Riddells Creek mum Lauren Boland wants her son Jarvis to know that there’s nothing he can’t achieve.
It was her son’s diagnosis with autism, a year ago, that is inspiring Ms Boland to take part in Awegust for Awetism next month.
The month-long campaign challenges participants to achieve personal goals to raise funds for the I CAN Network, Australia’s first social enterprise run predominantly by people on the autism spectrum.
“I’m doing this to show him I can do anything I put my mind to, just like he can,” Ms Boland said.
The mother of two will kick off the month by giving up alcohol and social media and will set herself more challenges in coming weeks.
“Something I will struggle with – just as people with autism do on a daily basis in our society – is being told that I can’t do something,” she said.
“I thought long and hard … and at first I thought, easy, I’ll give up coffee. But coffee isn’t really my thing so I thought, what about alcohol? That’s going to be a tougher one.”
She said the cause was “something very close to my little family’s heart”.
“Awegust for Awetism helps us to understand a bit more what he [Jarvis] goes through every day so that we can help him to understand that ‘superhero’ within him,” she said.
Ms Boland hopes to raise $1000 for the I CAN Network and also raise awareness of autism within schools.
Jarvis’s classmates at Riddells Creek Primary School are supporting Awegust for Awetism by hosting a superhero and Olympic sports day on August 5.
Donate at www.awegustforawetism.com/laurenboland
