La Crosse, WI (WXOW) ----- This weekend hundreds of people will gather to help raise money for Chileda of La Crosse. Its an organization that started in 1973 and serves children and young adults from across the United States who have Autism.
Conner Ellis has Aspergers, a disorder on the Autism spectrum that stunts the development of basic skills used for communication and social interaction.
You'd never know it by looking at him but Conner has a condition that affects his sensory integration. His Mom, Dana Paul says, "Basically he's very sensitive to touch, to light, to sound. For instance, at school he can't ride the bus. He takes one of the district vans. It's just too noisy. There's too many people bumping into him and that can get him very upset and worked up."
But what is comforting to Conner is working with numbers and making money off his can crushing business. His Step-Dad, Jodi Paul says the business has taken off.
He started with carrying his wagon and Joe across the street was his first customer and then he had a goal. By then end of 10 days he said he wanted to have 10 customers. It took him 4 days to get 10 customers, and now the neighbor's father is collecting cans for us and he's never met us."
Conner's Can Crushing business started off as a way to raise money for college but now since his diagnosis one year ago, Conner wants to donate some of his money to Chileda, a school for kids with autism.
7 year old Conner says, "I want to help other kids go on to live a happy long life."
The future may be uncertain for kids like Conner, the kid with the infectious smile, but what is certain is that this little 7 year old is way beyond his years and has a huge heart.
The Chileda Classic is a 10k/5k run that raises money for Chileda. It's on Saturday July 7 starting at 7:30. Conner will be there to present a check for the money he raised from collecting cans but you can still donate. Just bring your cans to Riverside Park the morning of the event.
For more information on the Chileda Classic go to www.chileda.org
