There are many individuals that are beloved in our autism community. One who I know many autism families absolutely love is country singer and CMA’s Entertainer of The Year Luke Bryan.
Many musicians are involved with different philanthropies but another reason why people in our community should love Luke is because of his passion for helping those on the autism spectrum. In June I met Luke for the first time at the NASCAR FedEx 400 Benefiting Autism Speaks in Dover Delaware where he was a Grand Marshal along with Joey young adult on the autism spectrum. Seeing his interactions with Joey was really special. Joey, who is a big fan of not only NASCAR but Luke had an amazing rapport with one another. He took a photo with me and Joey before the race began and chatted with us for 15 minutes or so about the autism cause.
Later in the year, Luke won even more brownie points in the autism community when he surprised one of his #1 fans on 107.7 WGNA Albany Country Radio. WGNA received a letter from Riley’s mother Marjorie in August which WGNA forwarded to Luke who graciously decided to call into the show to talk to Riley directly. When all was said and done Luke also sang one of Riley’s favorite songs, “Play it Again” on air.
I hope more people, especially in the music industry will follow his example. This year I’ll be interviewing him for Autism Speaks website to hear more about his efforts to spread autism awareness! Stay tuned. 🙂
