Monroeville students raise money for autism

When Jesse Torisky was a student at Evergreen Elementary, there were no smart boards or smart phones. There was a lot more chalk, and a lot more paper. But Torisky, who today is president of the Autism Society of Pittsburgh, got a chance to return to his former school on April 4, and it wasn’t to check out the new technology.

Torisky came to the Monroeville school to receive a check from fourth graders who have been raising money for a local autism charity. “They’ve been working for months on raising money, and earlier this week they had a cookie sale where they raised $601. Sam’s Club in Monroeville donated half of the cookies,” said fourth grade teacher Joy Mattis.



“The kids also sold candy bars to the staff here at Evergreen. I asked our special education teacher to recommend the best charity and she suggested the Autism Society.” When Mattis introduced herself to Torisky, she was surprised to discover he’d attended Evergreen in the late 1960s.

Torisky visited the school to accept the check alongside one of the society’s autism support dogs. Founded in 1967, the Autism Society of Pittsburgh provides resources and programs to support families navigating the challenges of autism. It offers i nformation and referral to parents and professionals about diagnosis, care, treatment, educational and medical and services, and hosts an annual golf outing, blues music festival and vintage Grand Prix events to raise money for its programs.

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