WESTFORD — The annual Community LEGO Building Event returned for its third year on March 20.
Hosted at the First Parish Church, the event continued Westford’s participation in Neurodiversity Celebration Week with a focus on awareness and creating an inclusive environment where families can connect. Many organizations in the area helped to host the event including the New England LEGO Users Group, Westford Special Education Parent Advisory Council, and the Commission on Disability.
“This is the third year we’ve done this event,” School Committee Chair, Westford Commission on Disability member and event organizer Kathryn Clear said. “It’s the fourth year that we’re doing the Neurodiversity Celebration Week, and this event grew from that.”
The choice to center the event around LEGO, was not a random one.
“I think the thing about LEGO is that it encourages creativity and that it’s universal,” Clear said. “It’s enjoyed by all ages and all abilities. It’s inclusive.”
Families could move between LEGO building stations, to collaborative LEGO creations and other activities including crafts, books and games. There was no music, and a quiet space was available for those who needed it, all intentional choices aimed at creating a sensory-friendly environment.
“The nature of today is that there’s something for everybody. You can participate in the LEGO building, or you don’t have to,” Clear said, “The main thing is the mind set of the people here and what we’re celebrating.”
Clear said the response from the community has remained strong over the past several years, with families returning to an event, especially because it allows both children and adults to engage in the fun.
“It’s unusual to have an event that parents can enjoy as much as kids,” Clear said. “You know, you can sit side by side and both build your own thing and have the fun of NELUG and the cool stuff that they produce.”
The event was supported in part by local sponsors and volunteers, including the Westford Kiwanis, which provided snacks for the event, Westford student Makayla Cassie who hosted reading time at the event, and Liz Puleo a LEGO Masters Contestant.
For organizers, the impact of the event goes beyond a single afternoon.
“Having an event like this raises awareness and attention to the topic, the issue, the conversation,” Clear said. “As far as I’m aware, there’s nothing else quite like this happening in Westford… It’s indoor, it’s not weather-dependent, it’s low-key. It’s genuinely about conversation and collaboration.”
