On Sunday, hundreds of people came together to participate in the 6th annual Benhaven Walk for Autism.
Benhaven is a local nonprofit that provides a variety of services to individuals and families living with autism. In previous years, this 2-mile walk was held in North Haven.
But for the first time this year, it took place at Lighthouse Point Park in New Haven.
Organizers say close to 500 walkers signed up for the event. Last year, it drew nearly 400 walkers who helped raise about $70,000 for programs and resources at Benhaven.
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"I know it's cloudy and a bit breezy, but nothing can stop me," said Kyle Scheyd of Berlin.
It was a chilly, fall morning, but nothing was stopping Berlin's Kyle Scheyd. He started at Benhaven Academy in 2010 and graduated in 2022.
"You know, I've been blessed that I had a job for more than 30 years that brought such meaning to my life," said event organizer Tacie Lowe.
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Lowe was a teacher at Benhaven, which was founded in 1967 as a school for children with autism. Today, it serves people of all ages in the Greater New Haven Area.
"It's grown into nine group homes, two schools, pretty large children's behavior service," said Lowe.
This year's 2-mile walk was in honor of Larry Wood, who was Benhaven's executive director for nearly 40 years.
"He jokingly said he had every role here except for school nurse. He drove buses, he ran the business office, he was a teacher," said Lowe. "He did everything, but what he really did was mentor a lot of Benhaven staff to be really invested in having a high-quality of life in the people that Benhaven serves."
Larry Wood's wife was at the walk for the very first time on Sunday.
"He would be really, really happy to that they got a good turn out, and that people are enjoying themselves and happy, and thinking about him," said Robin Wood.
