(PUEBLO, Colo.) — A family in Pueblo is making a difference for children on the autism spectrum through their nonprofit, Autism Mana, which offers a safe space for exercise and friendship.
“Basically, in Hawaiian culture, mana is like your energy or your spirit,” said Kevin Blunt, founder of Autism Mana. “In Hawaiian culture, mana is considered a form of energy or spirit.”
Autism Mana, founded by the Blunt family, provides children with sensory-friendly exercise options for ten weeks, addressing a community need for safe and supportive environments.
“It’d be hard for me to get him signed up for a regular baseball or a soccer team, you know? So, their ability to grasp some of the concepts with that make it tougher for them to participate,” said Blunt.
The blunt family is originally from Hawaii but grew frustrated with a lack of exercise friendly options for their twelve-year-old non-verbal son.
“Our exercise program is designed to be sensory-friendly and supportive for children on the spectrum, providing a safe space for them to exercise and build friendships,” said Kevin Blunt.
The Blunt family, moved to Pueblo in 2020 seeking better resources for their son. They noticed the closest resources were in Denver, prompting them to start Autism Mana.
“Our exercise program is run almost like a ‘hit’ program, which is high intensity interval training. So, all the kids will be assigned to a certain station and switch ever few minutes,” said Blunt.
The program is now hosted at Epic Fitness in Pueblo, which provides space free of charge every Saturday morning.
“It was kind of a perfect fit because Epic Fitness provides space for our nonprofit free of charge each Saturday morning,” said Kevin Blunt.
Autism Mana received its first grant from the Denver Foundation this year, which has been a significant support for the program.
“We struggled through the last five years to kind of run our programs and do it kind of out of our pockets and through the support of a few local sponsors. Just this year, we were able to be blessed with our first grant from the Denver Foundation. So that was huge,” said Kevin Blunt.
Blunt says it takes a village to raise any child, but sometime extra support is needed, which is why the program also gives parents an opportunity to connect.
“You’ll notice your village is small when you have a special needs child. So, I wanted to try to create like a family, an ohana, where when families come, we’re all here, we’re all family. We all look out for each other,” said Kevin Blunt.
Classes are held every Saturday morning at Epic Fitness in Pueblo from 10:30 to 11:30, welcoming children of all ages.
For more information on how to get involved or donate, interested parties can visit Autism Mana’s Facebook page or email Kevin Blunt at autismmanaco@gmail.com.
Autism Mana continues to provide a vital community for children on the autism spectrum and their families, fostering a sense of belonging and support through exercise and connection.
All facts in this report were gathered by journalists employed by FOX21. Artificial intelligence tools were used to reformat from a broadcast script into a news article for our website. This report was edited and fact-checked by FOX21 staff before being published.
About The Author
