I just want to start out by saying this was an AMAZING event and I was so lucky to have been a part of it! There was such a range of emotions from happy so sad and everywhere in between. I didn't know a single one of these people and I felt like I had known them for years.
In entering the banquet hall I was surrounded with beautiful paintings. Most were flowers or beautiful scenic depictions and all were created by the Autistic children who were being recognized at this banquet. I was blown away - these paintings were INCREDIBLE. So much better than I could have ever done myself! One of the coordinators told me that these children were really proud of their paintings and some were upset by the fact that they could not keep them - they were being sold to raise money. As the day went on I started to see more red SOLD comments written on the paintings' tags. Amazing.
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Paintings made by the Autistic children |
The banquet itself was just beautiful - from the decorations to the presentations and all of the staff and children involved. The puzzle-piece theme was seen throughout the hall along with bright colors. Even the corsages that every staff member proudly wore had little painted puzzle pieces on it. I even got my own name tag and corsage! I would have posted a picture, but thanks to my camera strap around my neck, my flower popped off at some point in the day.
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| Centerpiece |
The food was well thought out! There were mini hotdogs, mini burgers, chicken fingers, smiley face potatoes and puzzle piece-shaped cookies for dessert. I had eaten right before attending the banquet so I was a little bummed when they asked me to grab a plate - it all looked and smelled so good!
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| Food - mini burgers, dogs, tenders and smiley potatoes |
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| Puzzle piece-shaped cookies |
The banquet kicked off with a slideshow of images of the children interacting at school. The room filled with tears - and I couldn't hold back my own. It was such an emotional display of happiness and was incredible for the parents to see how lucky they are to have these smart, loving, incredible children in their lives. (Faces have been blurred for the privacy of the individuals and their families)
Once the awards started being announced you could see the excitement in the childrens' faces as they raced up to the podium to get their certificate (no images are shown for the privacy of the children and their families). It was wonderful listening to all the different awards. Each child recieved an award and it was geared towards their own personal improvement in some area. It could have been increased motor skills or increased communication skills...among others.
Each class of children got to do some sort of presentation. There were songs, skits and even a puppet show. The last performance was a trio of girls who sang "The Climb" by Miley Cyrus. I looked around the room and saw smiles on almost every face. These girls surely stole the show.
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| Children performing a skit |
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| Children performing a song about an acorn |
The director of the center gave the closing speech and final awards to her staff. I am blown away by the amount of love and caringness that these individuals have for their job and for the children whose lives they touch. This is definitely one lucky group of people and I could tell the children just adore them.
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| Pins that were given to the staff members |
I would volunteer my time for this event all over again. I feel like I learned so much in such a short amount of time. I could never give enough thanks to those who made me a part of this very special day.
