Celebrating mentorship during Autism Acceptance Month
ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- A local man, who is passionate about advocating for people with special needs, is highlighting the power of mentorship and friendship this Autism Acceptance Month.
April has been a busy month for Andrew Paolano. Between organizing social groups for people with disabilities all over the Capital Region, giving remarks at Autism Action Day in the Legislative Office Building in Albany, and manning a table at the Autism Expo in Saratoga, he somehow made time to collect donations for Steve Caporizzo's Pet Connection.
“Steve has been a big friend and mentor to me over the years, and I just wanted to honor Steve and everything he's helped me with,” Andrew said.
Andrew, a 30-year old with autism, experienced challenges growing up that lead to a lot of anxiety and stress.
"Especially my younger years, I went through a lot of bullying, both in school and in the workplace. Such as people call me names like 'loser,' and people would steal my money.”
But at the end of the day, Andrew could escape by watching Cap tally snow totals and lay out the forecast.
"Every time I came home from school or workplace, I used to turn on Steve and watch him through the end, and he gave me such a relaxed feel.”
Little did he know that when he saw his hero in-person for the first time 20 years later, his life was about to change.
“When I met him and came down to the station, I honestly didn't really know what I was getting into at first, but then as things progressed, it really opened me up, and like really opened me up as a human being.”
Now, Andrew considers Steve his mentor, helping him navigate life and bringing him behind the scenes to see how that forecast Andrew loves to watch so much comes together. He knows firsthand what a complicated job your local meteorologist has.
“I tried to do the weather when I was in college. I took some classes, and there's so much hard math and science that goes into it, and I see people on Facebook blaming meteorologists, and I don't think it's their fault.”
So to honor Steve, Andrew chose Autism Acceptance Month to present him with a check for over $2,000 in donations to Pet Connection. While it's an impressive fundraising total, the friendship Andrew has found with his hometown meteorologist is priceless.