Light it blue: Limestone County to take part in Autism Awareness Month

March 30--Blue could be a prominent color across Limestone County in April as officials, educators, residents and students help shine a light on autism spectrum disorders. April is Autism Awareness Month.

Johnson Elementary students will jump-start the month at 10 a.m. Friday when they "turn the sky blue." Students will release blue balloons at the school in honor of National Autism Month.

On Saturday, Limestone County Commission Chairman Mark Yarbrough and Athens Mayor Ronnie Marks will officially declare April as Autism Awareness Month throughout the county. The signing starts at 7:45 p.m. on the east side of the Limestone County Courthouse and the public is invited.

Following the signing, the courthouse will be lit blue and remain so throughout April.

Autism Speaks will also celebrate the start of its signature campaign Sunday as Light It Up Blue takes place across the nation. Thousands of iconic landmarks and buildings join the hundreds of thousands of homes and communities around the world to "light blue" in support of people living with autism, according to Autism Speaks. The buildings range from the Empire State Building in New York to the RSA Battle House Tower in Mobile.

According to Autism Society of Alabama, more than 50,000 Alabamians are currently affected by autism spectrum disorders and there is no cure.

The CDC estimates one in every 68 people are affected by some form of autism spectrum disorder, making it the fastest growing developmental disability in the U.S.

Walk for Autism

The Walk for Autism-Athens will take place from 8 a.m. until noon Saturday, April 22 at Athens Stadium next to the high school. The family event will include activities for kids, light refreshments and a resource fair. Walk leader for the event is Todd Tomerlin and registration for the event ends April 20.

To register for the Walk for Autism visit https://runsignup.com/Race/AL/Athens/WalkForAutismAthens.

___

(c)2017 The News Courier (Athens, Ala.)

Visit The News Courier (Athens, Ala.) at enewscourier.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.