Five members of Psi Chi, the national honor society in psychology, volunteered at the Walk for Autism fundraiser in Oneida on April 20. April is Autism Awareness Month and the walk was held to benefit The Kelberman Center in Utica, a regional center for excellence for individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder. The center was founded by Michael Kelberman ’80. Heather Wixson, associate director of the Career Center, was co-chair of the walk this year.
Student volunteers were Hallie Brown ’13, Ramya Ramnath’13, Nikole Bonacorsi ’15, Katherine Delesalle ’14 and Susannah Parkin ’13.
The Kelberman Center is an affiliate of Upstate Cerebral Palsy. According to the Kelberman Center website, “Dr. Michael Kelberman and his family are dedicated to the advancement of individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). Realizing the tremendous impact that an ASD has on individuals and families, with 1 in 88 children in the United States currently born with the disorder, Dr. Kelberman provided leadership to a $1 million campaign to raise the startup funds for the organization, which was incorporated as a not-for-profit organization in 2005.”
