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Ron Rosenfeld noticed when he opened his footwear store more than three years ago that parents bought two or three pairs of sneakers for their children. A few days later, the mother or father would return to his New Balance store on Main Street with all but one pair. Each time, their child was not along.
"They said their child had autism,'' says Rosenfeld, whose footwear store will hold the second annual All Out for Autism run Friday night. "They told me a lot retailers didn't want to deal with their children. I said we weren't like that, that they could come in after hours and we would help them. I thought that was horrible. I noticed that if you keep calm, the children stay calm."
The Special Education Network of New Canaan is Rosenfeld's partner in the race. Rosenfeld, who also has a store in Stamford, is hoping for more than 400 runners and walkers for Friday's race. There is 5-kilometer race and a 1-kilometer walk. The race begins at 6:30.
"We wanted to do something a little different,'' Rosenfeld says. "I've run some races on Friday night, and in a small town like this, it can turn out to be a lot of fun."
Proceeds from the race will go toward a path to be built in Waveny Park for people with autism. Rosenfeld is hopeful construction will begin next spring and will cost $30,000 to $35,000."It's something that we'll be able to add to,'' he says. "And it will have extra stations that will help children with autism."
Runners and walkers interested in participating in Friday's race can find out more information here and can register here.
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