Team of 12-year-olds in Running for Community Service Prize • 11.18.11
Three 12-year-olds who try to raise awareness about autism in school are finalists in a community service competition hosted by a Connecticut toy company.
Mohamed Elsaid of Mount Kisco, and Robert Belcher and Robin Day, both of Bedford Hills, are competing for votes as Team Autism Speaks with several other finalists including Ryan Basso, 10, of Port Chester, who is raising awareness for Stargardt disease that has left him legally blind.
The winning prize is a $1,000 award from the toy company, Zylie the Bear.
Votes for the finalists can be placed at the toy company website, Zylie the Bear.
Pelham students Light it Up Blue • 03.31.11
A Pelham Middle School student has written a song to raise awareness for autism. It was commissioned by the organization Autism Speaks, which is one of the leaders of Autism Awareness Day on Saturday.
Owen Saunders, a sixth-grader, composed the music and melody for “Light it Up Blue” in November. His mother, who works in the music business, wrote the lyrics. At the beginning of this year, Saunders, his brother, Wyatt, and a bunch of other Pelham students recorded tune. Watch a video here. (Look for the “Introduction Video” heading in the lower right of the page.) That’s Pelham’s Harriet Palmer, in seventh grade, singing the opening lines.
A full account of the story will appear in tomorrow’s Journal News. Meantime, set your DVRs for about 8:40 a.m., when the kids will appear on WPIX to perform their song.
(From left, that’s Owen Saunders, Justin Limardo, Wyatt Saunders, Noah Dulock [hidden], Nicholas Dulock, Harriet Palmer, Megan Lahn, Julia Fratpietro, Alex Deland and Diane Deland. Photo provided.)
