Citi Field To Be Lit Up Blue For Autism Awareness

by Eric Simon on Apr 1, 2011 2:03 PM EDT

Citi Field lit up blue for Autism Awareness (Flickr/autismspeaks)

To help kick off Autism Awareness Month, Citi Field will be one of more than 300 buildings and landmarks around the world to "Light It Up Blue" on April 1st and 2nd. Autism Speaks' Light It Up Blue (LIUB) campaign serves to raise awareness of the ongoing fight against autism, which now afflicts 1 in 110 children and 1 in 70 boys.

The Mets' organization has long supported the efforts to educate people about autism, hosting Autism Awareness Day at Citi Field—and, before that, Shea Stadium—each year. The Mets will be in Florida battling the Marlins this weekend, but Citi Field will still be lit up blue.

Here's the official press release from Autism Speaks:

On the evenings of April 1 and 2, 2011, prominent buildings across North America and the world — including the Empire State Building in New York City and the CN Tower in Toronto, Canada — will turn their lights blue to raise awareness for autism and to commemorate World Autism Awareness Day on Saturday, April 2.

We’re aiming to light the world blue all throughout April — city by city, town by town — by taking action to raise autism awareness in our communities.

Read more about autism and go to LightItUpBlue.org to make a donation.

If you or someone in your life has been affected by autism, please share your story in the comments.

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random

but me and one of my buddies go try to got to a couple games together each year, and somehow we’ve ended up going on autism awareness day 4 of the 6 times it has occurred, never on purpose. this is the first time i’ll have known about it beforehand

"I only wanted a few things out of life -- a wife, children, to play baseball and to hunt deer." - Turk Wendell

by Rey-O on Mar 30, 2011 10:01 PM EDT reply actions

try to go*

"I only wanted a few things out of life -- a wife, children, to play baseball and to hunt deer." - Turk Wendell

by Rey-O on Mar 30, 2011 10:01 PM EDT reply actions

Citi Field should always be lit up in blue (and orange)

That’d be cool.

"Blinding ignorance does mislead us. O! Wretched mortals, open your eyes!"
Gil Hodges IS a Hall of Famer.

AA Gamethread Embiggening Record Holder- 453 posts (10/03/10)
3rd Place- 2011 AAOP Contest

by Brooklyn Dodgers Mets Fan on Mar 30, 2011 10:03 PM EDT via mobile reply actions 1 recs

indeed

it does look perty

by JaySchu on Mar 31, 2011 10:39 AM EDT up reply actions

It looks very nice

but it also looks more purple than blue?

by Kepler on Apr 1, 2011 2:50 PM EDT up reply actions

Amazing.

Even more proud to be a Mets fan.

Two of my brothers have Asperger’s, which is not the same thing but are similar, at least from what I understand. After my first brother with it was born, it completely changed me as a person as it helped me become so much more understanding of a person, and so much more patient. I feel really lucky to have both of them as part of my family.

Darrelle Revis once won a game of Connect Four in three moves.

by bm01bath on Mar 30, 2011 10:44 PM EDT reply actions

I need to be more informed

and need to understand more about autism and Asperger’s as well, haha. My parents have a full understand of it, of course, but I guess I never fully understood the disease. That’s my goal for the evening!

Darrelle Revis once won a game of Connect Four in three moves.

by bm01bath on Mar 30, 2011 10:46 PM EDT up reply actions

My girlfriend has Asperger's.

I echo the above sentiment.

"Blinding ignorance does mislead us. O! Wretched mortals, open your eyes!"
Gil Hodges IS a Hall of Famer.

AA Gamethread Embiggening Record Holder- 453 posts (10/03/10)
3rd Place- 2011 AAOP Contest

by Brooklyn Dodgers Mets Fan on Mar 31, 2011 12:04 AM EDT up reply actions

Great post bm

I’m a Social Worker who has run group homes in which many Asperger’s kids have stayed…..it’s a tough condition but so many beautiful souls have it. Learn about it and be proud, and as you said, it will help to make you a very compassionate person.

Thanks for sharing, and lets go mets!

Thank you Matt Moulson!
It doesn't hurt being an Islander fan....but it sure hurts playing for them...get well soon, um, everybody....

by CharlieIsles on Mar 31, 2011 7:59 AM EDT up reply actions

Big ups

one of the players went to a school visit for a special ed school the other day. not sure who that was.

I’ve been overwhelmed and I’ve been underwhelmed. Can I ever just be whelmed?

by closetasfan on Mar 30, 2011 10:59 PM EDT reply actions

Justin McMillan

Best man at my wedding, die hard White Sox fan, good family friend of Minnie Minoso. (His mom is Cuban; I grew up in Chicago.) Before I knew sabermetrics, I knew Justin clutching the Sun Times sports page like a wino does the bottle, circling stats and tabulating 1s and 0s in the margins. Never did learn his method. When he visited NY and expressed Yankee interest it took hardly any subtle manipulation on my part to steer us to Citi. Takahashi shut down the Phils as part of the goose egg sweep, and now he asks me a bunch about the Mets.

by Pack Bringley on Mar 30, 2011 11:20 PM EDT reply actions

Ah.

I work at a school with children on the autism spectrum, so I see plenty of people with it on a daily basis. It certainly is a spectrum, as one child at my school has a Rain Man-esque memory at age 12, and another will probably never speak a word and has cerebral palsy in addition to their autism but I enjoy the place and especially the children immensely.

However, if I see Jenny McCarthy’s face one more time during Autism Awareness Month peddling her pseudo-science bullshit, I’m going to have an aneurysm.

by Five-Tool Tool on Mar 31, 2011 12:03 AM EDT reply actions 1 recs

Fantasitc

Certainly, I’m someone touched by autism. My son, who will soon turn 6 is what is deemed on the scale to be “classic” autistic. That means he has at least 3 aspects — little to no eye contact, limited verbal communication skills; hand flapping, running (called “stimming”), fixation on cause and effect, especially keen on water.

Each year since his diagnosis, all the sites on the Business of Sports Network are rebranded during the month of April during International Autism Awareness month. I reach out to the sports and media community to help spread the word about autism, its effects, and help get the word out to parents to help them look for the signs.

Look for that to begin on Friday. In the meantime, a gracious thanks for running this post.

by Maury Brown on Mar 31, 2011 12:12 AM EDT reply actions

Amazing

I think this is truly great. My wife has a BA in Human Resources Counseling and has worked as the Lead Case Manager for Goodwill with her clients being austic and special needs adults. She takes a lot of pride in helping austic children and adults and even has a couple of puzzle pieces tattooed on her to represent Autism Awareness.

by ritzdeez on Mar 31, 2011 8:18 AM EDT reply actions

Citi is very autism-friendly

lots of space to walk around while not missing the game, and the line to hug Mr. Met is quick.
Two of my four kids are affected by autism and they are all huge Mets fans.

Thank you Mets for participating with the blue lights for World Autism Day April 2, and also for the Mets Autism Awareness Day on Saturday, May 7.

by AnneInFlushing on Mar 31, 2011 5:01 PM EDT reply actions