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January 30, 2004/Shevat 7 5764, Vol. 56, No. 19
Teen wants to help kids
BETH OLSON
Staff Writer
Ruthie Storch is part of a team doing innovative research about autism at Arizona State University - and she's only 17.
The Jess Schwartz Jewish Community High School senior is a participant in the Southwest Center for Education and the Natural Environment (SCENE) program that provides the opportunity for gifted high school students to work with scientists at ASU.
Storch, along with four other high school girls, is working with Dr. James B. Adams to review Complete Blood Count (CBC) tests taken from medical records of children with autism.
"I will be researching possible environmental causes of autism and genetics of autism," she explains.
According to Storch, her interest in autism stems from a young cousin who was diagnosed with Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD), a disorder related to autism. While her family has seen improvements in her cousin's condition through treatment, she hopes to help make research findings to help other children with autism.
"Our family has been so blessed to watch my cousin progress through life as a person and as a student," says Storch. "However, not all families have the financial ability to provide the necessary treatments to their autistic children, and not all treatments are 100 percent effective."
After her cousin's diagnosis, Storch says she wanted to get more involved, so she began volunteering with Council for Jews with Special Needs and the Amitizim program (special needs program) at Camp Ramah in California.
"These kids are amazing and they never fail to put a smile on my face. They have such an appreciation for the small things in life that we tend to neglect," she explains. "They inspire me to take in every moment of life and continue my support for autism research and awareness."
Storch credits Camp Ramah with teaching her to value children with special needs.
"They have taught me the importance of taking responsibility for your fellow neighbor and treating each person with the proper respect," explains Storch.
In addition to her research and work with special needs children, Storch keeps busy with ballet, Israeli dancing, jazz dancing, writing for the school newspaper, singing in the school choir, serving as the financial and marketing editor for her school's yearbook, and reading, writing and traveling. She is an Israel advocate, partici-pating in the Ramah Israel Seminar recruitment team and the Jewish Federation of Greater Phoenix's Israel Experience Committee. She spent the summer in Israel on the Ramah Israel Seminar and is currently coordinating an Israel Action Club at her school.
This spring, Storch will be one of the first four graduates of the Jess Schwartz High School, and she hopes to attend an East Coast university and plans to pursue a career in communications or jour-nalism.
Storch lives in Phoenix with her family, members of The New Shul. Her mother, Elana, is secretary/treasurer of Jess Schwartz, and is a board member of Camp Ramah, and her father, Daniel, is a cardiologist. She has three siblings, Julianna, 15, Arianne, 11, and Emanuel, 11.
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