From left, Shelly Mills, Aundrea Foster, Jodi Folta and Ashley Routh, all of Ashburn, helped found the Loudoun County Autism Network as a resource for parents of children with autism. Times-Mirror Staff Photo by Elizabeth Coe.

Loudoun parents head to D.C. for autism rally

Community
Source: Loudoun Times-Mirror
MONDAY, JUNE 2 2008

Local residents and members of the Loudoun County Autism Network will be traveling to Washington, D.C., June 4 to attend the Green Our Vaccines/ Too Many, Too Soon rally .

The mission of the rally is to promote a change of the current vaccine schedule for young children, said Jodi Folta, president of the Loudoun County group.

Many parents feel that vaccines containing toxins like mercury and aluminum may be contributing to the rising rate of autism in America, Folta said.

She said children are required to receive 36 vaccines by age 5. The autism rate is now 1 in 150. In 1983, when only 10 vaccines were required by age 5, she said, the autism rate was about 1 in 10,000.

The rally is sponsored by Talk About Curing Autism and will be led in part by actors Jenny McCarthy and Jim Carrey.

For more information about the rally, visit www.talkaboutcuringautism.org.

Following the rally, families from the Ashburn area intend to meet with legislators to talk about their views on autism.

Anyone interested in the rally should e-mail jodi@locoautismnetwork.com.