Alumna `rocks autism`

When a disorder affects one in every 150 people in the United States, reaching near epidemic status, you`d expect an action plan to remedy the crisis. But autism, for the past 10 years, has largely been pushed in a corner, sorely lacking in research funding and awareness, advocates say. The tide is turning, however, thanks in part to the past few years, which saw the emergence of major autism advocacy organizations that seek to thrust the disorder onto a prominent national platform. \"Now that the government is seeing that we have a problem on our hands, they`re starting to do more research,\" said Shari Loveman Goldberg `79. \"[In the early 90s] People just weren`t vocal. We didn`t have have a national group like we do now. We didn`t have people like celebrities coming out and talking about it and I think that [today] people are just more open.\" Goldberg, who has an autistic child named Noah, is the president of the Cleveland chapter of the Cure Austism Now (CAN) Foundation, one of the major players that is, according to its Web site, \"committed to accelerating the pace of biomedical research in autism through raising money for research projects, education and outreach.\" Just recently, CAN merged with Autism Speaks, another national organization, to bolster their efforts. Goldberg founded the chapter last summer after having been involved with the national organization and working on its 10th anniversary celebration, where over $1 million was raised. The initial response to the Cleveland chapter group was tremendous, she said. Over 60 people showed up at the first meeting and, in the less than a year, membership has skyrocketed to over 300. Next Saturday, April 21, Goldberg and the Cleveland chapter of CAN will host \"Cleveland Rocks Austim,\" its first fundraising gala downtown at the House of Blues. The evening will feature six different bands, a silent auction and the unveiling of two wines that were named after two autistic children and created especially for the event. Event organizers are looking to raise over $100,000. \"One in 150 children has autism,\" Goldberg said. \"That`s greater than childhood diabetes, childhood cancer and pediatric AIDS combined...So, I`m really passionate about raising money.\" For more information about tickets to next week`s event, visit www.clevelandrocksautism.com. To find out more about CAN, visit www.cureautismnow.org.