AURORA, Colo. — R2D2 and Harley Quinn coming together to raise money for people with autism? I love the holidays.
This December, Aurora resident Corey Christiansen, along with his family and neighbors, once again teamed up to build a massive holiday light show - all in an effort to raise money for the Autism Society of Colorado.
This culminated with a massive "super hero" party on Saturday, when children with special needs were able to celebrate the holidays with many famous Marvel, DC and Star Wars characters (hopefully, they were able to film a quick crossover movie).
"I remember that my wife, Monica, was next to me, and I just went over and gave her a hug," he told me, virtually. "And I'm like, 'Can you believe that we're doing this in front of our house? And that we've been able to make a difference, for so many people?' It still doesn't feel like real life."
For years, Corey was already obsessed with setting up lights for neighbors to enjoy. However, in 2015 and 2016, respectively, Corey's two children were each diagnosed with autism, and, after finding so many resources and new friends from the Autism Society of Colorado, he decided to point his thousands and thousands of lights in their direction.
Since 2018, he has raised more than $30,000 for the organization, and his goal this year is $15,000.
To make that happen, Corey has casually installed more than 70,000 lights, and his neighbors have been nice enough to allow him to plug some into their homes as well. They said it was their donation.
If you would like to make yours, you can head to their website here, or text "Spreadlight" to 44321.