Exceptional children will get their due beginning Sunday, when an NIU group will sponsor a week’s worth of activities to raise awareness about mental handicaps.

The purpose of Awareness Week is to “make people more aware of people with special needs,” said Karen Gilbert, president of NIU’s Council for Exceptional Children.

The organization will sponsor a fashion show Sunday at Chick Evans Fieldhouse at 2 p.m. Students and faculty will model clothes from nine DeKalb and Sycamore stores, Gilbert said.

There also will be a raffle at the show, she said. Tickets can be purchased for $3 in Gabel Hall room 146, from a CEC member or at the door, Zacharko said.

Proceeds from the fashion show will go to the Genesis House Project, Gilbert said.

The Genesis House Project helps mentally handicapped adults, Gilbert said. Genesis is designed to “show real life situations,” she said.

“The project brings people to campus to get them out into the open world and to help them get out into the community,” Gilbert said.

April 26 is “Hug Day,” she said. The members will distribute coupons good for a hug from a CEC member, she said.

Members also will hand out chocolate kisses and fliers to make people more aware of handicapped people at NIU, Gilbert said.

The week will end wth a student and faculty dinner, she said. “The dinner is to show appreciation for people who have dedicated their lives to special people,” she said.

NIU’s chapter is part of a national organization.