Dedicated to My Sons
Brandon and Stephen
My two boys, Brandon (now 27) and Stephen (now 21), were both diagnosed with Autism at age 2. They have received many benefits from early
diagnosis/intervention and associated therapy. The boys have significantly different issues and challenges.
Brandon's issues in the past were associated with behavior and anger (which has eased over the last few years). Brandon has matured a lot over the last few years and now has a
part-time job as a busser at the San Diego Zoo at Albert's Restaurant, and is doing well. CBS8 did a news story about his job and the job coaching help he has received from
Pride Industries. You can see that story online
here.
Younger brother Stephen is non-verbal and we've worked with him over the years to increase his language and communication skills. He understands what you say very well, but just
can't speak. Stephen has a pleasant disposition most of the time, and isn't as prone to the anger that Brandon had in the past.
In 2019, Brandon graduated from the Adult Career Transition program at Sierra Academy in San Diego. Stephen lives with his Mom in the midwest, while Brandon is living with
me here in San Diego in the "Christmas Light" house...Both Brandon and I are still very much interested in continuing our Belardo Lights tradition for our family as well as yours.
How did all that get started? Let me tell you the story...
During the Christmas season in 2005, Brandon suddenly got very interested in all the lights and decorations in our neighborhood. For the first time that year,
we were able to drive around and look at other Holiday displays without the usual tantrums and other behavioral issues that had previously caused us to cut our various outings short.
When we saw that he was very interested in other Christmas displays, I came up with the idea that maybe we could build on his interest
by hosting our own Christmas display and it could be something that we could work on together! Brandon was very enthusiastic about the idea, so
we decided to jump in with both feet after Christmas in 2005. We started early and worked all year to create our first large scale Christmas lighting
display from scratch. There's a lot to do the first year, so we were very busy...
Our first effort debuted in Christmas 2006 and was a lot of fun (and hard work!). We had a great time planning, purchasing, building, and installing all of the elements
of the display, and Brandon was very excited about it. There was also great community interest, which turned out to be more than I expected. We were featured by local TV station KFMB in
our first year. The San Diego Union-Tribune ran a very inspirational story on Christmas Eve in 2006 about our display and my connection to Brandon. In addition, we also received
many nice comments from the visitors that came to see the display. But the main thing was that Brandon LOVED the display. I made a special connection with Brandon that year, and
I was determined to keep the momentum going.
After those first few years, we continued to add more home-built decorations to the display and also added more songs to the playlist.
Brandon's interest was shifting from the actual lighting display to the "behind the scenes" equipment and programming that it took to run the display. He was
also interested in building new decorations. We spent some of our spare time working together in the garage on various items for the display. Brandon also likes to
build display items with my father "Papa" in his workshop as well. Our display has now become a tradition for our family as well as for the entire community.
I like to say that we're building lifetime memories for our family and yours! When we're outside doing yardwork
during the year, many of the people walking by have nice things to say about the previous display. "We can't wait until next year" is the common theme.
I would like to thank everyone for supporting our Display, especially our neighbors. It means a lot, and makes our Holiday very enjoyable and meaningful.
For the upcoming 2024 display, our 19th year, we're raising the bar by adding some new decorations, new lights, and new songs! This is your personal invitation to stop by with your family and pay us
a visit when we get the display up and running this year on Saturday after Thanksgiving. We are looking forward to another fantastic Christmas holiday at Belardo Lights this year !!!
There are lots of challenges raising children with Autism. Fortunately, I have received a lot of help and support from my family, and the various
teachers and therapists we've been in contact with over the years. Brandon, in particular, has always had a great time with my Dad and I when we're doing anything related to the Display.
He enjoys woodworking, metal work such as welding new decoration frames, and he has even put together his own interior small-scale display at my parent's house.
We are very committed to keeping our Christmas Lighting tradition alive! It's brought me closer to Brandon, which is a good thing. The display
has given us a common interest to connect with. It's magnified even more once the Display goes up and is operational. Many times I find myself outside looking at the
display and thinking about our history. It's the culmination of all of our work and preparation for the display, but also a celebration of my triumph over the
difficulties of raising a son with Autism. The challenges stack up, but the rewards have been tremendous. The positive reaction from the community is also very inspiring!
We hope you have enjoyed our story and now understand how meaningful the Belardo Lights Christmas display is for Brandon and I. Thanks again for
coming to our website! We really hope you will be able to stop by and see the display during the upcoming Holiday season, and please tell your friends
about our display as well.
That Sums Up Our Thoughts Nicely
As the fortune cookie above says so well, "You can fix it with a little extra energy and a positive attitude." I certainly believe that, and Brandon and I invite you and your family
to stop by and check out our Belardo Lights display. We'd like to help build some lifetime memories for your family as well...Help us dream big!
Sincerely,
Randy and Brandon Schimka
rschimka (at) gmail.com