Walk Around the World is a series of 5km-10km walks held to raise money to help children and families affected by autism. It is an international event uniting families and friends in a global effort to bring hope to those impacted by this disorder. On Saturday the 15th of September 2007, ACS Hillingdon International School hosted a 5km sponsored walk in aid of autism. It was organised by Tim Johnson and Kangan Kapoor, both of whom are 11th grade students at the school. In order to walk, students had to gather sponsorships, or donations, for the walk, which would be donated to the “Autism Treatment Center of America”, the home of the “Son-Rise Program”. Everybody was anticipating a great event, and on the day, the weather could not have been more perfect. The sun was shining, the sky was blue, and the air was warm. Everyone arrived at the school at around noon, expecting the walk to commence at around 1pm. There was a great sense of excitement in the air. 69 people turned up for the walk, including students, parents as well as a student who graduated at the end of last year. They were accompanied by the high-school principal, Mr. McDonald, and the CAS co-ordinator, Mrs. Montalbano. Before the walk, everyone was given a red T-shirt, sporting the name of the charity for autism on the front, and the “Walk Around the World” logo on the back.   

At 1pm, the walk began as planned, and everyone marched out into the beautiful park at the back of the school. The plan was to walk three laps around the park, a distance equivalent to around 5km. It was a great spectacle as 69 people paraded the park for just over an hour, all wearing the same red T-shirts. When the walk was over, everyone gathered back at the school to be welcomed back by a barbecue and food/drink sale, and the proceeds were to be donated to the charity. Some students enthusiastically helped with the sales, and as the hour reached 3pm, everybody made their way back home. Both the walk and the barbecue were great successes, and the volunteers raised £1,506 pounds from the walk sponsorships alone! This sum of money proves that the event was completely worthwhile, and hopefully it will make a difference to the charity it will be donated to. The event displayed the great spirit within the ACS school community, and showed that charity is not only for donating, but for taking action and taking part in such charity events to aid such valuable causes as autism.