appropriate curriculum and projects provide the opportunity to discuss these issues with family and peers in a nurturing and safe environment.”

Krejcha also points out that the service activities offer increased social communication with peers, both inside and outside the club, as well as increased compassion and empathy for people experiencing different challenges. She’s noticed increased social engagement among club members, greater participation, and respectful listening when other kids share. “This first became apparent when kids had the opportunity to make wellness kits for homeless veterans and then had the chance to meet some of those veterans and hear their stories,” she says.

Another positive impact is that the kids want to continue volunteering outside of the club. Krejcha says parents have reported increased volunteering in school-related activities, scouting, faith-based activities and an overall desire to help other people and perform acts of kindness. “Quite a few of our club members are choosing to volunteer throughout the month outside of our club gatherings, as well as participate in autism acceptance advocacy for themselves and others. We are also getting requests from the kids and their parents to go back to some of the places we’ve previously volunteered. We’re excited to hear Autism Serves Kids Care Club members making their own suggestions on what activities they’d like to see us do in the future. The enthusiasm has a positive ripple effect and we’re happy to add projects that may be outside our originally planned monthly theme.”

Two of their most rewarding projects so far were making kindness cards and helping the Clark County Food Bank. The kids created laminated SMILE and kindness cards and distributed them to friends, family, classmates, teachers, and neighbors. “The focus was that each one of us, no matter what our age, has the ability to pass along joy, kindness, and a smile to other people,” says Krejcha.

The kids also enjoyed going door-to-door in their community to collect food through Walk & Knock, a one-day food drive. Club members then visited their local food bank to assist the local Humane Society by repackaging donated pet food into serving bags. “The kids enjoyed knowing that in addition to helping local families experiencing hunger, they were also helping to take care of family pets,” says Krejcha. “Another neat thing about this project was that our group volunteered alongside other volunteering groups within the community and were able to have a positive discussion about Autism Serves Kids Care Club.”