Giant Steps celebrates awareness month with event, outreach, expansion plans

LISLE – During an Autism Awareness Month marked by a $1 million cut to autism services in Illinois, Giant Steps in Lisle is hard at work, reaching out to the community to educate people about autism and preparing for its annual fundraiser.

Giant Steps offers supports for people with autism and their families, from a day school for kindergartners through 21-year-olds to a fairly new program for young adults when they age out of the school system in Illinois.

The organization is in the process of expanding its Canopy day program for adults, and at its 19th annual charity auction Saturday in Woodridge, Giant Steps will honor the man who has helped to make that expansion possible, Jerry Rich.

Rich is the owner of Rich Harvest Farms, which Canopy participants regularly visit for both vocational and recreational opportunities through the Sugar Grove site's golf course, restaurant, lodge, stables, horse track, car museum, natural areas and more, said Garrett Slemmons, Giant Steps' vice president of community relations.

The organization began using Rich Harvest Farms about a year ago for the program, which started in May 2012. Now, Rich has donated land to the organization to use to build a community center and residential units there to serve its adults, Slemmons said.

Giant Steps has to raise about $15 million for building and equipment costs, with an eye on beginning construction in about two to three years, said Bridget O'Connor, the organization's president.

The expansion project stems from a lack of options for adults with disabilities in Illinois.

When adults turn 22, they no longer receive services or funding for services from their school districts, leaving families searching for supports that are difficult to find.

In Giant Steps' case, leaders there realized they were servicing students and their families for about 15 years and then leaving them to fend for themselves, when services are especially lacking for adults on the autism spectrum, O'Connor said.

"That's the reality for them," she said.

Knowing its success with serving people with autism, Giant Steps started by adding its day program for adults, and now with a residential community on the horizon, the organization hopes to fill another hole in the services available to this growing population, she said.

For Rose Krolak of Woodridge, finding a program for her son Matthew, 23, was a stressful experience, she said.

What made her choose Giant Steps' Canopy program was its focus on autism.

Since he began with the program about two years ago, she's noticed positive behaviors that have extended to Matthew's home life, including more independence and calmness, Krolak said.

Willowbrook resident Linda Roman's son Travis, 22, came to Giant Steps about three years ago.

She, too, has seen the benefits of the Canopy program, which has helped Travis with his coping skills and self esteem, she said.

The day program meets Monday through Friday. On Fridays, participants cook, which is one of Travis's favorite activities to do through the program.

"We cook, like pizza and mashed potatoes and breadsticks," he said.

Families pay $90 per day for the Canopy program. Both Krolak and Roman receive state funding that can be used to pay for the program.

While Giant Steps does not receive public dollars outside of what it gets from school districts to educate the students with autism they are unable to serve, state cuts could impact the organization by affecting its families.

"Any cuts to special needs in the state of Illinois are going to affect the families, and anything that affects the families affects us," Slemmons said.

In addition to the supports it provides to clients and their families, Giant Steps also reaches out to the community to help train others about how to be more autism-friendly. This month, the organization has several training sessions scheduled, O'Connor said.

She said education is more what's needed this Autism Awareness Month than awareness itself, as many people are aware of autism.

Giant Steps' partnership with Rich Harvest Farms is part of an important message the organization hopes to spread.

"The message it sends is these people are important, and they deserve the opportunity to have a good life," O'Connor said.

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How to help

For more information on the 19th annual charity auction, visit mygiantsteps.org. To set up a training workshop, contact Garrett Slemmons at 630-864-3862 or gslemmons@mygiantsteps.org. To support the Rich Harvest Farms expansion project, contact Bridget O'Connor at 630-864-3800 or boconnor@mygiantsteps.org.