In Savannah, Georgia, a determined mother has transformed her personal experiences into a mission for change. Christie Belle, whose son is on the autism spectrum, founded “Autism Rising” a few years back, and now she’s aiming to broaden its reach.

Established in 2018, “Autism Rising” is dedicated to supporting individuals on the autism spectrum, striving to ensure they feel included in the community.

“Our goal is to make sure they know the community is theirs just as much as it is ours,” Belle explained, emphasizing the importance of inclusivity.

The inspiration behind “Autism Rising” is deeply personal. Belle’s son, who is non-verbal, had a troubling interaction with law enforcement that prompted her to take action.

“My son uses a speech device for communication,” Belle recounted. “During an encounter with the police, he reached for his backpack to get the device. I was there, watching, and realized this situation might not always have me present. It was concerning to see how it could have unfolded.”

“Autism Rising” was then created, and they began to educate law enforcement on how to communicate with individuals on the spectrum. “Autism Rising” then started a social skill group to give them a sense of community.

Currently, their team takes trips around the area, allowing them to do daily mundane tasks together. However, the vehicle they have now is not big enough to support the need.

“She literally goes in the community,” Belles said. “She takes them to the fish market. On gloomy days or days like today, she would take them somewhere to do chalk on the side, or they would go to the park. So, she has a change of clothes [in her car], you know, they get sick, but everyone can’t be transported at the same time. So that’s where our need came.”

Belle and her team set up a fundraising page to help them get a bigger form of transportation. They have more groups planned to launch in April, Autism Awareness Month.