The Wildlights celebration at The Living Desert launched on Nov. 25, running through the holidays, but for one non-profit organization covering both San Bernardino and Riverside counties, the annual Palm Desert event will act as a safe haven.
On Dec. 6, Autism Society Inland Empire and The Living Desert team up for its Gather & Glow Living Desert Holiday Party. The festive outing stands out for its adaptivity and inclusiveness.
“Creating a safe environment is important,” said Juanita Hernandez, Program Specialist for Autism Society Inland Empire. “Traditionally, most families find the holidays to be exciting and joyful. But for many of our families affected by autism, the holiday season can be very overwhelming, whether it’s behavioral issues or environmental stressors. A lot of times our families don’t get to participate in traditional holiday experiences like family photos with Santa or being able to gather in large family groups.”
That is not the case with the popular Wildlights celebration. Hernandez says the two organizations will focus on creating a sensory-friendly, adaptive environment where families can experience “a safe and respectful space.”
Event highlights include: a private pre-Wildlights celebration with adaptive crafts, gluten-free treats, reindeer games, and gifts; a Sensory Santa experience with photos in a calm, welcoming setting; early access to the Wildlights attraction before the general public and designated Quiet Zones for breaks.
“It just helps reinforce that all families deserve to be included in meaningful community celebrations,” Hernandez said. “It helps improve their overall quality of life, especially this side of the pandemic. Creating that sense of connection and belonging is super important because some people can feel a little isolated or anxious around this time of year.”
It’s just one of a myriad programming achievements of the organization, which launched 38 years ago with a vision to “connect people to the resources they need through education, advocacy, support, information and referral, and community programming.”
A recent grant from Inland Empire Community Foundation through the Fred Stebler and Eva V. Stebler Foundation Fund allows the organization to further expand its reach. Hernandez said the grant was “very beneficial” in terms of how it allows the nonprofit to manage its key programs.
“There’s more than 30,000 families that need our assistance,” she said. “So, any kind of monetary support we receive always helps us make a greater and bigger impact on our community.”
One of the things the organization takes pride in is realizing that any funding it receives allows it to create a “safe, inclusive, warm, and welcoming environment for families.”
Hernandez is quick to express praise for The Living Desert, which is a certified autism center.
“They’ve gone through training, which must be renewed every year,” she added. “Their staff is certified to work with our population. It’s important that we partner with businesses like that.”
Amidst so many moving pieces comes an ongoing desire to make sure the public is aware of everything the nonprofit offers.
“I think a lot of people look at our family events and our programs and see that we have fun and exciting things to do,” she said. “But something people might not always be aware of is that we do offer navigation services as well. We have dedicated resource specialists that can meet our families where they’re at, one -on -one.
The nonprofit also allows clients to connect through their preferred communication method.
“Sometimes people don’t like to jump on the phone and talk,” Hernandez said. “Sometimes they prefer to email us or to contact us through social media, through instant messaging or something like that. We have a lot of in-person meetings with individuals on the spectrum.”
Interesting to note is how many individuals on the spectrum are employed by the nonprofit or sit on the board.
“We also have an advisory committee of individual adults with autism that help provide input when we’re thinking about new programming,” Hernandez said. “We want people to know that we’re here for them, that we’re literally a phone call away. Autism is lifelong. So, as you grow, you go through stages of life, and you face different challenges.
“We’re not just a one and done,” she stressed. “You can continue to keep that relationship with us. You can keep that connection and know that we’re here every step of the way. Whether it feels like a small challenge or a big challenge, you can always pick up the phone and call us and we will help navigate through that.”
Learn more at ieautism.org.
This story originally appeared in the Desert Sun, December 2025.
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