ASHVILLE — Erie 2-Chautauqua-Cattaraugus BOCES students and staff gathered on April 17 in observance of Autism Awareness Month at Chautauqua Lake Central School for their third annual Autism Awareness Walk. The walk, which began in 2016 with the students and staff from the Chautauqua Lake site, tripled in size this year. More than 500 students, staff and community members from four sites participated.

“We thought of the idea to not only recognize the population of students with autism but to help create awareness within E2CCB and the community,” said Nicole Seaver, E2CCB Physical Education Teacher at Chautauqua Lake. “It is important to see how much the event has grown over the past three years and the support everyone has shown.”

The walk celebrates every student in the program and is one way E2CCB demonstrates its support for students and families with autism or autism spectrum disorder diagnoses (ASD). It’s also a way to help show students they are truly valued for their unique talents and gifts. The event is made possible to a great group of staff including Stacie Cummings, Josh Reed, Wendy Keefe, Jaxi Tynan, Ashley Lindstrom, Kirstin Harris, Geoffrey Hopcus, Andrea Gundlach, Nicole Seaver, SUNY Fredonia interns and many more. E2CCB plans to continue the tradition with this annual event and hopes that even more groups and members of the community will join in raising awareness.

The Erie 2-Chautauqua-Cattaraugus (E2CC) BOCES is one of 37 BOCES in New York State. The E2CC BOCES represents all the school districts in Chautauqua County, southern Erie County, and part of Cattaraugus County, a geographical area of 1,791 square miles. Services are offered in the following areas: Adult & Community Education, Special Education, Alternative Education, Career & Technical Education, Staff & Curriculum Development, Instructional Support Services, Technology Services, Management Services, and others. For more information, visit www.e2ccb.org.