Friends and Neighbors in Action (FNA), which is based in Millstone Township, will hold its seventh annual 5K race and fun walk on Oct. 5 at Thompson Park in nearby Monroe Township.
The event will benefit Parents of Autistic Children (POAC), a group based in Brick Township that provides free training and services throughout New Jersey.
Rich Lancia, marketing director and event organizer for FNA, said registration for the 5K race and fun walk will begin at 7:30 a.m.
The 5K race will begin at 9 a.m. and follow a course through the park. The walk is scheduled to start at 10 a.m. and is a 1-mile loop near the lakefront.
An awards ceremony will be held for the top finishers in the 5K at the conclusion of the race.
“Our goal varies depending on the turnout, but we hope that we raise somewhere in the neighborhood of $20,000,” Lancia said. “We hope that families, friends and colleagues help spread the word. This is a feel-good event that can really help people.”
Lancia said FNA assists individuals who suffer from serious chronic and debilitating diseases. FNA funds research, education and community support programs to help find cures and improve patient care and quality of life.
“We picked POAC [as the beneficiary] because we liked that they primarily provide training, education and recreational activities for people with autism,” Lancia said. “They are one of the largest providers of training regarding autism. Autism touches so many lives, and POAC is doing some great stuff.”
Lancia said he is proud that his wife, Jeannine, and their daughters, Abigail, 13, Grace, 10, and Emily, 15, will be participating at the race.
“It is a nice outdoor activity that gives you a chance to bond with your family, but more importantly, it provides a chance to teach children about helping people,” he said.
POAC has a mission to improve the lives of children and adults with autism by providing scientifically based training to parents, teachers and other direct service providers.
POAC supports ongoing research into the causes of autism, its symptoms, prevention and a potential cure. In addition, POAC provides free recreational events for children and adults with autism and their families.
“They do not receive any government funding at all,” Lancia said about POAC. “They are one of the largest providers of free autism education in our state.”
Simone Tellini, director of program development at POAC, has a 21-year-old son with autism.
Tellini said the members of POAC are thrilled to be beneficiaries of the upcoming event because they have a great deal of work to accomplish in giving free services and training statewide for first responders, parents, teachers and others who interact with individuals who have autism.
In fact, POAC has trained more than 15,000 police officers, firefighters and emergency medical teams so those first responders know how to interact with individuals who have autism. The group began in 1999 and has 200 members.
“I got involved with POAC several years ago and saw that they took a very different approach,” Tellini said. “POAC services the whole state. The training programs provided were very different and helpful than anything out there. Once I got involved, I never turned back.”
For more information about POAC, visit www.poac.net.
To sponsor FNA’s Oct. 5 event or for more information, call Rich Lancia at 609- 371-1137.