Two autistic members of the Highland Baptist Christian School cross country and track and field teams organized a fundraiser to benefit the Autism Society of Acadiana for April’s Autism Awareness Month.

Homeschool freshman Richard Nowakowski said that he first got the idea from a tradition he used to participate in while in elementary school.

“For the first years of my education I went to Dodson Elementary. They used to have a tradition every April where we would fill jars to support Autism Awareness, so I thought that since my old school was closed, I could get it started at Highland,” he said. “I might not go to Highland, but it doesn’t hurt to give them an idea.”

The idea was simple: sell $2 tickets for a free dress day and donate the money to the Autism Society of Acadiana. Nowakowski never imagined they would raise $500.

The funds will go towards helping provide the autistic population of Acadiana with events, transportation and assistance in addition to supporting the Autism Society of Acadiana’s autism awareness campaigns. Last week, the team traveled to Lafayette to present the check in person and also learn more about the many services that ASA provides.

Luke Bordelon, an autistic student at Highland Baptist who competes on the Bears’ football and track and field teams, said that there are many young people in the area who are autistic but might not have any outward symptoms.

“Autism is something that a lot of people suffer from. There’s a lot of people that have it and it doesn’t show,” he said. “All of our brains work differently, so you just never know. That’s why you should always be kind and courteous. I was diagnosed at about three years old. Up until eighth grade, I was in speech therapy.”

Bordelon never let his diagnosis stop him from playing sports, getting started in both football and track early on.

“I started playing football when I was in fourth grade and started with track in sixth grade.”

Nowakowski got started a little later, spurred on by challenges he faced while in homeschool.

“I was having trouble with homeschooling for a while, so my mom said I needed something to do,” Nowakowski explained. “I didn’t even know what sports I was able to play, but I told my mom I wanted to try out cross country. I didn’t have confidence that I would be good at it, but after my first race I realized it wasn’t so bad.”

The team plans to make the donation a yearly tradition, with athletes also looking forward to earning volunteer hours at next year’s Autism Society of Acadiana spring event.