The Bank of America Building in Downtown Fort Lauderdale, the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, and the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood will join other South Florida businesses by “Lighting It Up Blue” in April to highlight autism acceptance and awareness

Fort Lauderdale, Florida (March 31, 2022) – The Dan Marino Foundation, a non-profit dedicated to improving the lives of children, teens, and adults with autism, will be showcasing April as Autism Acceptance & Awareness Month. Businesses throughout South Florida will be lighting up their buildings in blue (the international color for autism) in honor of this celebration.

Dan Marino Foundation - 1 in 44 - Individuals are diagnosed with autism each year.

The “Light It Up Blue” global initiative is intended to raise international awareness of autism in support of World Autism Awareness Day held each year on April 2nd and Autism Acceptance & Awareness Month celebrated in the United States every April. When the Foundation was created in 1992, the prevalence of autism was 3 in 10,000. Today the CDC reports that 1 in 44 children in the U.S. is diagnosed with autism every year.

The Foundation will also honor the autism community by flying “Autism is My Super Power” flags on Las Olas Boulevard from SE 6th Avenue to SE 10th Avenue in Fort Lauderdale for the month of April. Dan Marino, former Miami Dolphin and NFL Hall of Famer, and Dean Trantalis, Mayor of the City of Fort Lauderdale, are releasing a PSA encouraging other businesses to also “Light Up Our City Blue.”

About The Dan Marino Foundation:

Dan Marino Foundation - 1 in 44 - Individuals are diagnosed with autism each year.

Founded by Dan and Claire Marino shortly after their son, Michael, was diagnosed with autism in 1992, the Dan Marino Foundation has a long and distinguished history of life-changing programs and services, with the mission to “empower individuals with autism and other developmental disabilities.” The Foundation has raised more than $91 million to create and support unique and impactful initiatives.

Among these are the Nicklaus Children’s Hospital Dan Marino Outpatient Center, the Marino Autism Research Institute, Marino Adapted Aquatics, and the Marino Campus accredited post-secondary school. Utilizing technology as a game-changer, the Foundation is at the forefront of creating award-winning technologies, utilizing virtual and mixed reality to build job interview and social skills practice (VI|ready) and EduEx, a virtual learning online platform offering employability, financial, and independent living competencies.

For more information about the Foundation, please visit https://danmarinofoundation.org and follow the organization on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter.