Loading Events

« All Events

  • This event has passed.

Hidden Wings Celebrates 10 Years of Unfurling the Gifts of Autism

December 1, 2018 @ 12:30 pm PST

When Jim and Julia Billington started Hidden Wings 10 years ago, there was no such thing as an adult with autism.

That seemed to be the most common response to the couple’s news: they had just launched a nonprofit in the Santa Ynez Valley to serve young adults on the autism spectrum. More specifically, to help this population find a job and a friend.

At that point, there wasn’t much Jim Billington was sure of. He had just left his post as a reverend of a large Episcopal church in Northern California, and his wife had just uprooted her medical practice. Along for the ride were their four sons—two of which were on the spectrum.

But Billington did know one thing: that someday soon, all the children diagnosed with autism would grow up, and they’d need help finding their place in the world.

Ten years of operating Hidden Wings has proven the Billingtons right. The Solvang nonprofit, which has served more than 1,000 students since 2008, is about to celebrate 10 years of unfurling the gifts of those with autism with an open house on December 1.

“We started out with one teacher, one student, and one activity—a hike on a Thursday afternoon,” Billington said, noting that like most famous ventures, Hidden Wings started in their garage. “Fast forward 10 years and we’ve worked with hundreds of students, focusing on their gifts, not their deficits. We work every day against society’s dour predictions and inevitabilities: the menial jobs, the mental flat-lining, the total dependence, the lack of talents.”

Hidden Wings operates out of its headquarters at 517 Atterdag Road in Solvang, but those aren’t the bounds of its classroom. Students come from throughout Santa Barbara County and beyond to take part in classes that promote bonding, physical fitness and identifying meaningful careers.

Details

Date:
December 1, 2018
Time:
12:30 pm PST

Other

Event Ticket Type
Free
Back to Top

Ad Blocker Detected!

Hello friend! We noticed you have adblocking software installed. We get it, ads can be annoying, but they do fund this website. Please disable your adblocking software or whitelist our website. And hey... thanks for supporting a local business!

How to disable? Refresh

Log In

Forgot password?

Don't have an account? Register

Forgot password?

Enter your account data and we will send you a link to reset your password.

Your password reset link appears to be invalid or expired.

Log in

Privacy Policy

To use social login you have to agree with the storage and handling of your data by this website. %privacy_policy%

Add to Collection

No Collections

Here you'll find all collections you've created before.

Close