Week 9 begun with France and Switzerland receiving their cards and starting to distribute this week. Christos’ 18th birthday is ONLY 2 weeks away today.
List of Fab Things in Week 8 & 9:
FAB 1: After my fab auntie Eleni gave me the idea, I have spent most of my wage on Disney dresses and masks for his big day. The princesses will include Belle, Snow White, Elsa and Cinderella, Christos will be Woody the Sheriff and the guests can pick and choose from a range of masks – including Mickey, Donald, dwarfs and Princesses. I am hoping that surprising him with his favourite characters will be well received and that he won’t just want us to wear normal clothes. He does this thing when he gets too excited where he hides things for months until he’s ready for it – I’ve mentioned our DVD fights before. We are also expecting lots of birthday cards from Switzerland from people who found #Project324 and wanted to send him an actual card instead of an email – how amazing??
FAB 2: On April 2nd 2015 16,000+ buildings joined Light it Up Blue and raised awareness. This year, on April 2nd, 157 countries lit it up Blue for Autism Awareness. What’s amazing about 2016 LIUB is that it was not limited to landmarks, local businesses, houses, hotels signed up for it and lit it up blue for Autism. That is awareness in practice. Organisations, campaigns, fundraising, and the tireless community that dedicates every moment to raising awareness made the topic so visible that local businesses pledged their buildings for Autism Awareness. You can see the breathtaking pictures here.
FAB 3: Another great thing that has been happening was the first AsIAm conference, which took place in Dublin on the 16th April. AsIAm wanted a conference where it could bring people together and promote the idea that every single person with Autism must have the opportunity to meet his/her personal potential.
FAB 4: In Tampa Bay, Florida, small businesses have announced that they will be partnering with the University of South Florida to become more autism-friendly. This will include customer services, AND an internship programme. “All of the students internships are in careers they think they might be interested in when they leave” said Susan Richmond, head of The Learning Academy at the University of South Florida. The Academy provides a custom transition program to prepare adults on the spectrum for employment. Kaleisa Tea Lounge on Fletcher Avenue in Tampa was one of the first to enter the programme. Owner Kim Pham is proud to talk about her new intern: “He is great. Really hard working, really funny, and he fits in really well with everyone on staff. You can’t even tell he’s an intern. Right away he rolls with the punches. When we get really busy he runs around hectic, and really pitches in, working so hard, we appreciate that”. Didn’t use the word Autism, difficult, didn’t have lower expectations – he’s just another intern.
FAB 5: After his birthday, I will be joining Ambitious About Autism and writing for the UN’s 2016 Theme: Families, healthy lives and sustainable future. This is the International Day of Families which is celebrated on the 15th of May every year. The Day was proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in 1993 with resolution A/RES/47/237 and reflects the importance the international community attaches to families. The International Day of Families inspires organisation to promote a series of awareness-raising events, including national family days, workshops and conferences, radio and television programmes, newspaper articles and cultural programmes. So find out whats happening in your area and join in. This isn’t just about Autism, it’s about families.
Pictures from #Project324:
Cyprus sipped on wine to celebrate their final card:
Ukraine was chillin’ with some coffee:
Dubai was a bit famished after trekking in 40 degrees leaving cards everywhere:
and Belgium got creative:
Just a boy 