Photo courtesy of Julian Maha.
Attendees at the second annual KultureBall, which supports local organization Kulture City.
It can take 36 seconds for an autistic child to accidentally wander from a parent and get lost.
At the third annual KultureBall Aug. 6, the night promises entertainment, dinner and auctions, but also seeks to increase the public’s understanding of autism through events such as LifeWALK, where people can donate money to participate in a 36-second walk.
“Wandering is one of most common things that children with autism face,” said Kulture City founder Julian Maha. “Thirty-six seconds, that’s usually the average time for a child to go missing. You donate to walk, and by doing that, you actually get to save a child’s life.”
When Maha’s son was diagnosed with autism at 2 years old, Maha and his wife launched Kulture City, an organization that promotes initiatives to make life easier for autistic children and hosts events that raise money and awareness.
“Our focus is helping children with special needs, particularly autism, fulfill their potential,” Maha said.
This year’s KultureBall will expand to include issues in addition to autism, he said.
“In the past, we’ve made it more autism specific, but this year, we’re going to address more social advocacy issues as well, so it’s more of a broader appeal,” Maha said.
Celebrities from acting, sports, music and media industries as well as Fortune 500 company CEOs are expected to attend. Special guests include NFL legend Tiki Barber, Jordan Woods-Robinson of “The Walking Dead,” Cheap Trick bassist Tom Petersson and more.
“It’s not your traditional nonprofit event,” Maha said. “It’s an event that you rub shoulders with celebrities, but also understand what the cause is, where the money goes and what the future impact will be for the organization.”
Proceeds will benefit the organization’s initiatives. For example, the money generated from LifeWALK will go toward the LifeBOKS program, which gives parents tools to keep track of their child. This initiative alone has helped prevent 33 drownings, which, according to Maha, is the leading cause of death for autistic children younger than 8.
Maha said he hopes this event will grow the organization’s message in Birmingham.
“As an organization, when we started, we were not really not much in Birmingham,” he said. “We actually got bigger outside of Birmingham initially. Every year, we’ve managed to further our reach in Birmingham. We want to continue doing that.”
Since it started three years ago in Vestavia Hills, the organization has expanded, even launching an initiative in Uganda, and has been ranked consistently among the top nonprofits in the country. Last year, Microsoft listed Kulture City as one of the top 10 nonprofits in the United States.
“We’ve grown very rapidly,” Maha said. “It’s been a fun journey.”
KultureBall will be 7 to 11 p.m., Aug. 6, at the Haven Building, 2501 Sixth Ave. S. Tickets are $99 “because we are called to leave the 99 to find the 100th that is in need.” For more information, go to kulturecity.org.
