On Sunday, June 26, 2011 my family, friends and I participated with thousands of others from all over Ontario in the Walk Now for Autism in Toronto.  This was my family’s 4th year participating in the annual event and we’ve seen it grow each year in attendance and funds raised.  My nephew has autism.  His name is Ethan and he is without a doubt one of the best things that’s ever happened to me.

We gathered at Nathan Phillips Square around 8:30am to meet with other families who have been touched by Autism.  The kids were kept entertained by bouncy castles, games, face painting and musical performances.  For the adults there was free Starbucks, merchandise booths and the affirmation that we were not alone in this by meeting with other families who are experiencing the same things.

At 10am we proceeded to walk up the northbound lanes of University Ave. to College St. and then back down again.  By 11am the walk was done, the traffic was flowing at its normal pace and we were saying our goodbyes to friends and family who had travelled to Toronto in support of the event.  All in all, it was a brief but very rewarding and beneficial day for all involved.

You have said that you believe “the purpose of marathons is to create revenue for charities” (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6eX66AjIXC8) but I believe you’re overlooking another, possibly even more important reason : awareness.  Though financial donations are a large part of these events, getting the message out about them on the largest stage possible is also key.  Downtown Toronto is one of the greatest stages an event could have to spread such important messages.  A lot of people know about these events but don’t necessarily know much about the causes.

Autism, for example, affects 1 out of 110 children and 1 in 70 boys.  This percentage is increasing dramatically every year. In fact, more children will be diagnosed with autism this year than with AIDS, diabetes & cancer combined.  Frighteningly however, Autism receives less than 5% of the research funding of many less prevalent childhood diseases.

You have said you are in favour of moving these events to city parks or bike paths, but I strongly believe that would hinder, and in some cases cripple the progress being made by holding them on city streets.  Our audiences and potential supporters would shrink from thousands to possibly only hundreds at most.

Autism may not be a cause you can relate to, which I understand as a lot of people still don’t know much about it. So let me talk to you in terms you will understand – local economy.  My family members live out of town, and they traveled here the day before the walk.  They stayed in the Sheraton Hotel across the road from the square.  Hundreds, possibly thousands of other families also stayed in hotels in the area. These families eat in our restaurants, use public transportation, view tourist attractions and even do some shopping during their stay. My family did.  All of which generates revenue for the city of Toronto.

I will never understand how globally recognized companies like Toys R Us and Starbucks feel it absolutely necessary to support Walk Now for Autism yet our own mayor would rather push us out to a park simply so we don’t disturb 2 blocks of traffic on a Sunday morning.

It breaks my heart and makes me embarrassed of my city, which I never thought I’d say about Toronto.

Sincerely,
Kristian Rogelstad

Update

I sent this email off today (Friday July 22, 2011) and received this auto-reply :

Thank you for your email.

As I promised during the mayoralty election, I am dedicated to delivering customer service excellence, creating a transparent and accountable government, reducing the size and cost of government and building a transportation city.

I will continue to work on behalf of the taxpayers to make sure you get the respect you deserve.

This note is to confirm that we have received your email and that we are lookinginto your matter.

Please feel free to follow up to check the status of your email.

Thanks again and have a great day.

Yours truly,

 

Mayor Rob Ford

City of Toronto

We’re all in this together.

Update #2

i got a response from the Mayor himself…or at least his email address itself…

Good Morning Kristian,

Thank you for your email about marathons and road closures in the City of Toronto. I have listened to many concerned citizens about this matter. Some enjoy the use of our city streets for events, while others are frustrated. I am supportive of the organisers of these events provided they give Toronto residents fair warning to prepare for road closures. If there is anything else I can assist you with, please do not hesitate to contact my office.

Yours truly,

Rob Ford
Mayor of Toronto

I’m taking a time-out from my normal blogging routine of ridiculousness to talk about Walk Now for Autism.

Once again, my family and i will be participating in this year’s Walk Now for Autism in Toronto on Sunday, June 7 2009.

For those unaware, my nephew has autism and so this cause hits pretty close to home.
He’s the coolest, smartest, just all around greatest nephew anyone could ever ask for and so we want to do all we can to help with research and awareness of autism. last year’s event was a huge success and a really great day overall.

we have a team page set up, you can click here to view and/or make donations. to sponsor one of our team members(ie : me!), just click on the person’s name on our team page.  the direct link to my personal page is http://www.tinyurl.com/uncleForEthan

Our team goal is to raise $3000 and any support is appreciated.
Monetary, high fives, whatever.

And if anyone’s interested there’s always room on our team!
it costs nothing to join our team and you’ll get a nice walk around downtown TO out of the deal!

Thanks.

“Never doubt that a small group of dedicated people could change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” – Margaret Mead