24 | AUGUST 3 • 2023 

M

ore children than 
ever are being diag-
nosed with autism 
spectrum disorder, largely 
attributed to progress in early 
detection and greater under-
standing and awareness; and 
the question of where families 
should turn and what decisions 
they should make after the 
diagnosis is a universal dilem-
ma. 
A few months after Kim and 
Lenny Kerwin’s son Bennett 
was diagnosed with autism in 
November 2020 at 2 years old, 

Kim was scrolling Instagram 
when she came across a post 
about the Autism Hero Walk, 
an annual event benefiting the 
Autism Alliance of Michigan 
(AAoM). 
The Bloomfield Hills family 
was feeling somewhat isolated 
after the diagnosis (a feeling 
exacerbated by it happening 
during the COVID pandemic), 
as they didn’t really have any 
close friends or family who had 
gone through that process. 
While realizing the walk 
could be an avenue to bring 

people together to rally around 
Bennett and his diagnosis, the 
Kerwin’s rapidly got involved 
with AAoM after learning how 
much the organization has to 
offer as a multifaceted commu-
nity resource. 
From being completely 
unaware of AAoM to “falling 
into it backwards,
” the Kerwins 
created a fundraising team in 
Bennett’s name starting with 
the 2021 walk and have gone 
above and beyond for AAoM 
ever since. 
“I would be very comfortable 
to say that Lenny and Kim have 
brought in close to $100,000 
to the organization in just two 
years,
” said Marc Berke, AAoM’s 
chief development officer. “
And 
we’re not yet counting this year, 
they just started.
”
Kim Kerwin said, “We really 
blew it out of the water majorly. 
We weren’t expecting to raise 
what we raised that first year. 
We caught their attention, and 
the rest is history.
” 
Berke and AAoM indeed 
took notice of the Kerwins’ 
2021 fundraising efforts and 
connected with them soon after.
Berke then began the process 

of putting together a commit-
tee for the walk to help with 
sponsorship, fundraising and 
awareness. That process quickly 
included Kim, who agreed to 
chair the committee. The walk 
has grown ever since, helped by 
unbelievable sponsorship from 
the community. 
The Autism Hero Walk sees 
around 5,000 families affected 
by autism gather at the Detroit 
Zoo for a fun, uplifting day 
celebrating those with autism 
— everyday superheroes. This 
year’s walk takes place Sept. 23. 

NAVIGATING THE 
ROAD AHEAD
At the centerpiece of AAoM is 
MiNavigator, created to provide 
free professional consultation to 
individuals and families across 
Michigan affected by autism. 
MiNavigator is staffed by a team 
of professionals with expertise 
in various areas of the autism 
world, including the clinical, 
educational, insurance, voca-
tional, public safety, policy and 
legal fields.
AAoM and MiNavigator help 
families figure out everything 
from insurance issues and what 

OUR COMMUNITY

Kim and Lenny Kerwin have gone 
above and beyond for the Autism 
Alliance of Michigan in the years 
following their son’s diagnosis. 

Everyday 
Superheroes

DANNY SCHWARTZ STAFF WRITER

VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT

Bennett Kerwin
LEFT: Kim, Lenny and 
Bennett Kerwin.

