SAAAC Autism Centre

🎈 Kids Zone Sponsor Spotlight: JC’s Banquet & Convention Centre!

A special thank you to JC’s Banquet & Convention Centre, our Kids Zone Sponsor, for helping us make this year’s Walk-A-Thon a day of fun, connection, and inclusive play for children of all ages and abilities.

Thanks to their support, our Kids Zone will be filled with sensory-friendly play, crafts, and activities designed for families to enjoy together throughout the day.

Join us on Saturday, July 25, from 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM for our annual Walk-A-Thon featuring a 5 km community walk, family-friendly activities, food and refreshment vendors, live entertainment and performances, and so much more.

Every step taken and dollar raised helps provide accessible autism services and support for families in our community.

👟 Register, fundraise, and walk with us — visit the link in our bio! 💙

This week’s SPARKS session was filled with inspiration, insight, and purpose. ✨

We were thrilled to welcome Johanna Niles — entrepreneur, African-Caribbean educator, Cultural Access Strategist, and Founder of Builducate Inc. — as a guest speaker for the SPARKS Business Incubator.

SPARKS is designed to support autistic individuals, caregivers, and families as they develop, strengthen, and navigate entrepreneurial ventures. With a strong business lens and a focus on accessibility, inclusion, and supportive learning, the program helps participants explore their ideas, build confidence, and gain the tools and guidance needed to move forward.

Johanna shared her journey as a sibling caregiver, educator, advocate, and entrepreneur, offering participants a powerful example of how lived experience, community need, and purpose-driven business can come together to create meaningful change.

Through her work with Builducate Inc. and initiatives such as Sisterability, Johanna continues to build pathways to access, belonging, and participation for Caribbean and African communities.

Thank you, Johanna, for sharing your time, wisdom, and commitment to building more inclusive communities with our SPARKS participants. 💙

Learn more about Johanna’s work: www.builducate.ca