When the throws a 10th birthday party in Surrey next month, the event invitation will be a rare one for many of the special guests who attend.

Some kids with autism just don鈥檛 get invited to a lot of birthday parties, and Surrey resident Irene Brown knows the feeling.

鈥淢y son (Josiah) has been invited to only two birthday parties 鈥� one for another autistic child and one for a kid in his class,鈥� Brown said. 鈥淏irthday parties are very rare for him to attend.鈥�

So, it was a special moment this week when Josiah read aloud the personal invitation he received for CAN鈥檚 big bash, planned for Saturday, July 7 at Surrey Civic Plaza.

鈥淚t was exciting when he got it in the mail,鈥� Brown recalled with a smile. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a big party, too. It鈥檚 a great idea.鈥�

Games, live entertainment, inflatables, a dunk tank, vendors and more will be part of this particular party, a first-ever event organized to celebrate CAN鈥檚 10th anniversary of providing sports and recreation programs to people and families living with autism.

The organization, founded in 2008 by Vancouver Canucks co-owners Paolo and Clara Aquilini, also aims to increase autism awareness and provide related training in communities across B.C.

Admission is free at the , which is open to the public from noon to 6 p.m. on July 7.

Special 鈥渟ensory-friendly hours鈥� will take place that morning, from 10 a.m. to noon, for those who may have difficulty dealing with large crowds and loud noise. During that time, noise-cancelling headphones will be available for rental.

鈥� RELATED STORY: .

The inspiration for the birthday event came from 鈥渢he countless stories of children with autism who are excluded from birthday parties,鈥� according to an advisory from CAN.

In the weeks leading up to the party, the organization mailed out some 1,700 personal invitations to kids and youth with autism, 鈥渕arking the first-ever birthday invite for many of the recipients.鈥�

Bobs and Lolo will entertain during the event, as will the band Famous Players.

鈥淲e look forward to welcoming hundreds of children, youth, young adults and families with autism, as well as hundreds more from the general public,鈥� stated Katy Harandi, president and CEO of Canucks Autism Network.

She called the festival 鈥渁n unprecedented celebration of the incredible successes that our thousands of members have accomplished throughout CAN鈥橲 10-year history.鈥�

鈥� RELATED STORY:

Surrey is home to close to 15 per cent of CAN鈥檚 province-wide membership, which hovers around 4,000 families, the organization says. Not surprisingly, Surrey has the largest number of children and youth with autism of any city in B.C., according to Ministry of Child and Family Development stats cited by CAN.

Residents of the Green Timbers area of Surrey, the Brown family has taken advantage of many CAN programs for Josiah and his two older sisters, including bicycle riding lessons, soccer, baseball and swimming, along with movie screenings and visits to the holiday light display at VanDusen Botanical Garden in Vancouver.

鈥� RELATED STORY: .

The programs are becoming more popular, said Brown, who welcomes more of them coming to Surrey.

鈥淚t鈥檚 been great for us,鈥� she explained. 鈥淲e tried doing the regular rec programs, but it just wasn鈥檛 the right fit.鈥�

At Newton Recreation Centre a couple of years ago, Josiah entered into a soccer program where some of the ball-handling skills were a bit challenging for him.

鈥淪o they got those kids to participate in other ways, such as collecting cones and setting up the games,鈥� Brown recalled. 鈥淚t鈥檚 neat how they got everyone involved in some way.鈥�

A fan of numbers, Josiah noted the CAN birthday party will be held in the year he, too, turns 10.

The boy has a bright mind for science- and geography-related topics, and has a passion for the Titanic, BC Ferries boats and tape measures.

鈥淵ou can show him a silhouette of a BC ferry, and he can tell you the name of it 鈥� the Queen of whatever,鈥� his mother said.

Get him going about Pangaea, earth鈥檚 old super-continent, and Josiah just can鈥檛 stop talking.

鈥淢y son talks about Titanic like yours talks about cars, you know,鈥� Brown said. 鈥淜ids with autism are the same as the rest of the kids, and do things just like other kids, and this (party in Surrey) is a celebration of that, I think, and the whole city is invited.鈥�

tom.zillich@surreynowleader.com
Like us on Follow us on and follow Tom on