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Autism Support Center offering workshop

ELKINS — Beginning next month, a local supportive center will begin working with individuals who have autism and their families in an effort to strengthen their skills through agriculture.

The West Virginia Autism Supportive Center will serve as a non-profit supportive and educational system for autistic individuals and their families, officials said.

Chairperson Erin Browning said, “Our vision for this is that it will be a really unique offering where kids and young adults can grow organic food and learn job skills that will help them move on to bigger and better things.”

The non-profit will be striving to reach the ultimate goal of empowering purposeful living, independence and choice to individuals who live with autism.

Offerings will be made available to people of all ages from all areas around the state, with a primary focus on young adults.

Since acquiring several acres of land on Weese Street from the state Department of Agriculture, the center’s organizers have made significant strides in planning workshops that will be offered to individuals with autism and their families.

“Everything that we do will have an agriculture focus,” Browning said. “We really believe in the value of growing food, working with animals and being in nature — and how these things can benefit a person with autism.”

By working outdoors in a garden that will be used for growing vegetables, Browning is hopeful that anyone who participates will be able to gain useful life skills. In addition to growing vegetables, individuals will also be given the opportunity to work with animals once the center begins offering programs.

“We have some businesses in Elkins that have said they would be willing to, perhaps, sell the products for the kids — or even if we could sell them to different restaurants — that is the intention,” Browning said.

According to statistics provided by the center, 90 percent of adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder are unemployed, and 73 percent need assistance with their work.

“What we know about people with autism is that when you give them a job, they often do it very diligently and they do an excellent job. We hope that we can give young people an opportunity to really strengthen the strengths that they already have,” Browning said.

Officials hope that in the summer of 2018 the support center will be offering camps where individuals can come to learn skills that will help them to eventually become part of the workforce by assisting them to find areas where they can work and be successful.

“At this point, we are offering workshops with volunteers, but eventually, we hope to have employed staff,” Browning said.

Anyone who is interested in registering for the center’s first free workshop at 9 a.m. on May 13 can contact Browning at inforwvasc@gamil.com.

An open house will be at 5 p.m. on June 1 to showcase the WVASC’s property and all that the center will be offering. The Davidson Brothers will be performing an acoustic show at the center’s open house.

Browning recognized the Beverly Volunteer Fire Department and Smoke on the Water for being contributors in the development of the center. In addition, Browning credited Denise Campbell and Angie Shockley for proposing the idea that first got the center going.

“We would not have any of this without Commissioner Walt Helmick from when he was in the Department of Agriculture. He really made this happen for us, and we’re looking forward to working with the new administration as well,” Browning said.

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