Non-verbal Teen & Grandfather Celebrate Big Wins at Crossroads 5K

On a hot Sunday in early June, Shane Maturah, 13, counted to ten with the support of his parents and grandfather, leading more than 300 runners and walkers out on the course at the 9th Annual Crossroads 5K and Family Fun Day.

Shane has autism and is considered “non-verbal.” Eight years ago, he enrolled at Crossroads School, a private, non-profit special education school for individuals with autism ages 3-22. He receives speech therapy and uses an electronic device to communicate, and he’s also learning to use his voice. In addition, he also receives home-based services from Community Solutions, another program of Crossroads Continuum, a multi-service organization dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for individuals with autism and related disorders.

“Shane has attended Crossroads School since the age of 4 (almost 5). He has made tons of progress along the way, and there have been so many wins over the years,” says Shane’s mom, Tina Maturah. “However, I think for me, it's been his improvement in receptive ID, Communication, and most recently some leisure skills.

“For those who don't live in our world of Autism, those things have allowed Shane to better understand language, follow directions of all kinds, let us know what he needs and wants, and most importantly: play and interact with his siblings and family. Now, he will play organized games such as Tic Tac Toe and Zingo with us. We often catch him cheating, too! He’s a teenager, after all, and likes to win."

Tina and Shane have been attending the Crossroads 5K since 2014, and Tina has been involved with planning the event, in earlier years serving as the 5K Event Chair. Each year they bring a team of family, friends, neighbors – even their favorite bus driver!

This year, Tina’s dad, Tony Solis, decided to run his first 5K, not only to support his grandson, but also to celebrate his retirement.

“I wanted to do something to celebrate my retirement from an industry I worked in for 44 years,” shared Solis. “Since I’ve been associated with Crossroads Continuum for a long time supporting my grandson, I thought that there was no better way than run in my first 5K and raise money. I was amazed by the level of support I received. Between my family, friends, co-workers and colleagues from the industry, it was truly overwhelming.”

Tony completed his first ever 5k at 70 years old! He also won the title of top fundraiser, raising over $15,000.

“Shane has a giant support system, and all his family members want to give him everything. Having Dad support him, and asking for this support for his retirement, was an amazing thing,” Maturah said. “These funds are so important to Crossroads Continuum with our new strategic plan; they will help expand on the greatness of what they do.”

Tony’s run wasn’t the only “first” that day. With the help of his mom and grandfather, Shane successfully counted to 10 in front of a crowd, prompting the start of the race.

“He was nothing short of amazing and we are all very proud of him,” said Tina. “This year was nerve-racking for me since it was a new location and an unfamiliar environment, and on top of that, this isn’t something he has done before.”

“But he always reminds me to never underestimate him,” she stated proudly. “Shane is non-verbal, so doing something like that is simply awesome. I will say, he does like a good microphone, so I'm sure that helped!”

Mark Dumas, President and CEO of Crossroads Continuum, also reflected on the achievement, “Having Shane count the runners out was the result of years of his hard work, and the collaboration and partnership between his family, his teachers, and his home services staff. It was great to see this moment come together and for us all to celebrate Shane’s progress as we work to raise funds to expand services for autism programs.”

In total, the event raised nearly $60,000 to fund the expansion of Crossroads Continuum’s autism programs as part of the organization’s new strategic plan.

The day was a big win for Crossroads Continuum and the Maturah family, and Tina expects many more to follow.

“We still have a long way to go,” she said, “but with the support of Crossroads Continuum and his family, Shane can only win.”

About Crossroads 5K And Family Fun Day: The Crossroads 5K and Family Fun Day was hosted on Sunday, June 6 at Kelleher Field in Marlborough, MA and sponsored by Xceedance, Definitive Healthcare, GreenPort Capital, Hunneman, Middlesex Savings Bank, and Modular Concepts. The event had a timed 5K route along the Assabet River Rail Trail, as well as a half-mile walking route. The Family Fun Day portion of the event is a destination for runners and non-runners alike with fun activities for all ages and abilities, including a Touch-A-Truck, Dunk Tank, Superhero and Jedi Training Stations, martial arts demonstrations, lawn games and more!

About Crossroads Continuum: Crossroads Continuum is an organization dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for individuals with autism and related disorders from birth through adulthood. The organization was originally established in 2002 as a school providing individualized, comprehensive education and related services to individuals with autism and other related disabilities. In addition to Crossroads School, Crossroads Continuum works with individuals and their families in their homes, communities, and other settings. All Crossroads Continuum programs provide individualized, evidence-based services and supports. Crossroads Continuum provides services with the vision of ensuring people with autism and related disorders participate in their social communities and lead fulfilling lives.

The Crossroads Continuum Strategic Plan describes three high-impact goals for Crossroads to pursue. The first goal is for the organization to become a multi-service, community-based agency that provides supports and services for children, youth, and adults with autism and related disorders. The second goal is focused on the retention and development of staff with a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Goal Three is to ensure the sustainability of the organization by diversifying revenue streams, prioritizing board development, and strengthening the reputation of Crossroads.

To learn more about Crossroads, visit http://www.crossroadscontinuum.org/.

To read the Crossroads Continuum Strategic Plan, visit https://bit.ly/CrossroadsStrategicPlan

Special thanks to Kelley Borer-Miller of Crossroads Continuum for her excellent work on this article.