Sydney, Australia – Home and Away actors Jackson Gallagher and Alex Rowe are working together to raise awareness and decrease the stigma associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
Both Gallagher and Rowe are friends off-set, therefore when the latter developed an after school drama program in Erskinville, and became inspired to take action, Gallagher opted to offer his support as well. They subsequently opted to compete in events with the specific purpose of raising both funds as well as aid for Aspect, a charity that benefits those in the community who have been affected by autism.
The pair will thus be competing in the Elite Energy Olympic Triathlon in Port Stephens which consists of a 1.5 km swim, 40 km bike ride and 10 km run. However their goal is that the $2000 they hope to raise will benefit children in the community in several ways. As a result, the money would be utilized to purchase educational tools including iPads, in addition to both raising awareness and counteracting the bullying that many youngsters with ASD are subjected to by their peers. Rowe asserts:
“A lot of these kids are getting bullied at school because other children see them as a little different and don’t understand. It gives them an experience of being social and expressing their great imaginations.”
Source: Jackson Gallagher and mate Alex Rowe race to help autistic children beat social stigmas