Cary Lions Club Aims to Raise Funds for Autism Center

The Cary Lions club is asking the residents to enjoy pancakes for a penny, while sharing your savings with the Children’s Center for Autism in Cary and McHenry.

 The Crystal Lake Colonial restaurant is having their annual Penny Pancakes Day from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Thursday, April 14.

Shawna Egan, founder of The Children’s Center for Autism said, "The goal of the event is raise needed funds to purchase touch-screen computers for our clients with autism." She said the computers will help our clients learn to communicate and it would be opening up a whole new world for them.

Egan said they hope to raise $2,000 for the penny-pancake event.

 Autism is a neuro-biological disorder of the brain with a wide variety of symptoms that effect communication, social interaction, sensory regulation and behavior. 

Symptoms can present themselves in a wide variety of combinations and range from mild to severe.

 The Children’s Center for Autism offers the community autism information, resources and agency linkage.  Additionally, the autism center operates a 24-hour therapeutic group home for children ages 6-21 diagnosed with severe autism.  

The center says, "The main goal is to help each child achieve the highest quality of life possible. Keeping each individual’s strengths, interests, and goals in mind, real life experiences are used to teach independence and competence in a variety of areas."

According to the CDC, 1 out of 110 children born today will be diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder.

For more information, contact Children’s Center for Autism at 815-759-7061