WNEM TV5 News - 2015 Healthy Lifestyles

Philanthropy and the tango don’t often wind up in the same sentence, but with Swingshift and the Stars, dancing and onations come together to support local charities. Each year, local celebrities compete in Dancing With the Stars-style events, with tickets sales and donations benefiting local non-profts.

This year, WNEM is represented by Jeff Guilbert and Tami Conrad, with donations benefiting the Great Lakes Bay Autism Center. The pair has dedicated nearly six months of time to the fundraiser. Both Conrad and Guilbert are looking forward to the event, despite Guilbert’s reluctance to be in the spotlight. “I don’t know the last time I’ve danced,” said Guilbert. “It’s for a good cause, so I’ll put aside my personal reticence and go for the gusto!”

Fortunately for Guilbert, Conrad is a Swingshift veteran. “I was a judge last year for Swingshift,” she said. “It was a blast. The contestants were awesome and each raised a ton of money for their respective charities.”

WNEM HITS THE
DANCE FLOOR
For Autism in 2015 Swingshift
and the Stars Competition
Great Lakes Bay Autism Center

Founded in 2006, the Great Lakes Bay Autism Center works to provide autism resources and support to families in the mid-Michigan area. Services are provided at little or no cost to participants, with over 100 families and kids served annually.

• Camp Cardinal Kidz offers elementary students with autism a chance to experience camp activities specially designed for children on the autism spectrum. This free three-week day camp offers these exceptional children a chance to explore, laugh and play in an environment created just for them.

• Families impacted by autism in the Great Lakes
Bay area are invited to attend monthly Family
Support Group meetings throughout the year.

Meetings offer families a chance to share experiences, as well as gain tips and tricks from community professionals and other parents.

Free child-care is provided during the meeting.

Autism Awareness

Autism is a disorder of the brain, often characterized by difficulty with social interaction and communication, intellectual disability, and repetitive behavior. Autism can also occur in people of normal or superior intelligence. In the United States, 1 in 68 children is diagnosed on the autism spectrum.

“Acceptance is the big thing,” said Pamela Novik Bell, Board Treasurer of the Great Lakes Bay Autism Center and mother of a 16-year-old teen diagnosed on the autism spectrum. “Accept our kids for who they are. Don’t try to change them, but instead help them fit in.”