Light It Up Blue for Autism Awareness

The Empire State Building is doing it. So is Rockefeller Center and the New York Stock Exchange. Closer to home, New Milford's Inner Bridge Crossing School (IBC) is doing it, too. From Cairo to Sydney, Tokyo to L.A., they're lighting it up blue on April 2 to help shine a light on autism.

Now in its third year, "Light It Up Blue" is a global initiative to raise autism awareness and this year the Inner Bridge Crossing School, a school housed within Berkley Elementary School that provides services for children on the autistic spectrum from pre-K through second grade, is joining the campaign.

Patch recently sat down with Nicole Elmera, the behaviorist at IBC, to discuss the "Light It Up Blue" project that she is coordinating within the district to promote April as Autism Awareness month.

"We found out about Autism Speaks through their "Light It Up Blue" campaign," Elmera said. "And we decided to organize a "Light It Up Blue" fundraiser here in New Milford."

Together with the organization Autism Speaks, IBC is committed to "Light It Up Blue" to raise autism awareness within the community and encouraging everyone to "Light It Up Blue" throughout the month of April. Founded in 2005 by grandparents of a child with autism, Bob and Suzanne Wright, Autism Speaks has grown into the nation's largest autism science and advocacy organization. 

Aside from advocating for individuals with autism and their families, a large part of their initiative includes increasing awareness among the general population about autism spectrum disorders. 

Elmera and her husband Scarly, a teacher who works with high-school aged children with autism, are very big advocates for autism and are committed to raising awareness within the community. They are both actively involved with Autism Speaks and Autism New Jersey. 

"Light It Up Blue" is not only taking place at IBC.

"It's a district-wide fundraising event that all staff and students are encouraged to participate in," Elmera said. "We'll be selling tee-shirts, having a poster contest for the mainstream students, a bake sale offering blue cupcakes, cookies and treats, and the opportunity for staff members to pay $5 to wear blue to school on April 2."  

All the money raised from this fundraiser is going to Autism New Jersey, the largest state-wide network of parents and professionals dedicated to "improving the lives of individuals with autism spectrum disorders."

Joining in the "Light It Up Blue" campaign, Home Depot has teamed up with Autism Speaks to sell blue Coleman LED lanterns and blue light bulbs. A portion of each sale will go to Autism Speaks to fund research, advocacy, family services, and awareness for families struggling with this disorder.

Editor's Note: "Light It Up Blue" is an initiative developed by Autism Speaks that Elmera and the IBC are encouraging people to participate in. However, the money raised from the fundraiser is being donated to Autism New Jersey.