By Lynn R. Mitchell
Harry Talley raised $425 for the Autism Society’s 5K Walk/Run Saturday at Innsbrook’s Snag-a-Job Pavilion, a proud achievement for the 11-year-old who had his fifteen minutes of fame, so to speak, when he was interviewed by the WRIC TV-8 news crew (see interview video).
Together with his dad Lee, they were joined by more than 50 Team Cantor participants wearing red tee shirts who were running, walking, and pushing baby strollers to raise money for a good cause. It was a family happening of laughter and high-spirited fun that made Team Cantor the third largest group out of 1,600 participants for the Autism Society’s annual event.
In the middle of the sea of red was Congressman Eric Cantor who has been inspired by families he knows including the Talleys and a Cantor staff member.
“We want them to be part of our community,” Cantor told TV-8. “Obviously in Washington we’re trying to work to try to understand more about autism and what we can do for our friends in the community.”
It was a cause close to all who walked and ran on Saturday which was obvious from the support of so many friends of those in the autism community. This is the largest fundraiser of the year for the Autism Society, and though there are no numbers of how much was raised over the weekend, last year’s walk/run raised $97,000. There’s still time for those who would like to add to Harry’s fund (donate here).
Photos by Melissa Burch Nelson
May 24, 2014
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