On April 16, families throughout East County will blow bubbles and good wishes to children with autism as part of Autism Awareness Month. The program, which was started in New Jersey by the parents of autistic children, is organized and sponsored by schools, churches and daycare facilities nationwide.

Bubbles for Autism, to be held at Antioch's Sutter Elementary School, will feature a reading by Zach McBride, who has a brother with autism. The student body will then fill the air with bubbles along with their wishes for continued research to find a cure for autism, which now affects one in 150 children in California.

We are thrilled and proud of the community response to these local events. It makes all the difference to the children and their families, said Lisa McBride, organizer and founder of Special Kids Foundation, a nonprofit organization that promotes and supports awareness for special-needs children and their families. For more information, call 516-9690.