CONYNGHAM, Pa. — What started out as a home project for a mother and her 9-year-old son has turned into a fundraiser, providing hundreds of dollars to an organization near and dear to the family's heart.
Signs of love can be found all over the Ochs home in Conyngham, from the ceiling to the kitchen table.
Christian Ochs, age 9, has been hard at work making hundreds of heart-shaped crayons with help from his mother, Jennifer, who began using this Valentine's Day craft as a teaching opportunity for her son.
“Life skills is very important with any child with autism. You know, it's our priority to teach him to be as independent as possible when he gets older," Jennifer Ochs said.
This craft helps Christian get acquainted with steps and using things around the kitchen.
“I watch, of course, while he uses the oven, but then this crayon activity, he learns how to break up the crayons, put them in the molds."
And every crayon is one of a kind.
Now, this has turned into a fundraiser Christian, and his mother are doing, selling the crayons for $1 apiece to raise money for the nonprofit SAFE.
“It stands for Supporting Autism Families Everywhere, and they have really nice social outings. So we enjoy going to their camps, and they have swim classes one-on-one. But it's really good for Christian to get out and socialize with other children where it's non-judgmental people.”
So far, he's raised more than $1,000.
"Yeah, I am officially a superstar," said Christian.
You can find out how to order a crayon from Christian by emailing ochs.jenniferlynn@yahoo.com or find him at an upcoming art show.
“We got invited to an inclusive art show at the Luzerne County Courthouse to sell his crayons. It's March 4 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
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