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‘A mom on a mission’ gives away door locks

Photo by Deb Gau Autism advocate Sheletta Brundidge demonstrates one of the interior door locks she was giving away to local families on Saturday.

MARSHALL — The garage at the Lyon County Law Enforcement Center felt a bit like a mini-carnival on Saturday.

Kids were enjoying ice cream and activities like face painting. But the important part of the day was being able to reach out to families of children with autism, Sheletta Brundidge said.

“I like to tell people I’m just a mom with a mission,” Brundidge said. Brundidge, a mother, autism advocate and children’s book author, was in Marshall to give away free interior door locks to area families. The combination locks can help prevent autistic children from wandering away from home, she said.

Brundidge started organizing a lock giveaway in Marshall after she learned about the death of Alexander Bee. Bee, 4, who accidentally drowned in the Redwood River in May.

“I want to shed light on this child and honor him,” Brundidge said. “We want to bring love and laughter to this community that’s hurting because of this tragedy.”

Brundidge said she understands how hard it can be for parents to keep children with autism safe. She has three children with autism, and one of her sons would sometimes wander away on his own.

“It’s so scary,” Brundidge said.

It made it hard to do things like use the bathroom, or even turn her back to wash dishes without worrying where her son was, she said.

The solution she found was to install interior electric combination locks at her home. However, it wasn’t a solution within reach for every family. The combination locks can cost anywhere from $30 to $60 each, she said.

Brundidge has organized lock giveaways in Minnesota, Massachusetts and Texas, in communities where children with autism have wandered away from home and drowned.

“Each one of these locks is saving a life,” she said.

Brundidge learned about Bee’s death when she was speaking at a training event with United Community Action Partnership in Marshall. She said she wanted to hold a lock giveaway in Marshall, and reach out to Bee’s family and other area families.

When Brundidge reached out to area law enforcement about the event, “I said, ‘Absolutely,’ “ said Lyon County Sheriff Eric Wallen.

When Alexander Bee drowned, community members had asked what could be done to help prevent similar tragedies.

Parents at the lock giveaway said it was good to have a resource that could help their families. Jenny Abner said her daughter Sophia was nonverbal, and at risk of wandering.

“It’s hard to find resources for kids with autism and special needs,” Abner said.

Starting at $4.38/week.

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