It started with a tweet last year when a father put out a post for a blue little cup. His autistic son Ben would only drink from this little cup he had since he was two years old. When he lost it the cup it was no longer produced. His father´s tweet went around the world and now Ben has 591 identical cups, which should last for a lifetime.
After this success Ben´s father Marc started the project “LittleBlueCup” dedicated to find missing items for children. Only a month after his tweet desperate parents contacted him for help for their children with autism or other learning disabilities looking for something that was important to them. The items help children to cope with anxiety or go through a hard time.
Often items are difficult to track because they were either bought on holiday or sold out or they simply are not produced any longer. Sometimes toys were just a special offer and available only for a limited time. So far Marc has found 1.800 items and has helped 230 families. The lost items range from cuddly toys over cups and blankets to hats.
The project relies on the kindness of strangers and their willingness to help. Marc now has 30 people who help him with the searches and Facebook groups in Australia, US and Canada. 9 out of 10 times they find the item. Marc also uses the project to spread awareness for autism and to inform people about it. He wants to move away from its stereotypical perception.
cup (kʌp) – die Tasse, Becher
lifetime (laɪf taɪm) – die Lebensdauer, auf Lebenszeit
success (səkˈses) – der Erfolg
to dedicate (ˈdedɪkeɪt) – sich etw widmen, engagiert sein
desperate (ˈdespərət) – verzweifelt
parent (ˈpeərənt) – Elternteil, Eltern
disability (ˌdɪsəˈbɪləti) – die Behinderung
anxiety (æŋˈzaɪəti) – die Angst, Angstzustand
difficult (ˈdɪfɪkəlt) – schwer, schwierig
to track (træk) – etw verfolgen, aufspüren
to range (reɪnʤ) – von etw bis etw reichen
cuddly toy (ˈkʌdl̩i tɔɪ) – das Kuscheltier, Plüschtier
blanket (ˈblæŋkɪt) – die Decke
hat (hæt) – der Hut, Mütze
to rely (rɪˈlaɪ) – sich auf etw verlassen, von etw abhängen
kindness (ˈkaɪndnəs) – die Freundlichkeit, Liebenswürdigkeit
willingness (ˈwɪlɪŋnəs) – die Bereitschaft, Bereitwilligkeit
to spread (spred) – etw verbreiten
awareness (əˈweəʳnəs) – das Bewusstsein
perception (pəˈsepʃən) – die Wahrnehmung