Local Speech Center Holds Autism Run
NORTH JACKSON — A race in Jackson focuses on helping patients with autism. Saturday morning dozens ran the second annual Autism Awareness 5 K Run. Runners started at the West Tennessee Hearing and Speech Center at 7:00 AM, with a goal of raising $10,000. The center has been holding a race for 17 years but the last two years they’ve focused on autism. One of the runners, who also suffers from autism, says she’s supporting the race, while fighting off other illnesses. “I have a particularly aggressive form of cancer that they tell me is very likely to come back and come back quickly,” Colleen Johnson said, a race participant. “So I’m trying to starve off it’s return by running.” The money will go towards assistive technology devices at the center. So far they’ve raised more than $9,000. The center says they’re still accepting donations.
