Teachers, students and parents walk past a display of blue flags during an Autism Walk at The Carmen B. Pingree Autism Center for Learning in Salt Lake City on Thursday. The 16,000 blue flags represent each individual with autism in Utah. Following the walk participants were treated to ice cream, a dance party and other activities supporting autism awareness. According to the center's websiste, Carmen B. Pingree, the parent of a child with autism, spearheaded a movement in the late 1970s to fund a preschool for children with autism in Utah. In 1998, David and Susan Spafford created a vision for an elementary school to serve nearly 250 children with autism by establishing a $10 million endowment with an additional $1 million provided by Valley Mental Health. That vision became a reality in November 2002 when the Carmen B. Pingree School for Children with Autism opened. In 2014, the facility changed its name to the Carmen B. Pingree Autism Center of Learning.
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