CFS Works with 11-Year-Old Who Dreams of Treating All Kids the Same
When the Children's Board of Hillsborough County Youth as Resources division asked for proposals for student-driven community projects, CFS's (The Department of Child and Family Studies) Marjorie Russell knew the perfect young person to take part. His name is Alvin Hamilton.
Marjorie met Alvin last summer at the Learning Gate Center where CFS conducted Friendship For All training (developed by CFS's Nila Benito and Selina Bustamante), which is a program that helps typical kids understand the needs of kids with disabilities.
Alvin, a longtime friend of a child with autism, helped the CFS staff greatly during the training. "His experiences are rich and authentic to other kids," said Marjorie, "and it was for those reasons that we asked Alvin to be our partner in applying for the Friends Learning You Need One World (FLY NOW) program." An important aspect of the grant was that Alvin had to be the lead. He had to fill out the grant application, the budget, and write a letter to the Youth As Resources Committee explaining why he thought it would be a great idea.
"Dear Grant Committee," wrote Alvin, "since I was four years old, I have been best friends with a boy named Vincent. We do lots of things together. If you met Vincent you would see that he has a disability. He has autism. I know a lot of kids don't understand him and the disability. They don't know that he needs friends just like me and you. I think this grant will help teach other kids about kids with disabilities, then they will teach other kids, (and) pretty soon all of Hillsborough County will be treating kids all the same." (Although the grant amount is very small, Alvin had a big impact on the selection committee.)
With the focus of developing friendships between kids with disabilities and kids without disabilities (peer buddies), FLY NOW promotes positive interactions by providing recreational activities such as trips to baseball games and theme parks, picnics, skating, etc. These activities occur twice a month during April through August, and peer buddies must have parental permission and attend training sessions. Each child with a disability will be matched with three to four peer buddies on field trips.
"The first training was on Sunday, March 18, and it was phenomenal!" said Cindy Pritchard, who coordinates the FLY NOW program. "The peer buddies met at the Shriner's Hospital board room and had two hours of diversity awareness training, autism awareness activities and spent some time learning about their peer buddy."
Once peer buddies spent time reviewing critical information provided by parents about their kids' disability, they discussed strategies that work with kids with autism. Alvin then shared a slide show and stories about Summer Camp last year.
The first outing to a baseball game was a great success. Next on the agenda is an Easter Egg Hunt at Lettuce Lake Park on April 8 and a trip to McDonald's April 22. Skating and a trip to Celebration Station are planned for May.
"Throughout the country," stated Cindy, "research shows that all kids benefit from experiences like this, as new friendships are developed and diversity is appreciated."
The Family Network on Disabilities program within CFS's Center for Autism and Related Disabilities (CARD) is sponsoring FLY NOW and donating staff time and resources. For additional information, contact Cindy Pritchard at 974-6794.
The Department of Child and Family Studies (CFS) is a department of the Louis de la Parte Florida Mental Health Institute, University of South Florida. The faculty and staff of CFS are committed to enhancing the development, mental health and well-being of children and families through leadership in integrating research, theory & practice.