Dory Matwijkow is devoted to her son Austin, who is on the autism spectrum. And Dory is grateful for the supports The Resource Center provides Austin.
For the fifth consecutive year, Dory will combine those two passions at her Step Up for Autism fund-raiser in Grand Island. The event will be held Saturday, October 5, in Beaver Island State Park, at the pavilion near the boardwalk, starting at 11:00. There also will be a basket raffle, prize drawings and a bake sale featuring items made by Dory, who is a professional pastry chef. A 1.5-mile autism awareness walk will begin at noon, and walkers will learn the winners of the raffle and prize drawings when they return to the pavilion.
“It’s the least I can do for an agency that has been a huge part of my life for the last eight years,” she said.
Dory first began supporting The Resource Center by traveling from her home in Grand Island to Jamestown to participate in TRC’s annual Step Up for Autism walk. That event is conducted in partnership with Filling the Gap, Inc., another Chautauqua County non-profit organization that works with TRC to improve the lives of people with disabilities and other socioeconomic challenges.
When TRC and Filling the Gap canceled their in-person walk in 2020 because of the pandemic, Dory decided to organize her own Step Up for Autism walk. Her event was a success, raising $10,000, so Dory decided to turn her walk into a yearly event.
Everyone is invited to take part in this year’s event. People can embark on the walk, or they can just come for the bake sale and basket raffle. The registration fee for the walk is $25 and includes lunch and a T-shirt designed by Dory’s friend Cheryl Simonick-Frailey.
Dory has set a goal of raising $10,000. People interested in helping her reach that target can make a donation in several ways. They can donate using the form below. They can mail a check (made payable to “Filling the Gap/Dory’s Walk”) to Filling the Gap, 92 Fairmount Avenue, Jamestown, NY, 14701. Or they can donate to Dory’s Venmo account, which is @Dory-Matwijkow. All donations, as well as the money raised from Dory’s event, will be given to Filling the Gap to support the services The Resource Center offers to people on the autism spectrum.
The creation of her own autism walk is just one of the ways Dory supports others. Five years ago, she started baking sweets to raise money, and the following year she branched out to also bake dog biscuits. Her treats (for humans and canines) have been popular, allowing her to donate thousands of dollars to The Resource Center and Filling the Gap.
Organizing the walk takes a lot of effort, and Dory is grateful for the support she receives from a group of family members and friends that are dubbed “Austin’s Angels.” She is also appreciative of everyone else who helps make her Step Up for Autism walk a success.
“I thank the volunteers at the event, friends that donate baskets and gift cards, Grand Island businesses that donated money, and my family for their endless help and support year round,” she said. “I couldn’t do it without all of the support.”
