Photo by Lester Smnth
Tara Joyce of WVIT interviews Jill Caron, center, and Sue Davis during their Light-It-Up-Blue-Suffield party on the South Green April 28. They’re making great strides in their program to improve autism awareness.
Suffield has seen a lot of blue recently, through the vigorous efforts of an admirable pair of young parents who are helping make the world a more hospitable place for individuals on the autism spectrum, especially for children. As they explained in the May issue of the Observer, Jill Caron and Sue Davis founded the Foundation for Exceptional Children of Suffield early this year for that purpose.
In recent weeks they have arranged two free training lectures at the Ambulance Center for emergency responders – police, fire, and EMT’s. A community presentation was held at the Suffield Senior Center to discuss wandering and eloping (the term of the trade for patients escaping from a safe environment).
And on the evening of April 28, in cooperation with all three emergency responder organizations, a party on the South Green called Light It Up Blue Suffield drew a major throng of all ages for socializing, playing with balloons and glow lights, talking with Jake, the small robot ambulance, enjoying free ice cream, and listening to some encouraging comments. Blue – in fact it was SHS Wildcats blue –was everywhere; Sue said they had sold around 700 T-shirts! (Every staffer in the Town Hall had posed for their portrait on the front steps that morning wearing their Project Keep Me Safe T-shirts.)
Melissa Mack, in her brief comments, thanked Suffield’s emergency services “for embracing this pioneering initiative and for their flexibility to make this important issue a priority.” She ended by thanking and congratulating Jill and Sue, “two mothers who will stop at nothing to keep all our children safe.” Jill responded, “This is only the beginning!”