April 14, 2021

New Episode of ‘What’s Happening MoCo’ Podcast Highlights Programs to Celebrate the ‘Shine Brighter Together’ Campaign for Autism Acceptance Month

Each April, Montgomery Parks of the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission and its partners host the “Shine Brighter Together” campaign to raise awareness of autism as part of a celebration of Autism Acceptance Month. Jennene Blakely, inclusion and community outreach specialist for Montgomery Parks, talked about this year’s campaign on the latest episode of the What’s Happening MoCo podcast. The podcast highlights people and programs important to the residents of Montgomery County.

The new episode is now available. The on-demand video of the newest episode can be viewed via the What’s Happening MoCo Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/WhatsHappeningMoCoPodcast. The podcast also can be heard via several popular podcast platforms including Apple Podcasts  at https://bit.ly/whats-happening-moco, Google Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio and others.

Agencies participating in the local celebration of the Shine Brighter Together campaign include Montgomery Parks, the Montgomery County Department of Recreation, the City of Takoma Park’s Department of Recreation, the City of Rockville’s Recreation and Parks, the City of Gaithersburg’s Department of Parks, Recreation and Culture, ArtStream and the Montgomery County’s Department of Public Library.

In the podcast, Ms. Blakely said that Montgomery Parks and its partners offer many events and programs though out the month that families can engage in together. Some of the programs are virtual due to the COVID-19 health crisis. However, as steps are being taken to ease the health crisis, some of the events can safely be held in person.

More information on the Shine Brighter Together campaign can be found at https://www.montgomeryparks.org/about/parks/accessibility/inclusive-special-events-and-programs/autism-acceptance/

The Shine Brighter Together campaign represents one example of how Montgomery Parks serves people with different levels of ability. However, Blakely emphasized that Montgomery Parks has ongoing efforts to ensure accessibility for residents throughout the year. For more information about accessibility in Montgomery Parks, visit https://www.montgomeryparks.org/about/parks/accessibility/.

In past episodes, podcast host Derrick Kenny has talked with guests on a wide variety of subjects. The show’s guests have included elected officials, Montgomery employees who specialize in specific aspects of government, business leaders and entertainers who live in the County. New podcasts are released twice a month.

Residents and others interested in asking a question or suggesting a topic to be addressed in a future episode are encouraged to engage via the Facebook page or via e-mail at derrick.kenny@montgomerycountymd.gov.

What’s Happening MoCo podcast episode archives can be accessed by visiting the podcast’s webpage at https://montgomerycountymd.gov/CCM/whats-happening-moco-podcast.html.