An 11-year-old girl from Amherst, N.S., has spent the past few weeks putting the call out for donations in support of autism awareness. “I started campaigning, I did Facebook live. I talked to my friends, who talked to their friends, who talked to everybody, and it kind of just expanded,” Ellie Lines says. This is the second year her family is taking part in the ‘Walk Your Way for Autism’ event, that supports autism communities across Nova Scotia. Ellie represents Cumberland County and leads the charge in donations with more than $6,000 raised. “It’s really quite insane to me. I’m very excited and I’m grateful for all of my friends and my family,” she says. Her inspiration for the campaign is her little brother Emmett. “When we first found out that Emmett had autism…I knew that I wanted to help and I wanted to make Emmett feel like he was seen and like he wasn’t the only one,” she says. Her mother, Jessica Lines, says the event serves as an opportunity for them to support other families. “We are fortunate that we can access the resources we need, but everyone isn’t as fortunate. So, we just try to advocate and raise awareness and if we can be there for other people we want to,” she says. “Ellie does all kinds of things, she’s given autism speeches to her school, traveled around the classrooms, taught everybody the importance and why it’s important for kiddos with autism to still be seen and heard. So really proud of her,” Jessica adds. Both say eight-year-old Emmett is thrilled to receive the support. “He says autism is his superpower. He’s very proud. He says it loud and proud to anyone who meets him,” says his mother. “We’re so lucky because he’s surrounded by a large group of people that love him very much at school, at home. So, we want that for every little kiddo that has autism.” Ellie says she’s proud to be his older sister. “I don’t think there’s any amount of hate in his little body. He’s a bright light. He would much rather give you a kiss than a high five when he meets anybody,” she says. “I hope (the event) raises more awareness, and I hope that people can meet new friends and connect in ways other than just the autism walk.” For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page
