McKenna Fellows As the Latin versus Parker varsity basketball concluded with a big win for the Romans, a certain LSOC bunch reflected proudly on their fundraising efforts for a charitable cause. The Autism Support Club, led by senior Jasper Geier and others, advocates for children nationwide with the disorder. Autism is a mental condition developed in early childhood that can affect a child’s ability to interact both verbally and physically with others in a social setting. This year alone, approximately 1 in 59 children is diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder. And while the statistic speaks for itself, this club has plenty more to say (and do) about it. Like many clubs at Latin, the Autism Support Club promotes action (which is especially fitting considering this school year’s theme) both in and outside the school environment. Leader Jasper Geier says that “ASC’s goal is to raise money for local charities that help better the lives of people with autism, while also engaging our school in enjoyable fundraisers”. The most current example of this is the group’s success in selling towels that were used at the most recent Latin versus Parker basketball game. For a fee of five dollars, the entire student body had the opportunity to purchase a handheld orange cloth starring a unique mascot— the Latin Rodent. These brightly-colored towels not only served as perfect tools of intimidation for our long-time rivals, but the purpose behind them held even greater value. To the delight of the club, Romans of all grades were eager to participate in this creative act of generosity. The profits rolled in consistently prior to the event, and the selling success streak continued at the game where there was quite the desirable turnout. Aside from this effective form of publicity, ASC has also regularly advertised their cause within school premises. At this year’s clubs fair, they acquired several new members, and were able to boost the organization’s repute significantly with the help of both returning and incoming participants. Right off the bat, everyone was anxious to take charge of any and all advertisement opportunities. Whether this be informing the student body of ways to pitch in at gatherings, or a more informal collection of money by way of a jug, the club has really pulled out all of the stops. In fact, the latter has proven to be the most successful tactic in gaining profit for the organization. By simply roaming the halls with a giant plastic tub in hand, club members have collected hundreds of dollars from each grade. Freshman Sam Gibson enthuses, “It’s really great to always have an easy way to give back. The jug isn’t fancy— it’s actually kind of beat up from so many people using it— but it has been such a promising source of profit for us to put towards our cause”. This speaks volumes not just about how active each member of the club has been in terms of the jug distribution, but more so how much everyone cares about the mission as a whole. While ASC has already assembled quite the roster of representatives (the majority of which are boys), they want everyone to know that it is never too late to join and support the cause. “The more people that come and actually want to be a part of something greater than themselves, the better outcome we can have”, says Sam. Regardless of age, interest, or service background, this is a group that has the potential to appeal to anyone, as long as there is an active desire to give back. So, to conclude, the members of Autism Support impart some final words of wisdom to the Latin Upper School community: “Fill the jug!”.]]>