Shops on Germantown Avenue give back to raise autism awareness

For World Autism Awareness Day on Tuesday, two shops on Germantown Avenue donated 10 percent of the day’s proceeds to the nonprofit, Autism Speaks. Indigo Schuy, 8432 Germantown Ave., and Quelque Chose, 8437 Germantown Ave., took part in the “Light It Up Blue” campaign by promoting the cause.

Schuy Nunn, owner of Indigo Schuy, said that her store became involved last year after a local mother with an autistic son reached out for help.

My family and I live here [in Chestnut Hill], so I love to give back to the community when I can,” Nunn said. “This is a great way to do so.”

Nunn is also personally invested in the cause because she has a son on the autism spectrum. She said the support on the store’s Facebook page has been overwhelming.

According to the Autism Speaks website, the disorder “can be associated with intellectual disability, difficulties in motor coordination and attention and physical health issues such as sleep and gastrointestinal disturbances.” Autism affects 1 in 88 children in the United States.

Autism Speaks raises awareness for the disorder and is dedicated to funding research into the causes, prevention and treatments. They are an advocacy organization and work to increase knowledge of the disorder and help individuals with autism and their families. All proceeds go towards finding a cure.

Owner of Quelque Chose, Susanna Forjohn, said she found out about the cause from Nunn. “It sounded like a great way to give back so I decided to hop in,” she said.

“Autism affects a lot of families,” Forjohn said. “I know my store is only doing a small part to help, but I hope that small part can eventually go a long way.”

Nichole Baldino and Greg Paone are students at Temple University. This piece was produced for Temple’s Multimedia Urban Reporting Lab in collaboration with WHYY/NewsWorks.