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Health & Fitness

Making New Friends at PCW

Learning and Growing through Christian Education

Everyone is special in his or her own way. That’s the underlying message that was presented at The Presbyterian Church in Westfield when it hosted a three-pronged presentation on Sunday, September 22 which enlightened children and adults alike on spectrum disorders including autism.

The program, “Friends like YOU. Friends like ME” focused on discovering similarities and appreciating individuality in others who might be perceived as different from everyone else.

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Children’s Specialized Hospital in Mountainside, one of NJ’s largest providers of services for children with autism in conjunction with Kohl’s CARES, has created a community-focused outreach project “Make Friends with Autism” to promote autism awareness. 

With approximately 1 in 100 children in the United States and 1 in 88 in New Jersey being diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), more individuals with autism are likely to seek inclusiveness and encouraging community involvement.

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To this end, the Westfield church opened its doors to Adrienne Robertiello from the Fanwood branch of Children’s Specialized Hospital to talk with kindergarteners, first through fifth graders and adults in three different sessions.

Director of Christian Education at PCW, Christine Treger, explained the purpose of the event. “We want all children and families who attend The Presbyterian Church in Westfield to feel special, safe, nurtured and loved. These doors are open to all and it is our responsibility to shed light on material that works to that end.”

The children’s sessions held in the chapel were especially interactive with attendees going home not only with knowledge and new attitudes, but with coloring books “That’s What Friends Do,” gel bracelets as reminders of inclusiveness of friendship and books explaining information that would make them open to inclusion.

The Presbyterian Church in Westfield welcomes the public to the services on Saturday evenings at 5 p.m., 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. For more information about the church, visit the website at www.westfieldpc.org  or call the church office during business hours at 908-233-0301.

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Caption:

 From the “Friends like YOU, Friends like ME,” a part of the national “Make Friends with Autism” program, speaker Adrienne Robertiello distributes coloring books to children at the Sunday, September 22 presentation in the chapel of The Presbyterian Church in Westfield, 140 Mountain Avenue. The presentation, sponsored by Children’s Specialized Hospital and Kohl’s CARES, was given three times to three different age groups to enlighten and educate the public on autism.

Photo by Susan M. Dougherty





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