LaSalle woman killed by Dorian worked alongside kids with autism in Windsor
Alishia Liolli began volunteering at the annual ASI Autism Summer Program in 2013
For Sean Crawford, co-director of the Autism Services Inc. summer program, LaSalle, Ont.'s Alishia Liolli wasn't just another support worker.
Instead, she was a kind-hearted, dedicated person who had a seemingly endless amount of time and knowledge for every student and person she encountered.
"She was an extremely likable, friendly, loveable friend [and] person who connected with basically everybody that she had contact with in her life," said Crawford. "And [she] just did an unbelievable job dedicating her time and efforts toward making every student's experiences enjoyable."
Liolli — who was born and raised in LaSalle before studying at Toronto's Ryerson University and eventually moving to Marsh Harbour, on the Bahamas' Abaco Islands — was among the people killed this week in the wake of Hurricane Dorian.
She began as a support worker for the Autism Services Inc. Bruce Awad Summer Program in 2013.
And though she worked with the Every Child Counts program in the Bahamas, Crawford said Liolli would return to Windsor-Essex every summer to participate in ASI's six-week program.
"Everybody would go toward her, because she was very welcome and very caring," said Crawford. "She was very magnetic in that sense."
"She worked one-on-one with individuals with autism and she worked with the age group of six to eight year olds," Crawford said.
... Extremely likable, friendly ...- Sean Crawford describing Alishia Liolli
Crawford said Liolli's legacy would "last forever and continue to grow, because she modelled as an employee something that I think every company would want to have."
"It's initiated by her own personal drive to help as many lives as possible," he said. "Hopefully that legacy will stay into the future."
With files from Amy Dodge