From left, Rowan Farley gets color sprayed on them by volunteer Dana Byrd at the UnPuzzled Parents Connect Spectrum Color Run on Saturday. (Photo by Gwen Sour)

WILLIAMSTOWN – Families gathered Saturday at Williamstown High School for a colorful show of support, inclusion and community during the UnPuzzled Parents Connect Spectrum Color Run, an event designed to celebrate autism acceptance and foster connections across the Mid-Ohio Valley.

Hosted by UnPuzzled Parents Connect, the event brought together children and adults of all abilities for a day centered on awareness, resources and fun. The nonprofit, based in Wood County, serves families throughout the region and across West Virginia.

“We support families that have children with autism and intellectual and developmental disabilities,” said Whitney Price, founder of the organization. “We connect them to different resources, inclusive events, training, education, workshops. We have different support groups, and we also have a dad’s group now. And we just try to be that emotional connection that families need.”

The Spectrum Color Run served as the group’s celebration of Autism Acceptance Month, typically observed in April, while reinforcing a message that inclusion should extend year-round.

“Autism acceptance month is in the month of April, but we also wanted to show that inclusion lasts beyond the month of April,” Price said. “Autism is a spectrum.”

From left, Jena and Axel Huffer rush through the UnPuzzled Parents Connect Spectrum Color Run Saturday at Williamstown Elementary School. (Photo by Gwen Sour)

Participants made their way through the color run course while also taking part in a variety of activities designed to engage families in a welcoming environment. Bright colors marked the run, while the surrounding event space featured inflatables, games, local vendors and food trucks.

“Nothing is more exciting than having inflatables set up,” Price said. “We’ve got inflatables, different games, different vendors, food trucks, and just a lot of additional activities that kids can enjoy.”

For many families, the event offered opportunities that are not always accessible in traditional settings. Courtney White, a parent and volunteer, said the experience allows children to participate in activities they might otherwise miss.

“They have to get to have fun. You get to see their smiling faces. You get to see just the enjoyment,” White said. “They don’t get to experience, like the sports and all that. And like, just being able to run around the track, and being able to feel like a track athlete once — and just being able to be sprayed with color — it just makes them real happy.”

Inclusion is about ensuring families feel supported and understood while connecting them with resources, White said.

Hundreds of people attended the UnPuzzled Parents Connect Spectrum Color Run Saturday at Williamstown Elementary School on Saturday. (Photo by Gwen Sour)

“Inclusion is just everybody, all together, everybody helping advocate for everybody, guidance, where to go for ABA, OT, speech therapy,” she said. “I have been in this group, I’ve met so many moms. Being in the real world, it’s hard bringing your kid into a normal, because people don’t understand.”

Events like the color run, she added, help bridge that gap.

“So having these events like this, people understand — there’s inclusion and everything like that,” she said.

Organizers emphasized that the event was intentionally inclusive, inviting both neurodiverse individuals and the broader community to take part.

“We wanted today to be an all-inclusive community event,” Price said. “Because if we want to create that world and that vision of acceptance, we have to bring everybody in the community into what we’re doing.”

Parents, volunteers and community members participated throughout the day, highlighting the importance of support systems and shared experiences for families navigating autism and other developmental disabilities.

UnPuzzled Parents Connect continues to expand its programming, offering support groups, workshops and inclusive activities aimed at helping families feel connected and supported year-round.

For more information or to get involved, visit www.unpuzzledparentsconnect.com.