NORWICH – April is Autism awareness month, and to bring some attention to the disease that effects one out of every 150 children, Christina Hendrickson and her husband Robert will be holding an autism walk at 1 p.m. on Saturday starting at the Norwich High School.

The mother of two autistic children, Christina explained she wanted to organize the walk to raise awareness about autism and to hopefully raise money for an organization called Generation Rescue. The organization, which has seen celebrity sponsors like Jim Carrey and Jenny McCartey, researches the causes and treatments for autism.

After attending walks locally and in other areas of the country, Christina said the walk was something she and her husband had thought about doing for some time. “Last year we did the walk in South Otselic, and in June we went to Washington, D.C.,” Christina said. The D.C. walk was for parents who believe certain vaccines may have led to their child’s autism. Christina said the trip was a powerful experience, bringing together more than 4,000 with a common goal. Events like those, encouraged Christina and Robert to host a walk in the Norwich area. “We talked about doing this for a while. April is a good month for it, and this is a good event for the community,” Christina said.

While Christina has not set a goal for the amount of money she would like to see raised at the event, she said she will be happy with whatever money can be collected and is hoping for a large turnout.

The walk will begin at the Norwich High School, proceed down Hale Street to South Broad and back to East Park. At the park, Christina and Robert will speak along with others who have been effected by autism. Raffles are going on now, and the names of the winners will be announced on Saturday.