Goldeyes celebrate autism awareness night

St. Boniface

St. Vital

St. Boniface

St. Vital

The fans at Blue Cross Park rallied on July 3 in support of the St. Amant Foundation and the Winnipeg Goldeyes’ Autism Acceptance Night.

Five-year-old Cyrus was front-row centre for the whole evening, when the Goldeyes faced off against the Fargo-Moorhead Red Hawks. A number of promotions were held, including limited edition Goldie plushies being sold to benefit St. Amant’s autism outreach work. The event was attended by a number of dignitaries, including Ginette Lavack, MP for St. Boniface-St. Vital, Whyte Ridge MLA Obby Kahn, and Coun. Brian Mayes (St. Vital). The Goldeyes lost the game 4-3.

Diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) at the age of three, Cyrus is now preparing to start Grade 1 after the summer break. In the lead up to starting Kindergarten, he took classes at St. Amant.

“The transition has been so great,” said Geoff Banjavich, Cyrus’s father. “He did so well with Kindergarten. Cyrus is still largely non-verbal. But he understands everything.”

According to his dad, Cyrus is an active boy who enjoys swimming and watching hockey. The time Cyrus spent at St.Amant proved invaluable as he transitioned into the classroom with his peers.

“None of this would have been possible without St. Amant,” Banjavich said. “There are lots of supports that have been available to my son, which I feel blessed about. But there are a lot of people who haven’t gotten those supports. There’s a long waiting list for the early learning program. It would be great if there were enough money for tutors for everybody. It’s a long waiting list. We were lucky to get in. The more money out there for these supports, the better it is for these kids.”

Over the past couple years, Banjavich said he has worked hard to learn all he can about autism and how to support Cyrus in his journey.

“When it comes to autism, it all comes from a place of love,” he said. “You have to nurture your child. Everything should be encouraging and positive. That’s how it has to be. They say it takes a village to raise a child, but to raise a child with autism, it takes a whole community.”

Banjavich said Cyrus has enjoyed going to Manitoba Moose games in the past, and that the AHL team has a partnership with St. Amant. Banjavich thought it would be great if other professional sports organizations also got on board. The result is the Goldeyes’ Autism Acceptance Night, which Banjavich hopes will become an annual tradition.

“We want the awareness out there. There are so many people on the spectrum,” Banjavich said. “I didn’t know much about autism before my son was diagnosed. There are so many people who fell through the cracks over the years. I urge parents to go and learn to teach your child to learn.”