Today we celebrated autism awareness at the 4th annual Canucks Autism Network Family Festival at Jack Poole Plaza in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It’s a family friendly event that welcomes everyone in the community.

My mom, sister, and her girlfriend joined us this year to show their support, and of course we brought our bubble blowers!

The event included the lighting of the Olympic Cauldron, a Family Fun Zone with special guest appearances, face painting, a photo booth, an exhibitor and sponsor fair, a BBQ lunch hosted by Moderne Burger and Myrtle’s Famous Hot Dogs, and the CAN Family Festival Walk. We even got the opportunity to meet Trevor Linden who is a retired Canadian hockey player and current president of the Vancouver Canucks.

There was live entertainment featuring musical performances by Juno award winning, children’s performer, Charlotte Diamond, and the Neil Diamond tribute band, Nearly Neil.

It honestly felt like there was a lot less people attending this year than last year, but the dark clouds and light rain didn’t dampen those that were there. The Canucks Autism Network throws a great community party! The Bubbles Make Him Smile family had a great time and already can’t wait for next year!

Check out our Facebook page for more pictures! Oh, and if you took pictures of our bubbles please feel free to share them on our Facebook page too! :)

Thanks for reading,
Tanaya and Bryce

The Canucks Autism Network provides year-round, innovative, high quality sports, recreational, social, and employment related programs for individuals and families living with autism, while building awareness and capacity through community networks across British Columbia.

For more information please visit Canucks Autism Network.

Join me and my family on Sunday, April 12th, 2015 from 10:00am to 2:30pm at Jack Poole Plaza at the Canucks Autism Network Family Festival in celebration of Autism Awareness month!

The event will include a pledged walk, BBQ lunch, live entertainment featuring Charlotte Diamond,  Nearly Neil (huge fan!!), an appearance by hockey legend Trevor Linden, and lots of family friendly activities!

We encourage you to invite your friends, families, neighbours, and colleagues to come out in support of people living with autism in our community!

Please support the Canucks Autism Network by signing up as a fundraiser today and make an impact on the lives of individuals and families living with autism in British Columbia.

Thanks for reading,
Tanaya and Bryce

For more information about this event, to make a donation, or to sign up to fundraise click here.

Saturday, April 12th, 2014 marked the 3rd Annual Canucks Autism Network (CAN) Family Festival. CAN provides year-round, innovative, high quality sports, recreational, social, and employment related programs for individuals and families living with autism, while building awareness and capacity through community networks across British Columbia. The Family Festival hosts an autism walk, live entertainment, special guests, food, and family-friendly activities!

My mom and sister joined us this year to show their support, and of course we brought our bubble blowers!

With the exception of the really long wait for food vendors, the event was a success. The weather was beautiful, the sun was shining, the atmosphere was powerful and full of love and compassion. Of course, their were a lot of bubbles!

Thank you to all the volunteers for keeping us safe on the walk and for taking the time out of your day to show your support!

Check out our Facebook page for more pictures! Oh, and if you took pictures of our bubbles please feel free to share them on our Facebook page too! :)

Special thanks to Dee, Tina, and Alex for all their love and continued support!

Thanks for reading,
Tanaya and Bryce

Join us at the 3rd Annual Canucks Autism Network Family Festival on Saturday, April 12, 2014 as we celebrate Autism Awareness Month! It’s FREE!

When: Saturday, April 12, 2014 from 10:00am-2:30pm
Where: Jack Poole Plaza (Vancouver Convention Centre)
What: The day will include a fundraising walk, lighting of the cauldron, live entertainment with a special performance by the Vancouver band ODDS, a BBQ lunch provided by Moderne Burger and Dougie Dogs, and family-friendly activities including a Family Fun Zone sponsored by Ledcor with activities hosted by the Vancouver Canucks, Whitecaps FC, Vancouver Canadians, BC Lions and Seattle Seahawks!

We’ll bring the bubbles, you bring the smiles!

Thanks for reading and hope to see you there,
Tanaya

Ok, so it’s the day after the 2nd Annual Canucks Autism Network Family Festival that we attended here in Vancouver, British Columbia, and I just have one question: Where is all the next day news coverage of this epic event?

I only found one blurb on Xinhua News (Thank you Xinhua News!) about the event and that was it. I wasn’t going to call them out, but The Vancouver Sun, a big name local newspaper here, and one of the sponsors of the CAN Family Festival, didn’t even write anything about the event in there paper. It was extremely disappointing, and in my opinion, a devastating drop from last years huge media attention.

Ok, enough of that, sorry, but it just had to be said.

But on the plus side, the location of the event was perfect, the weather was just right, and there was a lot of things to see and do. I’m honestly already excited for next year!

*rant off*

Sunday, April 28th, 2013 marked the 2nd Annual Canucks Autism Network (CAN) Family Festival. CAN provides year-round, innovative, high quality sports, recreational, social, and employment related programs for individuals and families living with autism, while building awareness and capacity through community networks across British Columbia. The Family Festival hosts an autism walk, live entertainment, special guests, food, and family-friendly activities!

So as I was saying, we attended the 2nd Annual Canucks Autism Network Family Festival, and of course we brought our bubble blowers! (Thank you Sergei Bachlakov for taking these two beautiful pictures!)

I’m not sure how many people attended this year, but it definitely felt like more than last year. The atmosphere was very inviting, warm, and friendly. I even met a fellow mommy blogger who loves someone with autism too that we follow on Facebook who just happened to recognize me! Shout out to Wendy from Autism Is A Trip! :) Feel free to follow her journey on Facebook and tell her we sent ya!

The whole day was just perfect and I wanted to capture the moment with as many people as possible! I wanted to get our pictures with mascots, sponsors, volunteers, just everyone! Here’s a couple of my favourite pictures including one with the infamous ‘Andrew The Crazy Canuck’! P.S. Thanks Best Buy for the delicious popcorn!

Check out our Facebook page for more pictures! Oh, and if you were a volunteer that I asked to take a picture with you, it’s on our Facebook page too! :) Thank you to all the volunteers for keeping us safe on the walk and for taking the time out of your day to show your support!

Thanks for reading,
Tanaya

Join us at the 2nd Annual Canucks Autism Network Family Festival on Sunday, April 28th, 2013 as we celebrate Autism Awareness Month! It’s FREE!

When: Sunday, April 28, 2013, from 10:30am – 2:30pm
Where: Jack Poole Plaza (Vancouver Convention Centre)
What: Autism walk, live entertainment, special guests, lighting of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic cauldron, food, and family-friendly activities!

We’ll bring the bubbles, you bring the smiles!

Thanks for reading and hope to see you there,
Tanaya