Light It Up Blue 2013
Kaitlyn, Amber, and I made our way to the Old Capitol Building yesterday after work, excited that Tallahassee and the state of Florida would be doing their part for autism awareness. As we were walking up to the courtyard area, we noticed that the blue lights were already on, and that just made it even better.
It’s hard to categorize the event as anything but a success, especially knowing that not every state capital was participating, and knowing that the White House would not be blue, either. So when we learned that CFO Jeff Atwater was not going to be able to make it to “officially” announce the state’s participation, we were really not disappointed at all. The most important part was that the state was participating, and we are especially thankful to CFO Atwater’s office in arranging the lighting again this year.
We sort of milled around and talked with the other advocates who showed up, with all of us really just happy to be there. The crowd grew from last year, and that was pretty cool, too. It is really heartwarming knowing that someone like Sharon would bring her son (who has autism) up from Port Charlotte, just to see a building bathed in blue; she made the five and a half hour drive last year, too. The fact that she would make the trek, and that she is planning for next year’s trip already, tells me how important advocating for her son is to her; I know the drive was difficult for her to make, but I know she would not have missed it for the world. Hearing her talk about the big plans she has for the future and direction of her non-profit was inspiring. Talking to someone like Paula, who came out to show her support was wonderful, too. 
For people who advocate for or care for someone on the spectrum, however, last night was really just a new starting point. Autism does not go away for us the other 364 days of the year. We don’t light our houses blue for one night and put the bulbs away until next year. We fight to raise awareness and make the world more knowledgeable on a daily basis.
I think Amber said it best (she probably didn’t realize I was listening) when she said that we were there because autism awareness is important to us. Every day, Kaitlyn is faced with an array of challenges, and every day, Amber and I have to “answer the bell” and be there for her, and we do it proudly. The hard days, and there are plenty, are well worth it because we are making a difference.
The crowd this year was bigger than the crowd last year, and it is my hope and my goal that the crowd next year be even bigger. It would be great to see even more of our family and friends at the event next year, and even better if we could somehow work with CFO Atwater in making the event even bigger.
Hitting a Home Run
In case you have not figured it out yet, I am pretty hell-bent on raising autism awareness at every opportunity that I can, and also getting the word out when events are happening. Like the event that is being held today at the Old Capitol Building in Tallahassee.
Major League Baseball and its 30 teams are hitting a home run when it comes to raising awareness. Each team is going to dedicate one home game in April (or at a later date) to help raise awareness.
Here is how the clubs will go about doing their part:
Many of the MLB Autism Awareness games throughout the league will provide special opportunities and a safe, friendly environment for families and individuals affected by autism. Clubs will recognize local families during pre-game ceremonies, and members of the autism community will participate in various traditional baseball activities, including throwing out the first pitch, singing the National Anthem, announcing “Play Ball!,” singing “Take Me Out to the Ballgame,” or performing “God Bless America.”
How cool is that?
You can find out when your favorite team is holding their event by clicking here. My team, the Red Sox, are holding their event on April 28. 
A Sad Farewell
I’ve written a lot about how Kaitlyn loves when we have family in town visiting. Part of it is because Amber and I relax the rules a little, but most of it is because she just really enjoys spending time with family.
She loves showing off her collection of Rainbow Magic books.
She loves reading to people about our upcoming Disney cruise.
She loves getting out her games and setting the up on the floor and playing.
She loves all of those things, and so much more, about family visiting. To her, it is a special treat to be at the center of someone’s attention who is not me or Amber.
Mostly, she loves when family visits because she loves family. I am not even certain that it has anything to do with the fact that we don’t have any family here. I really think that if we were surrounded by family, she would still be the same way; Kaitlyn has such a deep-rooted caring for everyone anyway, but with family it seems to go up another level or two.
Which is why Friday and Saturday morning were really difficult on her. While she once again was rewarded with a trip to Nuberri Friday (correction from an earlier post, she went to Nuberri every day with Amber’s mom), she was really emotional during the afternoon. Amber’s mom was packing up her things, getting ready to leave Saturday morning, and Kaitlyn was beside herself. It did not get any better as the evening wore on, and by the time she was tucked into bed, her face was puffy and moist from crying so much. When Saturday morning rolled around, the tears started again. She really did not want Amber’s mom to leave.
During the day Saturday, Amber and I talked about Kaitlyn’s reaction. While we expected the usual crying like she does when my parents leave or Amber’s dad leaves, we were a little surprised that is lasted as long as it did. I think part of it was just having been spoiled for 8 days or so; it’s strange though, because as much as Amber’s mom spoiled her during her visit, she also made sure that she followed most of our rules. I also think that part of it is that Kaitlyn is starting to really understand that her time with family other than us is limited; we know she loves spending time with us, but I think that she sometimes longs for more. Not more time with us, more people to share in the absolute joy she gets out of even the smallest little things.
I know from my perspective, having more people close would be tremendous. Take, for example, next Tuesday. We will be heading down to the Historic Old Capitol Building to attend the Light It Up Blue festivities. It is a pretty big deal to us, especially because Kaitlyn’s Asperger’s does not show up only on World Autism Awareness Day (it is there all the time), and having more support would be great.
Kaitlyn heads back to school tomorrow. Back to her daily routine, back to seeing her friends every day. She starts T-ball Wednesday. The next few months, between school and extra-curricular activities, are going to fly. We have our cruise, and then Kaitlyn’s birthday party (with a new theme), so it will not be until late June that we have to comfort her when family heads home in the morning.
It’s On For April 2
A few weeks ago, I wrote about my efforts to get in touch with state government officials, namely Governor Rick Scott and CFO Jeff Atwater concerning the participation of our Capitol Building in the Light It Up Blue worldwide event April 2. I was contacted on Twitter by Mr. Atwater, but still had not gotten confirmation of the event, or any details.
That is until this weekend.
Completely out of the blue (no pun intended), the person who was really the driving force behind last year’s event, Sharon Boyd, commented on my post Seeing Blue?, with some great news. Florida will be participating again this year. This year’s event will be held on April 2 at 6:00, with the lighting at 6:30. Sharon has more about the event on the Facebook page she created for the event, and you can click here for more details. If you are in the Tallahassee area next week, we would love to see you out at the event. Our goal, as Sharon pointed out in her comment, is to make this a yearly tradition and to continue to have it grow. The more awareness we raise about autism, the more educated the general public will be, and that is better for everyone.
If you cannot make it to the event, you can do your part to raise awareness by lighting your home or office blue.
Florida’s Historic Old Capitol Building in 2012.
Seeing Blue?
I wasn’t sure if I would even write this entry at all, or what shape it would take if I did write it, until earlier this morning. Honestly, while we will surely be participating in lighting our house blue during the month of April for Autism Awareness, I was not sure that our constant calls to action were being heard by too many people at all. Yes, some friends and family have been on board, and Amber and I really appreciate their participation and support of Kaitlyn, but I guess maybe I had hoped to reach strangers. It turns out, I just might have. And even if it is only one, that is a start. I was checking my Twitter feed this morning, when someone who follows me (and who I now follow) inquired as to whether or not our Capitol building would be blue again this year; I told her that I was not sure, but that I would try to find out.
Last year, the Light It Up Blue event in front of our Capitol building seemingly came together at the last minute. I only found out about it the day of the event, and I think that is true for the few other people who showed up as well. While we were proud to be there, and we have a copy of the proclamation on our wall at home, Amber and I both wished there had been more people there. Amber started a Facebook campaign to help drive people to petition the White House to participate, and we have gotten quite a few “likes” on the page.
I could not find any information as to what Florida was doing, so I did what any motivated caregiver/dad would do. I started making phone calls. Since our state’s CFO, Jeff Atwater, attended the event last year, I started with his office. As expected, it is next to impossible to talk to anyone on the phone at any level of government, so I resorted to emailing him (you can email him at jeff.atwater@myfloridacfo.com), and also contacting him via Twitter. I am still waiting for a response from his office. Next up, I figured I would try the office of Governor Rick Scott. Same result on the phone, so I emailed him (rick.scott@eog.myflorida.com). 
And because I am not content with contacting our state government, I also decided to visit the contact section of the White House’s website (here) to fill out their generic form. My message to President Obama was pretty straightforward, and it was my usual request to have the White House participate. I also included that I have now contacted the White House three years running, and yet to even receive a response (and of course, no participation either), and asked that autism would be something they would help raise awareness about (I included a reminder that the White House has gone pink for breast cancer, red for AIDS awareness, and even green for St. Patrick’s Day). I am not going to hold my breath for a response from the White House, or for the White House to be blue on April 2, though.
My sincere hope is that one day, people will at least have a better understanding of autism and those on the spectrum. There is nothing “wrong” with those on the spectrum. I know that an autism diagnosis can be confusing because Kaitlyn confuses and confounds us every day. I also know that Amber and I love her unconditionally, and that there is nothing we would not do for her, because we know that her having Asperger’s will put so many roadblocks in her way as she grows up; we know that some people will never understand her, and that some people will never accept that she does not fit their mold of what they envision for her. We also know that understanding is gained through awareness and education, and when places like our Capitol building, the White House, the Empire State Building, or the Eiffel Tower turn blue, if even for a night, the natural curiosity of people will lead them to learn more about autism and those with autism.
Awareness, however, does not start with those public places. Awareness starts with me, with Amber, and with you. Will you make a difference this April?
