Children with sensory issues can visit Santa in a safe environment on Saturday, Dec. 10

BEDFORD – Sharli Woody and Dakota Bruhy have planned an event for children to visit with Santa without loud music, large crowds, and other excitement that can be a challenge to those children with autism.

The FREE event is scheduled for Saturday, December 10th at the Central Church of Christ located at 1402 12th Street in Bedford from 1 p.m. until 3:30 p.m.

The event is to benefit children with sensory issues so they can have an experience with Santa without the triggers of a ‘typical’ Santa environment.

Woody and Bruhy started a support group called Autism Matters for Lawrence County.

“We are looking to bring information and support to parents of special needs children,” said Woody in an email. ” We chose the name autism matters for the fact that both of our kids have been diagnosed with autism. We want the community around us to understand that our children matter the group also provides support to families in similar situations. We hope to have workshops and gatherings along with giving our kids in our community the experiences they often miss out on because of their diagnosis. Our group motto is “No one walks alone“. So our hope is to continue growing our group and bringing in resources that would benefit our family and community. Our hope is to one day become a nonprofit support group for Lawrence county. My personal goal is to help families that are feeling overwhelmed and alone and bring the resources and information directly to them.”