MADISON CO., Ky. (LEX 18) — It might be September, but shopping shelves are already showing signs of the holiday season. One Lexington-based nonprofit is beginning preparations of their own.
AuttieWorld provides programs for kids with autism from ages 5 to 15, and they have two events coming up in December. The first is the Give a Child a Smile Boxes of Love program in Madison County on Dec. 6.
“Everyone comes together and we build all these Christmas boxes that include a whole family meal, a whole Christmas dinner,” said Taylor Fowler, who is a student ambassador for AuttieWorld. “We have toys and games for kids and they come, they just pick them up.”
The other is a sensory party, which will take place in Lexington on Dec. 15.
“We have games, booths, so much food, it's all Christmas-ed out,” Fowler said. “We dance, we listen to music, and we just play for a few hours and then everyone gets to go home.”
Fowler has worked with the nonprofit for a year now, and she’s already made plenty of memories from these events.
“At the end of the sensory party I ended up really getting to know a lot of different families and their children,” she said. “The stories I got to hear and like the hugs I received, it was just such a great environment.”
These events might seem far away, but registration is already open. While families can sign up for the sensory party up until the event on Dec. 15, AuttieWorld does have a deadline for families who want to participate in the Boxes of Love event. That registration deadline is Nov. 15, just about a month and a half away.
“If we can just help out a little bit and make their lives just a tiny bit easier, then I just love it,” said Fowler.
If you would like to donate toys for the Boxes of Love event, you can bring them to 710 Main St. in Lexington. You can also find more ways to donate or volunteer at auttieworld.org.
