It was a picture perfect day and more than 500 people came out Sunday morning April 11 for the Caldwell College 5 K Run-Walk for autism. Community leaders, students, faculty, staff, serious runners, and kids of all ages gathered to run or walk through beautiful Essex Fells to benefit the soon to be constructed Caldwell College Center for Autism and Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA).

The college raised some $20,000 for the state-of-the-art Center, which will serve families and children in Northern New Jersey.

Andy Vogel of Roseland took first place coming in at 18:08.70, and Caldwell College employee Albert Cardona placed second at 19:04.20. Cardona said that after a long winter of training, he decided to come out and see if all of his hard work paid off and he was very pleased with the end result. “We were fortunate enough to have terrific weather, cool temperatures and sunny skies to start the race, which made for ideal race conditions for the athletes. The race was well organized and the course had plenty of water stations available.” Plus he said it was terrific to have Caldwell College students out on the course cheering for the athletes and ensuring everyone stayed on course.

Tim Cordier of Basking Ridge ran because it is a great “cause to support” and because he has been “fortunate enough to meet families touched by Autism”. The event was a wonderful family activity too. Lorraine Beeck, a Caldwell College employee, walked along with her two daughters. The best part, she said, was that the event offered people of every age an opportunity to participate. Her daughter Nancy Beeck of Morristown said “everyone was so friendly,” and she was energized by how those on the sidelines were “clapping along the way”. Lorraine’s other daughter Lorraine Morgenroth, who graduated from Caldwell College in 1994, said “ I loved the track” and “I’d love to have a cure”.

News 12 New Jersey anchor and talk show host Della Crews kicked off the Race and walked the 5 K with Dr. Blattner, Caldwell College’s president. Blattner said it was “a beautiful course and a spectacular day” and that is was wonderful to walk with Della.

Dr. Sharon Reeve, Ph.D. BCBA-D, Co-Coordinator of Graduate programs in ABA at the college, spearheaded the event. She pointed out that the theme for the run was Going the distance for autism. “Our inspiration for this comes from all people with autism who go the distance everyday to learn to do things that others find so easy. Caldwell College is committed to going the distance for autism in our academic programs and our new on-campus Center for Autism and Applied Behavior Analysis. The race happened because we were trying to think of ways to fundraise for the Center for Autism and ABA and bring the community together to support autism at the same time. Our 5K accomplished just that. One of the most amazing moments in my career was when I saw the sea of people running over the start line. I saw professionals in the field of autism, parents, and people with autism themselves. I also saw competitive runners running for autism, supporters of autism that live in the community, and just about the entire Caldwell College community. This race truly united everyone in support of autism. It was an amazing event.”

Crews congratulated Reeve on organizing such a spectacular event and said “God Bless Dr. Sharon Reeve and the new center, which will be a gem for New Jersey children with Autism”.

Caldwell College Co-Coordinator of ABA Graduate Programs Dr. Ken Reeve said “Seeing my colleagues, students, and families with children with autism all coming together for a cause like this really exemplified the theme of the day ‘Going the distance for autism.’ I was so proud to be a part of it!”

Caldwell College student Nicole Laureigh ’10 coaches Lacrosse at DePaul High School in Wayne, NJ and she brought 20 of the high school girls to run. Another Caldwell Student Christina Koleniak said she took part because she has two cousins with Autism.

Community leaders came out too. Caldwell Councilwoman Ann Dassing said there was a lot of spirit and that “as an alum, I see the college buzzing.” Three from the Caldwell police force ran too—Sgt. Mike Pelligrino, Patrolman Glenn Simmons and Patrolman Jessica Luszcz –all placed in the top three of their age category and received awards.

There was also a 1-mile fun run and activities throughout the day including a Rock for Autism concert featuring area talent and bands.

We thank all of you for helping us “go the distance for autism” by putting your sneakers to the pavement, said Sharon Reeve.

Caldwell College launched the first Ph.D. program in New Jersey for Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), a well developed scientific discipline that is best known for its proven ability to greatly help children with autism spectrum disorder in fall 2009.

Click here for more photos from the day

Click here for race results