Walk Now for Autism Speaks draws thousands in Orange County

ANAHEIM, Calif. (KABC) -- Thousands of people united for a single cause at Angel Stadium of Anaheim Sunday to show their support for the annual Walk Now for Autism Speaks.

The 11th annual walk, sponsored by ABC7 and Autism Speaks, kicked off at 8 a.m. The walk benefits autism research and programs to raise awareness. Last year's event raised $250,000.

Eyewitness News Anchor Phillip Palmer served as the emcee at the event. ABC7's Eileen Frere, Ric Romero and Rob McMillan also joined the community dedicated to raising money to find a cure for autism.

Organizers say between 10,000 to 12,000 people registered to participate in the event.

Matthew Asner, Autism Speaks' Executive Director for Southern California, says the event gets bigger year after year.

"It gets bigger every year, and it's, you know, a blessing and a curse. You have a prevalence rate that's going up every year," Asner said. "Right now, we're at one in 68. In California, it's around one in 50, and I think it's both better diagnosis and we're also seeing more cases so that's why people are out here. They are out here to find hope, they are out here to mingle and talk to each other, get answers, and they can find that all here."

For more information, visit www.walknowforautismspeaks.org/orangecounty.