CN TOWER AND NIAGARA FALLS JOIN ICONIC LANDMARKS AROUND THE WORLD IN LIGHTING UP BLUE FOR WORLD AUTISM AWARENESS DAY
Autism Speaks Canada today announced the 2nd annual Light It Up Blue (LIUB) campaign – a unique initiative to kick off celebrations for Autism Awareness Month and to celebrate World Autism Awareness Day. The campaign focuses on raising funds and generating awareness of autism as a growing public health crisis. Autism Speaks Canada, together with Autism Speaks U.S., forms North America’s largest autism advocacy organization.
On the evening of April 1 more than 500 structures around the world will join Autism Speaks Canada to shine a bright light on autism. In Canada, the CN Tower and Niagara Falls, the MaRS Building in Toronto, City Hall of Burlington, Hamilton, Edmonton and the Canada Place LED Screens in Vancouver are all participating in the LIUB campaign.
Around the world, iconic landmarks participating include the Empire State Building and the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in New York City, the Willis Tower in Chicago, Universal Studios in Hollywood and Orlando, STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Christ the Redeemer Statue in Brazil and the Sydney Opera House in Australia. As well as airports, bridges, museums, concert halls, schools/universities, restaurants, and retail stores, will light up in bright blue to help kick off Autism Awareness Month and celebrate World Autism Awareness Day on April 2.
Canadians are encouraged to participate in a number of exciting initiatives taking place throughout the month, thanks to our corporate and retail partners, including:
• Participating in our 9-week “Be a Hero for Autism campaign at Toys “R” Us and Babies “R” Us locations and online and Toysrus.ca fundraising campaign Last year’s Canadian in-store and online fundraising campaign raised $600,000 for Autism Speaks Canada.
• Supporting our awareness nights with our partner Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment’s (MLSE) Team Up Foundation on April 5th and 6t.
• Purchasing Scentsy’s “Piece by Piece” warmer. 100% of the net proceeds from the sale of each warmer will go to Autism Speaks Canada. The colorful jigsaw pieces on the warmer represent the mission of Autism Speaks Canada: “Solving the puzzle, piece by piece”. Find a Scentsy Consultant at www.scentsy.ca.
• Downloading a free Light It Up Blue iPhone App and new Build a Blue Website. The LIUB app is available at the iTunes Store and allows users to become part of this global initiative by turning their own pictures blue with a choice of five different style frames. Canadians are encouraged to upload the photos to the live stream on LightItUpBlue.org. In an effort to help raise much needed funds for research, participants can also Build a Blue Website and ask friends and family to support Autism Speaks Canada by making a donation to their personal page.
Individuals interested in finding fun and creative ways to participate in LIUB should visit LightItUpBlue.org for more great ideas or to make a donation directly to fund autism awareness and research efforts.
“We are very excited to have such tremendous support here in Canada for the Light It Up Blue campaign. Families who are impacted by autism know that autism is not about one day or one month but this level of concentrated awareness helps to drive home how critical the need is for ongoing funding to support research and services for families,” says Suzanne Lanthier, Executive Director of Autism Speaks Canada.
“We want to give a special thank you to our corporate and retail partners for their dedication and the generosity they have shown to this cause. Together, we will light the skies like a beacon of hope and ensure that our message of autism awareness will reach millions around the globe” Stated Suzanne Wright, co-founder of Autism Speaks.
