There will be a picnic beside the South Cariboo Rec Centre in between the two baseball fields on Wednesday, April 18. Krysta Stewart, who runs a small in-home centre, was going to do a picnic with her social group when a co-worker suggested she should hold it in the community. The idea came up when she was discussing what to do for Autism Awareness Month with her own group.
It’s opened up to the families she works with, their extended families and anyone else who might be around and would like to come by.
“April is National Autism Awareness Month and I would like to encourage the community of 100 Mile House to host an annual event supporting understanding of autism and inclusion for all. An event where parents and families of children with autism can feel safe and accepted no matter what level of challenges or support needs they may have. An event where people of all ages with ASD can attend, can express their unique personalities and feels as an accepted part of their community.”
While they are hosting a small-scale event this year, they would love to see this turn into something on a much larger scale for the years ahead, she says.
“There’s so many children in our community with autism that need the support from the whole community to help the families, help the children, support them through the schools and every aspect of their lives.”
The event will take place between 1 and 3 p.m. and people are asked to bring their own picnic or an item to add to the potluck picnic. There will also be games and she says she’ll be there with the children she already works with and anyone else stopping by. People are asked to wear blue to “light it up blue” for autism awareness and reminded to dress warm.
max.winkelman@100milefreepress.net
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