Local Weather for Appleton, WI
81°
27°
°F | °C
Mostly Cloudy
Humidity: 41%
Wind: W at 8 mph
Thu
62 |
81
16 |
27
Fri
64 |
76
17 |
24
Sat
65 |
76
18 |
24
Sun
67 |
81
19 |
27
| Rock 4 Autism |
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Bruce Hawley didn’t realize how many people he knows have children with autism until he got involved with a Friends of Autism fundraising walk four years ago. “It’s amazing once you get involved with it how many people you actually know with autistic children,” he said. Hawley, owner of Tanner’s Grill & Bar in Kimberly, began hosting a walk for autism at the suggestion of a good friend who has autistic twins. “He found out about a Neenah walk for autism,” Hawley said. “We’ve done walks for juvenile diabetes. He asked if we could get one going through Tanner’s. That first year we ended up with 50 walkers and raised about $15,000. That’s when I realized I knew some of the people with the Friends of Autism group.” For the second walk, Hawley offered to provide food from Tanner’s for a family gathering at a park after the walk. “The weather was really bad, so a lot of people left,” he said. “We did it the next year and the weather was bad again.” So he offered the clubhouse at Tanner’s for an after-walk gathering with food and autism information booths. As he learned of more people within his wide circle of people he knows and meets who were touched by autism, Hawley wanted to do more. “I was researching online and saw that some people were doing Rock 4 Autism.” Tanner’s regularly features bands anyway, so he proposed a Rock 4 Autism fundraiser. “We did one last year to see if we can make more money. We had the Vic Ferrari Band last year, the Friday before the Saturday walk. It went really well. We had 700, 800 people and made more money doing that.” Rock 4 autism will be held Sat., Feb. 13, with two bands, McGinnnis and Boogie & The Yo Yoz. The only change is that it is not the night before the walk, which this year is on April 24. “It’s a $10 ticket that includes a meal from 6-9. Tanner’s donates the food for the meal. After 9 it’s a $5 cover charge,” Hawley said. “The more money you raise, the more that can be put into research.” For more information, friendsofautism.org or tannersgrillandbar.com |
