The month of April is recognized as National Autism Awareness Month. SNHU Buddies and the Coordinators of Activities and Programming Events (CAPE) hosted an autism awareness-themed bingo night on Wednesday, April 12 in the Last Chapter Pub.
SNHU Buddies is a relatively new student organization on campus that enables members to establish meaningful friendships with individuals that have intellectual and developmental disabilities.
SNHU Buddies President Meghan Brower, Junior, started the organization with the hopes of providing resources to those with disabilities. She used the popularity of weekly bingo to help increase awareness of the organization.
“I am a special education major and I realized that there were no outlets for those with special needs. We wanted to get our name out there,” said Brower.
Members of the organization were encouraged to bring their buddies along with them so they could be a part of the event.
Blue ribbons pins, which are a nationally recognized symbol for autism awareness, were handed out to attendees.
First year student, Shannon Gayron, recently joined the organization. “I just joined SNHU Buddies and I wanted to support them,” said Gayron.
Attendees had the opportunity to win a multitude of prizes, such as an Applebee’s gift card, a movie-themed basket and an Amazon gift card.
The Autism Society began an Autism Awareness campaign in the early 1970’s and it has been growing tremendously ever since. The group, which has over 120,000 members, aims to promote awareness, provide educational programs and support research within the autism community.
This was the last weekly bingo night of the semester, and the event drew a massive crowd. Sophomore, Nate Cushman, was among the many attendees. “I thought the event was great.
There was a great turnout and I think everyone had a great time,” said Cushman.