Hundreds of attendees joined together at West Bank Bridge Park recently in celebration for the fourth annual Autism Awareness and Acceptance Bubbles and Balloon Bash.
The theme of this year’s event was Born to Bloom. The ultimate goal of the bash is to celebrate individuals and families living with autism spectrum disorder.
Over 430 attendees from across the tri-parish area and surrounding communities attended this year.
“Seeing that level of support was emotional for me,” said event founder Precious Singleton-Alexander. “Every year grows bigger, but this year felt different. It felt like a movement.”
The bash made a wealth of information available for parents to inform them of available services. The festival annually seeks to provide fun and games for both parents and children alike, as well as good food and music for all. Alexander said more interactive activities and autism-focused vendors were added, including a book author and child artist.
The bash event had humble beginnings. Alexander put together the first outing on just five days’ notice, and it saw 50 attendees. It’s grown plenty since then, with more and more attendees joining the fun in the years since.
“It’s still mind-boggling that this is Year 4. We got here so fast,” Alexander said. “It all started from a very personal place … I never imagined it would grow into what it is today.”
In 2021, Alexander and her husband Mario learned that Rio, then 3 years old, had autism. That discovery spurred the couple to research everything they could about the subject. Alexander’s findings brought her to a conclusion – that to best support her son, she needed to be a strong voice and advocate for him.
She put that into action by creating a community event for children, teens and adults on the spectrum to join together in a fun and safe environment, and for parents to network with one another and share their experiences.
The event took off, coordinated annually by Alexander’s Chosen Ones Foundation, a nonprofit she established to raise public awareness, acceptance and advocacy for Autism Spectrum Disorder.
This year’s event was especially personal for Alexander, who lost her father, Glenn Singleton, in December.
“He was truly one of my biggest supporters from the very beginning,” she said. “He constantly encouraged me to keep going and genuinely believed in the vision behind this event … I know how proud he was of what we’re building for these families.”
Rio is now 8 years old and remains Alexander’s inspiration.
“Rio gave me purpose beyond myself,” Alexander said. “He turned me into an advocate … he’s the heart behind all of this. He’s been doing well and I’m incredibly proud of his growth.”
