Autism Awareness Month
Lovington group hits the ground running with Light It Up Blue
Caleb A. Gallegos/News-Sun
LOVINGTON — Stepping into April and Autism Awareness month, L.A.C.E.S., Lovington Autism Center for Education and Services, laced up their shoes and hit the ground running Saturday.
Hosting its 12th annual event, Light it up Blue, the community was treated to a day of fun, games and food, as the organization went all out to collect donations for the program.
Cheryl Amundsen, lead special education teacher for Lovington Municipal Schools, explained that L.A.C.E.S. has been established for 15 years, and was made to provide support and services in an academic center for district students on the autism spectrum.
Amundsen said the event Saturday was the second event hosted since the COVID shutdown, and said it was the biggest turn out yet.
“I think it went great, it was the largest turn out to date,” Amundsen said. “I think there was about 2,500 people. Lots of students and people from the entire community.
“We’ve been open for 15 years now, and this is our 12th year of ‘Light it up Blue’ since L.A.C.E.S. began. It started off really small and was just a way to honor our students and celebrate Autism Awareness month. We’re celebrating our students and promoting awareness within our community. And it just grew and grew. Each year we added a little bit more until we had the event we do today.”
Amundsen said ‘Light it up Blue’ is a fund raiser, but it is also a day to celebrate the kids and appreciate their uniqueness. Throughout the years, thanks to funds from the “Light it up Blue’ event” L.A.C.E.S. have been able to buy things like a playground suited for autism spectrum kids, a functional kitchen for the building, iPads and funds for field trips.
“We do a lot of the things we wouldn’t be able to do without this event. Our students get some extra services, extra materials and sometimes better technology, and a lot of that is funded by our ‘Light it up Blue’ every year,” Amundsen said.
Nicky Nickles, instructor assistant and art teacher for L.A.C.E.S., said the event is important to the program because it is the one event that brings in money just for the L.A.C.E.S. program.
“L.A.C.E.S. doesn’t really get a whole lot of funds for our program, because we’re tied into the sixth-grade academy. So whatever the state gives to the schools, it usually goes to sixth-grade,” Nickles explained. “So ‘Light it up Blue’ is the one fund raiser that we do to bring in money for just our L.A.C.E.S. program, alone.”
Nickels said the program is growing and will soon have a new building due to the number of students it serves. She believes awareness is spreading and students are benefiting.
“The coffee shop we had there at the event, we also do that here at L.A.C.E.S.,” Nickles said. The kids get to make drinks and we try and teach them hand-to-eye coordination and how to talk to the person your tending to, kinda like a little job.”
Nickles, whose child is a student in L.A.C.E.S. program, said her child loves the program and can see the benefits the programs offer him.
“He loves coming, because we understand him,” Nickles said. “He gets to run around and play, get some of the energy out, before he goes to his regular third-grade school. His teacher even sent me a message over spring-break saying how she thinks the program has helped him out tremendously. He’s doing so much better in his other school, its just coming along so wonderful.”
Amundsen said L.A.C.E.S. has been chose by National School Board Association to receive the Magna award for an outstanding program that meets the challenges that are being faced by school districts.
