Large signs and bright colours decorated about a half-dozen vehicles — including a cement truck! — as they toured around a north-end Barrie neighbourhood Sunday morning to help bring awareness to autism.
Today’s Walk on Wheels parade, hosted by Autism Speaks Canada, was the first of its kind in Barrie, the organization’s national manager of community events, Krista Clinch, told BarrieToday.
“We have these events all over Canada, but we were bringing it to Barrie for the first time this year,” Clinch said, adding due to the pandemic, they have had to change the event from an annual walk to a vehicle parade in order to follow public health guidelines.
“We needed to do it in a safer way, so (this) is very similar to the birthday car parades you’d see happening," she added.
Participants decorated their cars, visited with mascots and said hello to fellow parade-goers before heading out on the designated route, which saw them leave Moose Winooski’s on Bayfield Street in Barrie’s north end around 11 a.m..
The event lasted about an hour, and while Clinch admitted the parade may not be as engaging as they would like, it still serves as a great way for people to come out and socialize safely with one another, while also helping to spread autism awareness within the community.
Autumn Howden's son Trent, now 14, was diagnosed with autism two years ago. She told BarrieToday this was his first event and they were all very excited to participate.
"We made T-shirts, we decorated our car and it's just so important (to be involved). He started crying this morning because it was all for him," she said.
Getting a diagnosis, she added, has allowed the family to research and seek out programs in order to learn more about autism.
"It's important. It's not out there enough for children to know how to handle the little torques, or the ticks or anything that goes along with it," Howden said. "We need to raise more awareness about that. With him in high school now, he has really advocated for himself and it's really helped with his learning."
Clinch says the organization tried to bring it to Barrie last year, however with COVID it was tough.
“Barrie is one of those regions we really want to focus on, as it is a little bit more north and we want to try to establish as many relationships as possible so we can spread as much awareness as possible in Ontario and throughout Canada (to) get more people to learning about autism ... and develop relationships with autistic families and autistic Canadians," she said.
"By bringing (this event) around to Barrie and into new and old communities alike, we are gathering and spreading awareness that people are not familiar with.”
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