press release

RUN FOR AUTISM - Running Rabbis in New York

The 2007 New York City Half Marathon presented by Nike will take place on Sunday and RUN FOR AUTISM will have three runners featured during the live telecast on WABC.  Known as the Running Rabbis, Ben David, Scott Weiner and Michael Friedman will be competing in the race to support the local area’s youth through the Organization for Autism Research.

The three Rabbis met while in school and have incorporated their running to help children everywhere live better, healthier lives.  Although they lead different congregations, they come together several times a year as part of their team with several other members to highlight specific causes.  In the past they have supported the Union for Reform Judaism’s summer camps that provides a healthy, enriching experience for Jewish youth. Since they often work with children with autism in their outreach and RUN FOR AUTISM became an official charity partner of the event for the first time, the Running Rabbis found an ideal match for their effort.

You can get a preview of the Running Rabbis and the race when they are featured on WABC's 5:00 p.m. news this evening. In addition, look for them along with other RUN FOR AUTISM Team members among the other 15,000 runners on Sunday morning. 

If you would like to support the Running Rabbis efforts for autism research, please go to their Web site, www.runningrabbis.com,and use the RUN FOR AUTISM link.

ABOUT OAR: The Organization for Autism Research (OAR) is a national, nonprofit organization formed and led by relatives of children and adults with autism and Asperger Syndrome.  OAR is dedicated to promoting research that can be applied to help families, educators, caregivers, and individuals with autism find much-needed answers to their immediate and urgent questions.  Committed to the excellence in its services to the autism community, OAR seeks to fund applied research that will make a difference in individual lives; provide information that is timely, useful, and cost-efficient; and offer opportunities for the autism community to collaborate and make advances together.

In its first five years, OAR has awarded more than $1,000,000 for applied research studies and published four community-friendly resource guides in its Life Journey through Autism guide series: A Parent’s Guide to Research, An Educator’s Guide to Autism, An Educator’s Guide to Asperger Syndrome, and A Guide for Transition to Adulthood. 

About the RUN FOR AUTISM:  The RUN FOR AUTISM is OAR’s signature fundraising and awareness event.  It began with 66 runners in the 2003 Marine Corps Marathon.  Since then more than 1,000 people have participated and raised more than $1 million for autism research.  OAR is presently an official charity of the Marine Corps Marathon, The LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon, the ING Miami Marathon, the Chevron Houston Marathon, the New York City Half Marathon, and the Disneyland Half Marathon.  In addition, numerous individual runners participate in races of all distances across the U.S. and raise money for autism research as part of OAR’s RUN FOR AUTISM – America team.  www.runforautism.org