‘Treasure Chest’ Pumpkin Racer is SMASH HIT at 2022 Pumpkin Race


The 6th Annual Naperville Pumpkin Race, hosted by Turning Pointe Autism Foundation, returned at noon Sat., Oct. 29, along the Riverwalk near Moser Tower.
This event is great fun for participants and spectators. The always-entertaining elimination races, complete with lively banter by Official Referee Howard Weiss, take several hours. A costume contest, vendors with giveaways, pumpkin decorating contest, big bubbles, live entertainment and other creative surprises add to the enjoyment of this Halloween-theme event that includes several smash hits.
During the recent Pumpkin Race, Treasures, a downtown Naperville toy shop, hosted a promotional table display and entered a pumpkin racer to run in the special heat designed for business entries.
What’s more, the pumpkin racer was carved and painted to resemble a treasure chest by Treasures’ owner Mike Kristula. Designed to open and close, the entry was filled with golden coins.
Every year, some of the creative designs entered in the Pumpkin Race have been imposters. With wheels in place, watermelons, gourds and squash have been painted and disguised to resemble pumpkin racers. If the official referees team up in a huddle to determine that a racer is other than a pumpkin, a huge mallet makes mush of it.
Saturday, however, for the first time in the six years of the fun and awareness raising event for Turning Pointe Autism Foundation, one authentic Pumpkin Racer was designed to spread good cheer all around when it was smashed as part of the finale.
Continued…

Naperville, IL 60540
contactus@turningpointaft.org
630.570.7948

Turning Pointe Autism Foundation is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization.
Turning Pointe Autism Foundation Foglia Family Adult Services is a Certified Autism Center by the IBCCES and the Adult Day Pilot is accredited by CARF.
Our organization does not discriminate in employment or the provision of educational services on the basis on race, color, religion, age, gender, national origin, disability, citizenship status, veteran status or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local law.
Angela Francisco
Crisis Interventionist
Angela Williams
Faculty Director-AD/DS
Certified Autism Specialist (CAS)
Ashlee Hare-Hunter
Lead Intense Behavior Interventionist
Ashley Hurst-Kim
Speech/Language Pathologist
Alissa Krusoe
Intense Behavior Interventionist
Barbara Brauer
Development & Operations Director
Bernadette Bassett
School Administrator/Compliance Director-AD/DS
Bianca Edmeier-Frost
Program Director
M.S., BCBA
Certified Autism Specialist (CAS)
Carolyn Bonessa
Foundation Coordinator
Carrie Provenzale
Executive Director
Celia Kaiser
BCBA/BA
Christina Pallack
RBT
Clare Jahnke
Intense Behavior Interventionist
Claudia Leiva
Registered Behavior Technician
Corrine Murray
Instructional Coach
Debra Kolak
Occupational Therapist
Drew Dresden
Intense Behavior Interventionist
Edel Vaca Jr.
Special Education Teacher
Elissa Holzwarth
Special Education Teacher
Guadalupe Sanchez
Intense Behavior Interventionist
Hilary Antolak
Intense Behavior Interventionist
Isaac Rodriguez
Intense Behavior Interventionist
Jessica Bain
Registered Behavior Technician
Jack Wolf
Enterprise Employee
John Higgins
School Bus Driver
Kaitlyn Wheaton
Lead Intense Behavior Interventionist
Kathleen Krieger
Nurse
Kehinde "Kenny" Ogunfowokan
Intense Behavior Interventionist
Kristen Skala
Intense Behavior Interventionist
Lacey Landmeier
Speech/Language Pathologist
Lexi Earll
Special Education Teacher
Lindsey Luther
Intense Behavior Interventionist
Mackenzie Muersch
Occupational Therapist
Mackenzie Cryder
Intense Behavior Interventionist/RBT
Marea Rosedale
Speech/Language Pathologist
Marina Romanelli
Teaching Assistant
Mary Brandner
Behavior Analyst
Mary Butler
Family Specialist
CCLS, CFLE
Maura McNamara
Special Education Teacher
Megan Kugach
Registered Behavior Technician
Melanie Saunders
BCBA
Melissa Cleary
Intense Behavior Interventionist
Megan Dobrolinsky
Intense Behavior Interventionist
Melissa Welsch
Lead Intense Behavior Interventionist & RBT
Michael Petrusky
Enterprise Employee
Nancy Santoro
Special Education Teacher
Nicole Cyrier
Intense Behavior Interventionist
Nicole Lombardo
Intense Behavior Interventionist
Paul Gardner
Special Education Teacher
Raymond Rivera
Intense Behavior Interventionist
Raymond Ziecina
Intense Behavior Interventionist
RaeAnne Rhule
Special Education Teacher-AD
IBCCES - Autism Certificate (AC)
Rebekah Osterman
Intense Behavior Interventionist
Robin Karling-Reece
Respite Intense Behavior Interventionist-AD
IBCCES - Autism Certificate (AC)
Samantha Blackwell
Clinical Coach
Samantha Camacho
Program Coordinator
Behavior Analyst
Certified Autism Specialist (CAS)
Sarah Bormann-Mayo
Lead/Scholastic IBI
Sarah Cammack
School Secretary
Seth Mathewson
Admin Specialist
Sonia Galicia
CNA
Stefan Krueger
Systems Specialist
Sydney Coyle
BCBA
Tara Willing
Speech/Language Pathologist-DS/AD
Certified Autism Specialist (CAS)
Taylor Parus
Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant/COTA-Part Time
Tiara Mitchell
CNA

Naperville, IL 60540
contactus@turningpointeaf.org
630.570.7948

Turning Pointe Autism Foundation Foglia Family Adult Services is a Certified Autism Center by the IBCCES and the Adult Day Pilot is accredited by CARF.
Our organization does not discriminate in employment or the provision of educational services on the basis on race, color, religion, age, gender, national origin, disability, citizenship status, veteran status or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local law.
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