With World Autism Day earlier this week and World Autism Month occurring in April, the Cleveland Cavaliers will host their annual Autism Awareness Game this Sunday, April 7th when the Cavs host the San Antonio Spurs at 3:00 p.m. In partnership with Cleveland Clinic Children’s and Autism Speaks Northeast Ohio Community, the day aims to bring awareness to autism and autism care in our community.
There will be many supporting elements throughout Quicken Loans Arena on Sunday, including:
- There will be puzzle piece poster board and blue hair and face paint available for sign making on the concourse and the Cavs Crew members on the concourse will be wearing special edition Autism Awareness Game t-shirts
- In-arena hosts Ahmaad and Nicole, as well as mascots Moondog and Sir C.C. and the Scream Team will also wear Autism Awareness t-shirts during the game; these t-shirts will also be thrown out to fans during the in-game t-shirt toss;
- Special Autism Awareness t-shirts will be available for purchase in the Team Shop, with a portion of the proceeds going back to Cleveland Clinic Children’s and Autism Speaks Northeast Ohio Community
- Cleveland Clinic Children’s and Autism Speaks Northeast Ohio Community will have information tables on the concourse
- Cleveland Clinic Children’s and Autism Speaks Northeast Ohio Community will benefit from the in-game 50/50 raffle that fans can participate in
- Representatives from Cleveland Clinic Children’s will conduct a pregame in-arena interview and television interview on FOX Sports Ohio; Autism Speaks Northeast Ohio Community will do a halftime radio interview on WTAM;
- Various graphics, facts, videos and announcements about the cause will be featured in-arena throughout the game
- The highlight of the day will be the special pregame recognition where four Autism Awareness Advocates and Patients will be honored on-court
FOR GUESTS WITH SENSORY PROCESSING NEEDS:
In 2017, Quicken Loans Arena partnered with KultureCity to become the first NBA arena in the country certified as Sensory Inclusive. KultureCity is a non-profit organization dedicated to rethinking accessibility to create acceptance and inclusion for all individuals. The certification process included Cleveland Cavaliers and Quicken Loans Arena full and part-time team member sensory awareness training, and the implementation of enhanced services that features a Quiet Space Sensory Room. The initiative promotes a positive and accommodating experience for all fans and guests with sensory sensitivities who attend events at The Q. Sensory bags, weighted lap pads and access to the sensory room are available upon request at both of the guest relations desks in The Q located behind section 100 on the main concourse and behind section 200 on the upper concourse. For more information visit TheQArena.com.
Tickets for Sunday’s game are still available and can be purchased at Cavs.com.
For more information on Cleveland Clinic Children’s and Autism Speaks Northeast Ohio Community, fans can visit clevelandclinicchildrens.org/autism and autismspeaks.org, respectively.