- 6/20/2025
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00:00Hey, what's good? It is Clay from the all-new Morning World Out with Lisha B and Clay.
00:04Lisha is going to be back already. She's out on another vacation.
00:08Do you guys know anyone that vacations more than Lisha?
00:10Honestly, no.
00:12If I was single and kidless, I would do the thing, too.
00:15That's what I'm saying, too. I always tell everyone, if you need travel advice, Lisha is your girl.
00:19Hook it up there.
00:20Absolutely.
00:21But we do have important stuff to talk about.
00:23And luckily in studio this morning, Rebecca and Tierra,
00:26go ahead and introduce yourselves and how you get involved with the Big Blue Bash
00:30or how you got involved with the Big Blue Bash.
00:33Yes, definitely.
00:34Well, hi, everybody. My name is Tierra Moultrie.
00:36I am the founder of Autism in the D, and we partner up with Black on with Bex
00:40to bring you the Big Blue Bash.
00:43This is going to be our family carnival fundraiser for us to open up Detroit's first adaptive and inclusive play gym.
00:49And that's been a goal that you've been working towards for quite a while now, right?
00:53Yeah, we've been chipping off at our big number left and right as much as we can,
00:59gratefully from great crowdfunding and then throwing different fundraisers like this.
01:03And Rebecca approached me, like, let's do this event.
01:06And so we're doing it.
01:07So, Rebecca, you know, you've come into this as a partner to try and make all these big goals come true.
01:13What drew you into Autism in the D?
01:16Yeah, so a little bit about myself.
01:18So I am the owner and founder of Black on with Bex, and so a lot of what we do is really find ways to bring people out into the community
01:26and support Black-owned businesses, right?
01:28And so that's how I ended up connecting with Autism in the D.
01:32We literally, I think we ended up just meeting through, like, Instagram, really.
01:37Yeah, I think you came to one of our events.
01:39It was on from there.
01:40Yeah, and so they have an annual walk, Autism Day walk, and I decided to just go and support because I, you know,
01:50not only do I have family members, but it was just an important cause to me,
01:54and I just loved to see what she was doing.
01:56And this was, what, two years ago now?
01:59And one of the things that I love to do are events and fundraisers and help people put on events and fundraisers.
02:06And so I was like, I really want to partner with her and really do something fun for the community, you know,
02:12and still do it for a cause.
02:13And so I just knew that at some point I wanted to work with Tierra from Autism in the D, and it just went from there.
02:20And so that's how we came up with the idea of the Big Blue Bash.
02:23We wanted to do something that was family-friendly, that was fun.
02:27It was outdoor, you know, be able to spend time outdoors.
02:30And, yeah, so that's really how we came up with it.
02:33All right, so we're going to, let's do this backwards.
02:34The Big Blue Bash is coming up July 12th.
02:36But before we talk about the event, let's talk about the goal.
02:39Yeah.
02:40Because this interactive playground, and this is something that I feel like a lot of people who don't have family members
02:48or deal with someone who has autism or is on the spectrum,
02:51they don't realize the differences between your regular old playground and what this playground is going to look like.
02:57Yes, so I'm a two-time autism mom.
03:00When my oldest son was diagnosed, he will be nine this year.
03:02He was diagnosed at the age of three, and then the statistics were 1 in 56 for diagnosis.
03:08In today's age, it's 1 in 31.
03:10Oh, geez.
03:10So this continuing gap of lack of necessities and resources that we need for our kiddos,
03:16I also saw as I took my children out to play.
03:18You know, having to say, I'm sorry, which I shouldn't have to do, or, you know, explain,
03:22oh, he's on the spectrum, he doesn't see your child, he's not ignoring them, he's not speaking to them,
03:26that's just how he rolls.
03:28So opening up this Adaptive Play Center will give less worry for parents, you know,
03:34give them less explanation, a place where they don't have to explain about their child
03:37because they're already accepted and included.
03:39So giving that inclusivity piece for the city of Detroit
03:42because the city of Detroit lacks so many resources for the autism community.
03:45And that's something, as a parent, you really get to watch your child grow
03:49when you let them go out and explore.
03:51And they may get themselves into a little bit of trouble, but that's kind of that learning process.
03:56Because when you have a child on the spectrum, that ability is way smaller.
04:01Yeah, and I literally started Autism Indy because I was a lost parent,
04:05and I literally said, let's meet up and be lost together, let's vent together,
04:08and we've grown from then.
04:09Our Facebook group has almost 3,500 people in it.
04:12Our walk just had 1,500 people come out.
04:15So we're continuing to grow that community and that safe space
04:17because I know what it's like to not have anybody to go to, to vent to, to relate to.
04:21Because as much as I love my mom, she couldn't help me parent my kids
04:25because unless you've been an autism parent, you don't know what it's like to be an autism parent.
04:28And you kind of touched on the community growth because, I mean,
04:33it added one more member when you started to get involved, Rebecca.
04:36So, I mean, talk about the community a little bit,
04:38the people that you guys have met through this
04:40and the friendships and the family and the bonds that have come.
04:44Well, honestly, it has opened so many doors just in terms of, you know,
04:50meeting people who sometimes you don't even realize, you know,
04:53who can really just help you along this journey, right?
04:56Like, you know, meeting Tiara and being able to provide resources for others,
05:00you know, meeting other people who are parents, you know,
05:03who want to be involved, who want their kids to be more inclusive as well, right?
05:07And so, like, just, like, being able to open up a new door and a new space for me,
05:12you know, a lot of – I was literally telling somebody this the other day.
05:17One of the things when I started out, people were asking me, like,
05:20hey, do you do family-friendly events?
05:22Do you do, you know, how do you, you know, bring people out with kids?
05:26And I really didn't know how to navigate that space because I don't have kids, right?
05:30And so meeting Tiara and being able to now open up a space for people who, you know,
05:35do have kids who want to be able to, you know, do things like this, right,
05:39who want to be a part of the community and don't really know a way how to,
05:42it's really opened up those doors for them.
05:44And it's been really great to just see the response, you know, from people, you know,
05:48just being like, hey, I'm sharing this with, you know, all my family members
05:52because I want them to be there.
05:54And so, yeah, it's been really great.
05:56But, yeah.
05:56For me, we have just been getting so many accolades lately from our community members,
06:00and it just brings me so much joy because I'm doing what I'm setting out to do.
06:04I'm reaching the families I'm trying to reach.
06:06Recently, one of the families was featured in a local magazine called Uniquely You,
06:11and they gave us a shout-out.
06:12And it was just so amazing to know that we impacted enough to even mention us in the article.
06:17Another parent, one of our regulars, who at this point, that's my sis, I love her boys.
06:23She invited us out to her son's birthday party, and there were three to four other members
06:26from the Autism and the D group that was at the birthday party.
06:30So it's just like growing this community and seeing these parents intermingle and create our own villages
06:35because usually we lack that is all I need to keep going.
06:39And so this is a perfect opportunity to talk about becoming a part of the community
06:44because the Big Blue Bash has a goal.
06:46The goal is to help with the playground.
06:48Yes.
06:48But this is also a big community growth for you, isn't it?
06:51Yes, I am just trying to open up doors, knock on those doors that need to be opened in the city of Detroit.
06:57You know, opening up this gym opens up a conversation that needs to be had about what we lack
07:02within the city of Detroit for the autism community, and not just for the younger children,
07:06for the children who turn into adults.
07:08My children will be adults eventually, and they may or may not have the resources that's needed.
07:12So this is just a starting point so we grow with what's needed within the city of Detroit.
07:16It's a long picture.
07:17It's a long picture for sure.
07:18It's a big picture for sure, but this is a starting point.
07:20Yeah, it's got to start somewhere, and we're starting July 12th.
07:23Okay, we've got the Big Blue Bash.
07:26Go ahead and just kind of give an overview of what's going to be expected when you walk up.
07:30What are people going to be able to see?
07:32We're so excited.
07:34You mentioned Big Blue Bash and both your faces turn into a big smile.
07:38You're excited about it.
07:39I love it.
07:39Super excited.
07:41Majority of our vendors are black-owned.
07:44Majority of the things we've rented are black-owned.
07:46We do have a petting zoo.
07:48There's going to be pony rides, horse rides, five-in-one carnival, tons of other carnival games, bounce houses galore, face painting, whatever you can think of.
07:59We're also going to have our sensory tent.
08:01That's what Autism and Adidas provides as a service, where we have a sensory tent.
08:05So it's a calm-down zone.
08:06So it has all the fidgets, all the gadgets, all the sensory toys to have a calm-down area for kiddos who may be overstimulated because it will be a lot.
08:14It is a family fun carnival.
08:15We still encourage parents to still bring your kiddos out.
08:18Give it a try.
08:19I also work in the field of autism, so I'm an RBT.
08:22So if you guys need that help, pull me aside.
08:24I will help you get your kiddo regulated.
08:26But we want to make sure that everybody comes out and has a good time.
08:29And tickets are only $10.
08:30Yeah.
08:31Tickets are only $10.
08:32You can grab them online.
08:33There will be $15 at the door, so we definitely encourage purchasing online to get those way out the way so you guys can enjoy a good time.
08:40If people are looking for ways to get involved online, get information, maybe they want to volunteer, maybe they can't make it and want to be a part of the network that you guys are building, autism-related or not, someone that really wants to help, what are some of the best ways that they can do that?
08:56So we have, one, we're always looking for sponsors and people who are willing to donate.
09:01That's a big thing, definitely, because everything that we do is, once again, we're looking to help build this playground, build this gym.
09:13And so that's our goal, right?
09:15So if you can help in that way, that's a big way to help for us.
09:19Another way is we are looking for volunteers.
09:22We want to make this a carnival experience.
09:24We're looking for people who are willing to help us run some of these games, right, you know, help kind of regulate what's going on there.
09:31So if you are interested in volunteering, you can always reach out to Tierra, and she'll provide her information on that as well.
09:37Listen, I'm about that carny life.
09:39Yeah.
09:39Yes, come.
09:40Come, let's do.
09:41We need attendees.
09:41We need all the attendees.
09:44But you guys can go to autisminthed.com.
09:47We're on Instagram, Facebook, Autism in the D.
09:49The email is autisminthed at Gmail.
09:53That's how you guys can find us.
09:54Reach out, and we will get you sorted.
09:56If you want to volunteer, yes, we need a lot of volunteers.
09:58Yes.
09:59Come out, help us, and sponsors and donations that can all be found on autisminthed.com.
10:04All right.
10:04We'll have all that information on 105 on the bounce.com as well.
10:09Anything before we wrap up?
10:10Anything that we need to make sure that people go home with?
10:14I definitely, definitely want to shout out our – this is our highlight of the year sponsor, Centria Autism.
10:19They have been a big help to us with great donations for our past three events that we've had.
10:23Oh, that's great.
10:24So shout out to Centria Autism.
10:26And Judson Center was also a sponsor for this year's Big Blue Blast.
10:29So we're super excited and thankful for them.
10:31Yes.
10:32I just want to say, one, a huge thank you for having us today.
10:36Yes.
10:36Thank you, Alicia B.
10:37Sorry we had to miss you.
10:38Yes.
10:38We miss you, girl.
10:40But we're really happy to be here today.
10:43And I just wanted to, one, thank Tierra for allowing me to be a part of her vision.
10:48I thank her for that.
10:49For saying, let's do it, because I'm excited.
10:52Yes, but I'm really excited.
10:54And, you know, like we said, we're looking for volunteers.
10:57We're looking for attendees.
10:59And, you know, please reach out to either one of us to be able to help make this vision.
11:05Yes.
11:05So you can find me at blackownedw.bex on Instagram.
11:09You can also find me on Facebook at Black Owned with Bex.
11:12And you can also email me at bex at blackownedwbex.com.
11:17So feel free to reach out to me in any of those ways.
11:21And we can always talk about how you can help support the Big Blue Bash as well.
11:25That's perfect.
11:27That's perfect.
11:27And when we say community, I just feel like we need to clear this up.
11:30Community is people from all different walks.
11:33Correct.
11:33Like, this isn't a, if you don't have autism, then you can't come.
11:37This is for everyone at once.
11:38And that's how we get that community.
11:40If we have, you know, the neurodiversions with the neurotypicals, that's how we grow
11:44and we educate others because they're not going to know about autism unless they see autism.
11:49Yeah.
11:49So this is something for the whole city.
11:52The whole community is welcome.
11:53Yes, bring the city out.
11:55Yeah.
11:55And that's absolutely so.
11:56Big Blue Bash.
11:57It's happening July 12th.
11:59Make sure you get some more information about it.
12:01Thank you both so much.
12:03Thank you guys for having us.
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