Raising Voices for Autism Awareness

Raising money for autism research is a personal quest for Cris Spinner.

Her 15-year-old son Anthony, now a freshman at Harrison High School, was diagnosed with autism at the age of 3.

Spinner, a music teacher in the district, decided to help the cause by starting an annual fundraiser concert for the national autism advocacy group Autism Speaks. 

Saturday night was the fourth annual Voices Heard event — Voices Heard 4 — and its success showed just how far her work has come.

When she first approached the school board about the idea, it involved asking people to donate their time and for the board to give her the facility for the benefit concert. Now it's the other way around. Since the benefit has taken off, people are asking her to volunteer.

"I wanted to produce a show with the theme of having friends come and perform and raise money for Autism Speaks but also to raise awareness and give hope to other families with autism," Spinner said. "I wanted to let people see that (my son) is part of the Harrison community and that it's such a great place to live. Our kids really need that shot. They need that chance to be 'blended in.'

"I invited my friends I've known for years, dancers and some teachers who agreed to perform, and the Superintendent of Schools, Mr. Wool, and the board graciously gave us the facilities everything is volunteer. It's a great benefit and we're grateful to everyone who comes on board."

Anthony is in the band program at HHS. He performed in the show and played the clarinet marching in the auditorium with his peers.

Cris' music was also featured Saturday night at the  benefit, held at the Harrison Avenue School auditorium. Spinner was on vocals, Regina Singel, vocals, Kristina Maria Cascone on vocals-guitar, Nadine Greco, vocals, Jeanine Pardey, vocals, and Valerie Wendt, vocals.

Regina Singel is a second grade teacher at Harrison Avenue School and co-founder and executive producer of The Westchester Group Theater, who partners with Spinner for the event. They underwrite the insurance to make sure that an outside group can come and perform for the benefit.

"Our House Manager, Gina Romano gathers it all together and makes sure everything is intact, adds everything up and hands everything over to Cris and Cris takes care of the rest." Singel said. "It's important that we're doing this because these are our children. Cris is such a wonderful individual and the fact that she approached me to want to do this a couple of years ago and I was just so on board with it because it's so important for us as a community to gather around these children and really let them know that you're special and we love you and hopefully one day we'll be able to find a cure."

Harrison High seniors Sarah Kaibanow and Judy Florio sang in the chorus in the show. Kaibanow said that the event not only raises awareness in Harrison but hits home with many of the teachers and parents and that it's all for a great cause. Florio said Spinner was her music teacher when she was a student at Harrison Avenue School.

"It's nice to see her son, Anthony, who's so awesome in the band and the chorus and how this raises awareness. " Florio said.

HHS Junior Rachel Crozier played clarinet in the band with Anthony and sang in the chorus said that Anthony is a great kid, really nice and very talented. "It shows people how important these kids are and how much we can do for them and it's a good way to form a better community to meet other people and I like to perform," she said.

All the proceeds from the benefit concert go directly to the Autism Speaks organization.