ALLENDALE, Mich. — The owner of an Ottawa County traveling art studio is fundraising for a local autism support organization struggling during the COVID-19 pandemic by selling at-home crafts.
"I'm trying to give back and do something fun when a lot of people are feeling kind of hopeless," said Darcey Nawrocki, owner of Create It Yourself Studio in Allendale. The West Michigan native does art instruction at different venues in the area.
Stuck at home due to the novel coronavirus, Nawrocki began selling and shipping string art kits across Michigan.
She later decided to sell a product for Autism Awareness Month in April, donating the net proceeds to Autism Support of Kent County (ASK). The organization served more than 1,100 people in 2019.
"We are immensely grateful because we have had to push back our Walk for Autism, which funds about half of what we do all year," Executive Director Pam Ligget said. "The fact that someone out there is thinking about us during this tough time touched us so much."
Nawrocki's design is a heart surrounded by puzzle pieces, which represent the complexity of autism's spectrum. She hopes to sell 50 of the $25 kits to raise an estimated $750 for ASK.
"We are really strapped for cash right now...so, this could be instrumental to keep us going for another month," Liggest said. "We know we'll be around, but this chunk of money can really help us pay expenses that are fixed."
Isolation caused by the pandemic is especially hard on families of people with autism, said Kiri Salazar. Her 16-year-old son, Alexei, is on the spectrum.
"[ASK] created events for families to attend, which all got canceled," Salazar said. "Losing our few opportunities to get out and socialize and engage with people who understand where we're coming from – it's desperate."
The loneliness and distance everyone may feel right now are similar to what people with autism can feel on a regular basis, Ligget said.
"They are just like you; they want friends [and] connection," she said. "I would just ask people to take this opportunity to develop some compassion because we can connect in different ways, and that's something to remember."
ASK's annual Walk for Autism has been tentatively rescheduled for August 30.
For a link to the project, click below:
RELATED VIDEO:
More stories on 13 ON YOUR SIDE:
- SASQUATCH SIGHTINGS: Many happening in Michigan thanks to man's encounter
- 'This is not a permanent moment,' Whitmer addresses frustrations about stay at home order
- XFL files for bankruptcy, cites coronavirus crisis
- Ohio governor limits liquor store purchases to only several counties
- Bernie Sanders endorses Joe Biden for president
►Make it easy to keep up to date with more stories like this. Download the 13 ON YOUR SIDE app now.
Have a news tip? Email news@13onyourside.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter. Subscribe to our YouTube channel.