4A | WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17, 2019 | COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL
Cottage Grove Sentinel
116 N. Sixth St.
Cottage Grove, Ore. 97424
NED HICKSON , MANAGING EDITOR
Opinion
| 541-902-3520 | NHICKSON @ CGSENTINEL . COM
The First Amendment
C
ongress shall make no law respect-
ing an establishment of religion or
prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or
abridging the freedom of speech, or of the
press, or the right of the people peaceably
to assemble, and to petition the Govern-
ment for a redress of grievances.
“I never considered a difference of opinion in politics, in religion, in philosophy, as cause for withdrawing from a friend.” —Thomas Jefferson (1800)
Autism awareness can lower a few raised eyebrows
I knew very little about
the autism spectrum back
in 2006, when I met the
young boy who would
become my son. My
wife and I had been
dating for several
months when we de-
cided it was time to
introduce each other
to our children. She ex-
plained that he had As-
perger’s Syndrome and
likely wouldn’t make eye
contact — and to not take
it personally if he avoided
any physical contact like a
firm handshake.
“And whatever you do,
don’t tousle his hair,” she
instructed with a squeeze
of my hand. “He really
doesn’t like that.”
Autism is a neurolog-
ical developmental dis-
ability with symptoms
generally appearing be-
fore age three, impacting
the development of the
brain in areas of social
interaction, communica-
tion skills and cognitive
function.
It is the fastest-growing
developmental disorder,
affecting one in 68 chil-
dren, and boys are four
times more likely to have
autism than girls.
While it is the fast-
est-growing, autism is
also the least funded and,
therefore, least under-
their families be who
they are, free from stares,
apology or judgement.
That’s because often-
times the symptoms of
autism aren’t as apparent
as other developmental
disorders. As a result,
children with autism
having a difficult time in
social settings — or in ex-
From the Managing Editor’s Desk
Ned Hickson
stood disorder.
The spectrum of au-
tism is wide-ranging,
from those who do not
speak (40 percent) to
others who not only
speak but whose talents
have impacted the world:
Wolfgang Amadeus Mo-
zart, James Joyce, Albert
Einstein, Emily Dickin-
son, Thomas Jefferson
and Dan Akroyd are just
a few.
Each summer, our
family participates in the
four-day KindTree Au-
tism Camp south of Flor-
ence. The mission of the
Autism Rocks camp is a
simple one: For four days,
let those with autism and
treme cases having a full
meltdown — are quickly
labeled as being “bratty,”
“undisciplined” or simply
the result of bad parent-
ing.
While our son, now
19, is well beyond that
thanks to the support of
teachers, students, family
and programs that have
given him the tools to un-
derstand his Asperger’s,
getting there wasn’t easy
— particularly in those
public moments under
the raised-brow stare of
strangers.
Through the triumphs
and
disappointments
over the last 12 years, we
have always reinforced
the message to our son
that being autistic isn’t
any different than being
short or tall: Each pro-
vide challenges as well as
advantages in life. Being
willing to accept yourself
for who you are is the key
to recognizing the differ-
ence.
Through my 20 years
covering the com-
munities of Florence,
Mapleton and now
Cottage Grove, I’ve
had the privilege of
meeting many par-
ents of children with au-
tism, as well as adults liv-
ing with autism.
As I mentioned, I didn’t
know much about autism
when my son and I met
in 2006. Since then, we’ve
learned a lot from each
other through the jour-
ney we’ve shared — in-
cluding what it means for
a father and son to share a
firm handshake.
I hope you’ll join me
and other families within
our community in rec-
ognizing National Au-
tism Awareness Month
through the end of April.
LETTER
Remembering two
remarkable local women
Last week was a sad one for our
community. Cottage Grove lost
two of its leading philanthropists
with the passing of Joy Wood-
ard and Donna Shepherd. Both
women were well known for their
generosity in South Lane County.
Over the years, we have all
benefited from their thoughtful
and supportive approach to the
community to which they were
deeply committed. South Lane
Mental Health is honored to have
been among the recipients of sup-
port from each of these generous,
community-minded women.
Joy Woodard and the Wood-
ard Family Foundation helped
found South Lane Mental Health.
When members of the Presby-
terian Church recognized the
need for mental health support
in Cottage Grove, the Woodard
family helped make that possible
by donating their family home to
South Lane Mental Health. The
home, on West Main Street, still
serves as housing for South Lane
Mental Health clients.
Joy’s generosity as an artist
has also been enduring. Each
year, when South Lane Mental
Health held its Garden Tours, Joy
welcomed us into her studio to
choose among her many water-
colors to use as poster artwork
for the event.
She even opened her beauti-
ful garden to the public for one
of the tours. Her distinctive style
and beautiful artwork continue
to be on display on the walls in
South Lane Mental Health’s Birch
Avenue offices.
Donna Shepherd was a quiet,
generous supporter of so much
of what makes our community
special. Through support from
the Doyle & Donna Shepherd
Foundation, South Lane Mental
Health was able to move to its
new offices on Birch Avenue in
2010 and expand our program-
ming in later years.
We are sad about the passing
of both these remarkable wom-
en, but their memory is alive
through their gracious support of
the many important — and en-
during — community endeavors
they made possible.
Because of their generous ap-
proach to philanthropy, our
community will continue to be
reminded of them, nearly every-
where we turn.
Thank you, Joy Woodard and
Donna Shepherd.
With gratitude,
—South Lane Mental Health
Board of Directors
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