Mary Caruso and her daughters Sam & Alex Bode of North Branford, will join forces with the North Branford Congregational Church, UCC and their North Street neighbors this year for their annual fundraiser for The Friedreich’s Ataxia Research Alliance.
This year’s fundraiser will be comprised of a historic walk down North Street onto a portion of Water Company property followed by a picnic on the church lawn sponsored by Outback Steakhouse of Orange. Historic information on the North Street houses will be provided as part of the walk. It will be a gathering of camaraderie where all will join in body, mind and spirit to bring awareness for Friedreich’s ataxia, to celebrate this historic area and instill the importance of acceptance of all people.
Sam and Alex were both diagnosed with Friedreich’s ataxia (FA) around the age of 8 years old and both now use wheelchairs for mobility. FA also compromises fine motor, speech, energy production, and heart function. Despite these physical limitations, Sam graduated from Southern Connecticut State University and is working at The Sportsplex in North Branford, and Alex is a junior at Southern in the Department of Social Work where she was just accepted into the National Honor Society. Both young women have not only had to face the physical consequences of the debilitation disease, but also the psychological impact often exasperated by others who make false assumptions regarding the girl's intelligence based on their physical impairments. "Society has a long way to go in understanding that needing accommodations to accomplish what others can do effortlessly should not be seen as "different", but seen as a way fit in with others”, states Sam Bode. Alex Bode feels the same way and wishes that people could just learn to look past the physical effects of the disease and just learn to see what is inside a person. “On the inside we are just like everyone else”, reminds Alex.
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Community Day to Cure FA will begin with registration for the walk at the Caruso/Bode home on North Street at noon on Sunday September 11, 2011. The walk will begin at 1:00 pm where people can walk at their leisure from 1:00 to 3:00 pm. The picnic will take place from 3:00 to 5:00 pm on the church lawn with food prepared by Outback Steakhouse. There will be a raffle, music, surprises, fun and inspiration. Cost for the walk and the picnic is $25.00 per person.
Please contact Mary Caruso for more information or advance ticket sales at Meirbode@aol.com or 203-483-9835
