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By Angela Lo in the Seattle Times
Katie Grimes is not your typical college student.
The 20-year-old from Federal Way has autism, a
disorder she did not openly reveal until three
years ago when she started working on a Girl Scout
project.
That project became the Federal Way Autism Support
Group, the community's first support group for
parents of autistic children. Grimes organized
monthly meetings, scheduled speakers, distributed
fliers and designed an autism-information booklet.
The group now provides support for more than 90
families in the area.The project has earned Grimes,
a sophomore at Washington State University, national
recognition from the Girl Scouts. She and nine
other women from across the country will be honored
in Washington, D.C., next month as this year's
Young Women of Distinction. The award recognizes
10 young women who have provided an exceptional
service to their community and shown great dedication
to achievement.
The honorees will meet several U.S. senators
and Supreme Court
Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, and participate in
career-development training. Each will receive
a $1,000 scholarship. They'll also get to meet
Elizabeth Dole, former president of the American
Red Cross; Alma Powell, wife of Secretary of State
Colin Powell; designer Vera Wang; and seven other
women who have been named National Women of Distinction
in honor of the Girl Scouts' 90th anniversary.
More than 300 women were nominated by local councils
as this year's Young Women of Distinction. To
be eligible, nominees must earn the Girl Scout
Gold Award, the organization's highest honor.
The gold-award project is crafted by the scout
who works with an adult volunteer to implement
it over one to two years. "I was struck by
(Katie's) project because it was so inspiring,"said
Colleen Ozolitis, manager for young-adult development
services for the Girl Scouts' local Totem Council,
who nominated Grimes. "She was filling a
need for something that didn't exist when she
was younger. The fact that this was such a personal
thing for her was one of the reasons it succeeded."
Autism is a developmental disorder that encompasses
a broad spectrum of behaviors and levels of severity.
Most people with autism struggle to communicate.
In Grimes, the disorder manifested itself in language-development
delays and social awkwardness. Grimes'determination
and drive were key factors in her success, said
her mother, Lisa Grimes. "She just would
never accept that she couldn't do this, that or
the other."
The support-group experience not only helped
her realize the extent of her abilities but pushed
her to disclose her disorder as well. "Early
on in the project, I decided that I would let
others know I have autism," Grimes wrote
in her project report. "This took courage;
I had in the past felt ashamed of my disability.
... However, I knew that doing so would help my
project and provide a chance for others to know
something of who I really am."
Copyright © 2002 The Seattle Times Company
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