Team Member Spotlight: Alyssa Padilla

September 03, 2018

Alyssa Padilla found out about OAR through her dad, Dan Padilla, a long time RUN FOR AUTISM alum. After watching and cheering him on in multiple Chicago Marathons it was her turn to join in on the “fun” of running a marathon. Her younger brother Josh is on the spectrum and she knew there was no other charity she was going to run for besides OAR!

This October, ALyssa will put on her teal singlet and participate in her 5^th Chicago Marathon as part of the RUN FOR AUTISM team. Josh and OAR are her driving force behind every training run and every mile of the race, “seeing everything OAR stood for and how they allocate the money raised for autism is exactly what drew my family into being a part of this amazing organization. If it wasn’t for Josh, I may have never ran a marathon in my life. He is truly amazing and makes it well worth the training and struggles to get to the finish line. He is a big part of my life and being able to be his voice is the very least I can do in order to help take part in spreading awareness.”

Outside of running, Alyssa is a big advocate for OAR. As a Special Education teacher, she tries to convince co-workers to be a part of the RUN FOR AUTISM team and utilize OAR’s many resources, “I try to get the word out there about autism and what OAR means for that and all the amazing things you guys do!”

Being part of the RUN FOR AUTISM team has meant a great deal to Alyssa, her family, and friends. “We all share the same passion for getting the community more aware and understanding of what autism is. When my dad first joined OAR, I would have never thought it would end in me running a marathon, let alone going on 5. OAR gives our family hope and brings us together come marathon “season.” We have dragged many family members as well as friends to also be a part of the RUN FOR AUTISM team and we shared MANY great memories throughout the years!” Over the years Alyssa and her dad have created the Jogging4Josh team, a group that runs the Chicago Marathon every year for OAR. Last year they raised over $26,700!