The 2nd Annual Zoo Walk / 5K Run for Autism at the Phoenix Zoo

The 2nd Annual Zoo Walk / 5K Run for Autism at the Phoenix Zoo is a fundraiser for Autism Research. The event is Saturday October 21, 2006, registration 6:30am or register online at www.zoowalk.org. A $50 tax-deductible donation gets you a t-shirt, a wristband for all day admission to the zoo and participation in the 8am 1.1mile walk on an easy paved path, with shade and places to stop and view the animals. It’s ideal for strollers, wheelchairs and wagons, but no bikes, skateboards, or roller blades.
Runners entry fee is $25 and the run starts at 7am. The 5K run makes 2.5 loops inside the zoo.
Autism now affects 1 in 166 children. Based on government statistics, autism is growing at a startling rate of 10%-17% per year. At this rate, the ASA estimates that the prevalence of autism could reach 4 million Americans in the next decade.

Autism is a complex developmental disability that affects an individual in the areas of social interaction and communication. It’s a spectrum disorder that affects each individual differently and to varying degrees of severity. Research is needed to find effective treatments to help children and adults with Autism/Asperger’s.

Fifty percent of the Zoo Walk funds will go directly to the Autism/Asperger’s Research Program at ASU, lead by James B. Adams, Ph.D. Adams is a pioneer in the search for new treatments for children and adults with Autism and Asperger’s. In addition to carrying out important research studies, he has also organized major autism conferences in Arizona to educate families about biomedical, behavioral, and educational therapies.

The other fifty percent will go to Autism Research Institute, directed by Bernard Rimland, PhD, father of a son with autism. In 1964, he wrote the book “Infantile Autism”. In 1967, he founded the Autism Research Institute, which has gathered data on treatments from over 40,000 families, and provided information on effective treatments to over 100,000 families. In 1995, Dr. Rimland founded Defeat Autism Now!, training parents in biomedical treatments based on scientific research, physician experience, and parent input.

Phoenix Zoo is located at 455 N. Galvin Parkway in Papago Park in Phoenix.