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Casper Runs Again for the Free the Spirit Festival
Casper, seven years old, is thrilled to run with his dad at the upcoming Free the Spirit Festival on September 23, to raise funds for people with developmental disabilities and autism.
Casper is a recent graduate of St.Amant’s Early Learning Program. The support he received helped him learn to communicate with others and develop many other social skills that he is now putting to use in school with his friends.
At the 2022 Free the Spirit Festival, Colin, Casper’s dad, challenged himself to run one kilometer each day leading up to the Free the Spirit Festival. Then, on the day of the Festival 5K, he ran with Casper and they crossed the finish line together!
“Having a personal connection makes me even more inspired to participate.” – Colin
Colin shared his adventure with friends through social media channels and it inspired several people to donate.
“When I say that I’m collecting pledges for an organization that is helping my family, people perk up a little bit,” he said. Colin received donations from friends and family as well as people he didn’t know but had learned about his story and wanted to support. “A company that I used to work for contacted me saying they’d like to donate what I needed to reach my fundraising goal,” said Colin.
Casper is looking forward to running the 5K with his dad again, and this year his mom Jamie and his younger brothers will walk the 2K using a stroller. Twins Remi and Casesy were recently diagnosed with autism and Colin and Jamie are looking forward to having them attend the St.Amant Early Learning Classrooms as well.
“The Festival itself is a blast, and it’s something we want to check out every year. I’m already making plans for next year,” said Colin.
While Casper and his family get ready to participate, everyone is welcome to join the Free the Spirit Festival by running, walking, raising funds, and enjoying the Festival’s attractions. All the funds raised for the event improve the lives of the more than 2,200 children, youth and adults, and their families, support by St.Amant.
