Dan and Ben
Dan is Ben's little brother. Ben is autistic. Dan is skating up the East Coast with his college friends to raise awareness for autism and raise scholarship money for those with autism.
Dan Tatar, whose father, Neil, helped set up the group ’s Web site and also established a 5013c nonprofit organization, ADK Charities, to handle donations, said his goal is to inspire other young adults to learn about autism.
There are now 750 members of Rolling for Autism, among students from 150 colleges.
“Through colleges and schools, we want to reach the teachers, lawyers, doctors of tomorrow, so they can be better informed about autism, ” Tatar said. “We want to fund grants for things like summer camps, to help build the autistic person’s self-confidence. ”
Read all about their efforts at http://www.rollingforautism.com. Today they are in Jacksonboro, South Carolina.
There are so many difficulties for the siblings of autistics, but so many blessings. I believe that the greatest is that you become aware and compassionate. I hope that we can do as well by our sons as the Tartar's have.
Team Taylor will be in Kittery on August 19th to welcome Dan and his friends to Maine and offer our thanks. In the mean time we will keep you posted on their journey.
Rolling along for autism
Brother to skate up East Coast to raise awareness for disease
By PAMELA A. BROOKS
Special to The Post-Star
Published: Thursday, July 05, 2007
At first glance, it might seem that the younger brother in this story is the hero.
After all, it’s Dan Tatar, 23, who’s inline skating up the East coast with three college buddies in an inspiring quest to raise money and awareness for autism.
But Dan has a big brother named Ben, now 25, who’s faced hurdles all his life, struggling with challenges consistent with autism spectrum disorder.
Dan Tatar said his admiration for his big brother is the real reason he’ll pull on his skates for the next 50-plus days straight and skate until he’s ready to drop.
Tatar is being joined for the journey by Carson Strang of Cleveland, Ohio, Sean Streich, of Kimberly, British Columbia, and Jason Ortolano of Carteret, N.J.
Underway at last
The trip began a week ago as an energetic team of four Union College grads pushed out of Florida and headed north, rolling stride after stride towards distant Kittery, Maine. It ’s expected to end on Aug. 19, some 2,000 miles later.
By Wednesday, Tatar and friends were in Savannah, Ga., where he reported the temperature - and the skating - was hot, hot, hot.
“I’ve done 20 miles so far, ” he said in an early evening phone interview. “Five more to go, and then we ’ll get some dinner. Three of us skate, one drives the car ahead seven or eight miles, then we switch. Tomorrow we ’ll start at 6 a.m. to avoid the heat.”
Media stars
All along the way, the core group of four is being joined by various other skaters who learned about the project on the group ’s Web site, www.rollingforautism.com. Plans for the arduous journey got started a year ago, and it has now grown into a media event wherever they go.
“We’ve been on the ‘Good Morning, Jacksonville’ show, and three other different morning shows,” Tatar said. “There was just a huge gala at a PGA golf course, where they honored Jenny McCarthy for her work for autism, plus a cutting-edge doctor - and us. It was amazing.”
Plans are in the works, Tatar added, for a visit to the “Good Morning America” show when the group reaches New York City.
“There are events in every city, at schools and summer camps, ” said Tatar. “We were at a cafe last night, meeting with families from the area, and the events will be getting bigger as we get farther north.”
What they want
Tatar, whose father, Neil, helped set up the group’s Web site and also established a 5013c nonprofit organization, ADK Charities, to handle donations, said his goal is to inspire other young adults to learn about autism.
There are now 750 members of Rolling for Autism, among students from 150 colleges.
“Through colleges and schools, we want to reach the teachers, lawyers, doctors of tomorrow, so they can be better informed about autism,” Tatar said. “We want to fund grants for things like summer camps, to help build the autistic person’s self-confidence. ”
Big brother Ben
Here at home, Ben Tatar and his father, Neil, are watching the journey on the group’s Web site and getting frequent updates by phone.
Ben was able to finish high school and graduate from Adirondack Community College, although it was a daily struggle. His passions are weightlifting and journalism, and he’s already had sports-related articles published on Web sites and in magazines.
“Weightlifting over 400 pounds, when I don’t even weigh 200 pounds, is good for me” said Ben. “I’m extra-intense by nature. I couldn’t sit still in the classroom until I learned how to use visualization, breathing and mind techniques to focus on one specific task.” When asked what he thought about his brother ’s trek on inline skates, Ben ’s response made the circle complete.
“There are a lot of autistic kids around the world with parents who don’t know how much they can accomplish with the right help,” said Ben. “What my little brother is doing is very, very inspirational.”
For more information, to follow the journey, or to make a donation, visit the Web site, www.rollingforautism.com.
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