6:16 AM, Nov. 23, 2011
LANCASTER — Four autistic children received early Christmas presents Tuesday, thanks to Fairfield Christian High School junior Michael Collier.
After raising $2,900 in a July 22 golf scramble, he bought Brooklyn Baker, 12, John Manley, 7, Nathan Moore, 9, and Dominick Staffey, 6, each an iPad.
Collier, who has Asperger’s syndrome, is a member of Boy Scout Troop 241 and did the good deed for his Eagle Scout project.
“The cynic in me wishes I could have helped more,” he said. “I kind of think about the ones I left behind in my choices. Maybe they’ll get them next year, but it’s really great to be able to help, at least in some way.”
He sifted through about 20 letters before deciding on the lucky four. He chose the iPad because of its reputation for working well with those who have autism.
Collier met with the children and their parents at the Southeastern Ohio Center for Independent Living with the intent of giving them the iPads. But the order was delayed, and the children won’t receive them until Monday.
That little detail didn’t dampen anyone’s enthusiasm, however. Three of the children are non-verbal, making the iPad that much more important, their parents said.
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