What began as an annual April celebration took on a deeper meaning this year as SunUp Development Center held its first-ever community outreach program in honor of Autism Awareness Month — and at the heart of it were the very students the center exists to serve.
In a role reversal that carried its own quiet power, students from SunUp’s Special Education (SPED) program were the ones distributing tokens of appreciation to the more than 500 beneficiaries who gathered over two days. Rather than being recipients, they became givers — a deliberate choice that underscored the center’s core belief that children with special needs are not defined by their limitations.
“They were not only given groceries, they were also inspired and motivated despite being in a difficult situation,” said Dr. Engr. Lilac Schonberg, founder of SunUp Development Center.
The outreach ran from Saturday to Sunday, with 975 grocery packs distributed across the two-day period to beneficiaries of various nationalities. Beyond the groceries, the program was designed to offer more than material support. Attendees were provided proper seating and an opportunity to listen to inspirational talks delivered by guest speakers — a deliberate effort to treat each beneficiary with dignity rather than simply moving them through a queue.
The event was attended by SunUp executives as well as Vice Consul and Economic Officer Regatta Marie Antonio-Escutin, whose presence signaled official recognition of the initiative’s significance to the Filipino community in Abu Dhabi.
Dr. Schonberg noted that while the center has marked Autism Awareness Month every April, this year’s outreach program marked a first. “Every autism month, just to celebrate — but this is the first time we did an outreach program,” she said.
The initiative is an extension of SunUp’s broader April campaign, which also includes free Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) assessments offered to families across the UAE who may not otherwise have access to early intervention support.
