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The Asbury Park School District held its Third Annual Bubbles For Autism at Bradley Elementary School Monday afternoon.

This year’s supportive celebration, which was also held Thursday morning at Thurgood Marshall Elementary School, was themed Anchored in Love and included participants forming a human anchor on the Third Avenue school’s soccer field.

The second and fifth grade choir students opened the program by performing their rendition of Huey Lewis’ ‘Power of Love,’ and students from the school’s three special need classes administered the countdown to bubbles as ‘We All Fit’ by The Figureheads played in the backdrop.

Each class created banners of support and winning this year’s program cover art contest was 8-year-old Kevin Ogden, who incorporated a sun, rainbow, the signature autism puzzle pieces, an anchor, and the sea in his piece.

“The only thing we told the students was to create a piece art based on the anchored in love theme,” art teacher Juslaine Costanzo said.

The event’s guest speaker was 18-year-old Christopher LeCain of Barnegat High School, who is a representative for Faces 4 Autism, an autism education and support nonprofit that provides behavior therapy, sensory therapy, special education and support groups across the state.

“I’m very honored to see what all of you have done,” he told the crowd of students, faculty, and parents. “It means a lot to me; it really does.”

LeCain shared his journey, speaking of how through support of family, friends, his educators, and the nonprofit, he learned to love himself. As a child LeCain said he had many negative thoughts about his differences, which presented in self destructive behavior.

“They made me feel bad,” he said. “When I was young I used to bang my head when I was upset. My differences made me feel sad because I really didn’t know what to do.

“Being an autistic child, it’s very something,” he said. “If you are an autistic child you may not talk a lot [and] you may not express a lot. If you see someone having a hard time expressing themselves, you should help them. An autistic child needs attention, love, and care. It’s hard for them to accept that and it’s hard for them to express that.”

LeCain said he will attend Ocean County College in the fall and hopes to carve out a career in the hospitality industry.

School Principal Edwin Ruiz and program organizer Donna Ficarra said students from Bradley, Barack Obama, and Thurgood Marshall elementary school held in school fundraisers in support of autism awareness, which resulted in a $2,082 donation to Faces 4 Autism.

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