The Autism Society of the Mahoning Valley (ASMV) partnered with UAW Local 1112, which hosted and sponsored the Red Carpet Family Dance Friday evening at the UAW Local 1112 Union Hall, 11471 Reuther Drive, Warren. The Hollywood-themed night was designed to celebrate autistic individuals of all ages, along with their friends and families, in a fun and supportive environment. Guests walked the red carpet, enjoyed music and dancing, and connected with others in the community. April is Autism Acceptance Month. Guests dance to the “Cha Cha Slide.” Correspondent photo / John Patrick Gatta

commissioners honoring Autism Acceptance Month.

“I can really say accepting the honor is a very big-time deal for all of us here, and I can really say on behalf of all of the others, Jimmy included, and to the commissioners…thank you very, very much,” said Purple Cat client Russell “Radar” Pavlov.

April is Autism Acceptance Month and Worldwide Autism Awareness Day was April 2.

Sutman operates Purple Cat, Golden String Radio, Isle and Gabba Camp, all organizations that serve Mahoning Valley residents — and those from well beyond its borders — with special needs. Sutman said about one third of his clients are on the autism spectrum.

Expressing his gratitude to the commissioners and the county, Sutman said the relationship began more than a dozen years ago with financial support for Joe Gallagher’s Lunch Bucket, a cafe and vocational day program that operates in the basement of Oak Hill Renaissance Center.

Since then, through federal funds allocated through the CARES Act, the county also supported Gabba Camp in Coitsville, where special needs adults and families can go spend a few nights in a cabin, enjoy nature and spend some time with the many animals on the property.

But those in attendance on Thursday were there not only to accept their recognition but to give a “shameless plug” for a special event.

“We have a band called the Feral Cats,” Sutman said. “Golden String, our not-for-profit sponsors us.”

The band’s next show will be at Irish Bob’s Pub 3 to 7 p.m. on May 8. It will be the first show in a “dive-bar tour” that will begin on the city’s South Side, and play multiple venues there.

Sutman elaborated about the band on Friday.

“We started about five years ago and it took some significant ramp-up time, getting people familiar with instruments, writing songs, recording songs, seeing who was really into it,” he said. “Maybe people weren’t necessarily musically talented, but they were really interested, and that’s what we’re all about — inclusion.”

Sutman said the band, part of Purple Cat’s music program, has continued to grow and now has a total of 12 members, even though not all of them will necessarily perform in any given show.

“Our folks are spirited, and it just continued to grow and they continued to grow, both musically and they had way more interest, and the band continues to grow,” he said.

The Feral Cats have a strong focus on rock’n’roll, and like to branch out into rockabilly and Motown.

“It’s a mercurial situation,” Sutman said. “We add people in for specific shows and some who want to participate on a smaller scale, and some will drop out and come back.”

He said Golden String, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, provides support in the form of equipment and transportation. Some band members need to be picked up at home to make it to the show and then brought back afterward.

Golden String’s mission is to improve the lives of adults with disabilities through vocational and social opportunities.

“And we’ve been dabbling in the arts, too,” Sutman said. “It’s not only the musical opportunity, but the opportunity to socialize, and to create a community for people with disabilities out in our greater community.”

He said Golden String helps support program clients who DJ for Golden String Radio — some get paid, some just volunteer — as well as those who work at The Lunch Bucket and do work around Gabba Camp, cleaning cabins and tending to the animals.

Sutman said his folks also are beginning a new venture, in partnership with Peppermint Productions and WYSU.

On May 1, on WYSU, musicians Dean Anshutz and Anthony LaMarca will begin hosting a new radio show, Rat Race: A Journey Through Youngstown Music History.

Sutman said that behind the scenes of that, many Purple Cat clients will begin working with the program to help dive into Mahoning County’s rich musical history, archive it, digitize vinyl and cassette recordings, and help with research.

“We’re trying to become the place to go to find out when, for example, The Police played at the Tomorrow Club on West Federal, next to where the Draught House is now,” he said. “We want to do that, get stories from people who have been to the shows…Once I can train my folks on how to archive this stuff, you know, some are real hounds for information and tracking things down, and just using the computer to do all the technological things I don’t know how to do.”

GABBA CAMP

Gabba Camp opened in October 2024 along McCartney Road in Coitsville as a getaway destination for adults with special needs. Seeded by a $750,000 award from the Mahoning Valley Hospital Foundation, the lakeside facility — where FirstLight Home Care of Youngstown owner Mike Senchak used to bring his granddaughter, Gabriella (“Gabba”) — became the site for a haven where families can just have a nice getaway. The cabins also serve as emergency lodging for special needs adults whose caregivers are suddenly hospitalized or otherwise unable to care for them.

Sutman said Friday that the facility is thriving, as are the people who stay there.

On the third Wednesday of every month Golden String sponsors a non-denominational prayer group and many in attendance like to stay the night. This week, Sutman told commissioners, there were 90 people in attendance and 15 stayed the night.

“We had some lower functioning folks who I thought would struggle there and they didn’t at all, they seemed placid,” Sutman said. “The camp never ceases to amaze me. I thought I was really good at gauging how my folks will react to things, but the camp has a strange effect. God works in strange ways. Most of our folks, I think, are craving a change from normal routine — being in the same bed, dealing with the same staff, and the camp offers them alternatives. We’re seeing some people improve and some people are a lot happier, so that’s been a cool thing.”