Elwood Fire District Spreading Kindness and Autism Acceptance
The Elwood Fire Protection District is leading the Elwood community in spreading autism acceptance this April. By fostering inclusivity, the district is letting those with autism know they are supported.
Joined by the Village of Elwood, Jackson Township, Manhattan-Elwood Public Library and Elwood School District, the fire district has organized a community campaign focusing on educational activities, pin giveaways and T-shirts meant to be worn every day in April.
“One of our firefighter/paramedics, Pat Heusing, came to me at the beginning of the year and said that he wanted to do something for the month of April for autism,” Fire Chief Chris Locacius said.
“Everyone knows someone or has a family member or friend who struggles with this, and so we thought, what better way to help them than to have firemen show support. We’re there for them.”
The district then approached the other taxing bodies, and everyone “enthusiastically” wanted to join in and show their support for the cause, Locacius said.
Although T-shirts showing autism acceptance are a big part of the community effort, Locacius said, “It’s not just about wearing T-shirts; we engage in this whole curriculum.”
The district will follow a theme each week in April and offer three specialty autism pins the community can collect by participating in the different weekly events.
They hope the pins and T-shirts will generate conversation when worn in the community and create excitement for those wishing to collect them and learn more about the cause.
In the first week, the district will release communications to introduce people to autism, teach people how to talk about autism and offer resources online that people can interact with on Facebook.
The second week is more interactive, with the help of the Elwood Library Branch. They have selected various books written by those with autism, for those with autism, or for others to learn about autism.
Kids can get involved by stopping in to check out those books or stay for story time that Tuesday, read by Ehrin Villalobos, the Elwood Fire Protection District’s new Fire and Life Safety Educator. They will also introduce a new pin available for visitors who mention the initiative.
During the third week, the Fire Protection District will be working with the Elwood School District for a puzzle piece coloring contest — and another pin will be released. The contest winner will receive a T-shirt and swag bag.
During the fourth and fifth weeks of April, the district will continue interacting with the public, offering resources, and participants will have their choice of the three pins.
Locacius commented that this outreach effort is not only a great opportunity for everyone to learn about autism, but it also allows residents to connect with all types of government in the community.
“They can pick up a pin (at all of the municipal offices), so we can get the kids around the township officials, police and firefighters, too.”
The Elwood Fire District is looking forward to implementing more community initiatives like this one with Villalobos’ help, who was hired this past February.
Villalobos, whose background is in teaching, is thrilled to be working for the fire district.
“I keep telling people this job was made for me. All the fun things I got to do as a teacher, the education piece, and some event planning — all of these pieces came together as one. I love it here. Everyone’s been so welcoming,” Villalobos said.
“Colleen (Prieboy) has been waiting for over 15 years for this position to be created. We were finally able to budget for it,” Locacius said of the longtime Fire Board Trustee.
Locacius said the FLS instructors offer invaluable community information, teaching about fire and life safety to the school and businesses in town, doing everything from promoting fire extinguisher training to teaching CPR, how to call 911 and more throughout the community.
Elwood residents can look forward to more events coming up soon. For more information on the autism acceptance activities or to learn how to get involved, visit the District’s Facebook page @ElwoodFPD, or contact the Elwood Fire Protection District at 815-423-5224.
Stephanie Irvine is a freelance reporter.
The Elwood Fire Protection District crew shows off their T-shirts denoting support and autism acceptance. (Photos courtesy of the Elwood Fire Protection District)
Firefighter Paramedics Patrick Heusing, left, and Kevin Klincik wear their T-shirts with pride.