UNMC's Hope Tower near 40th Street and Dewey Avenue will "Light It Up Blue" for autism awareness. UNMC is home to the Munroe-Meyer Institute that is home to many programs and services for children and adults on the autism spectrum and their families.
According to Autism Speaks, "Each April 2, the organization celebrates the start of its signature campaign, "Light It Up Blue", along with the international autism community in recognition of NU sanctioned World Autism Awareness Day and April, World Autism Month." Thousands of landmarks, buildings and homes around the world will be lit in blue in support of people living with autism.
This year the Hope Tower will join them lighting up blue starting around 8 p.m. Saturday through around 7 a.m. Sunday.
The CDC estimates autism's prevalence as 1 in 68 children in the United States. There is no one cause of autism and research suggests that it often develops from a combination of genetic and non-genetic or environmental influences.