SPANISH FORT, Ala. — A canary-yellow man-lift adorned with gigantic jigsaw puzzle pieces is hard to miss on any job site, and that’s exactly what the management team at Volvo Rents in Spanish Fort was banking on when they took up autism awareness as their “Color for a Cause” public service project.

“Autism is the fastest-growing serious developmental disability in the United States, and our Volvo Rents family has personally been impacted by it. We want to do our part to raise awareness and support our community,” said Miles Cook, owner of the locally owned and operated construction equipment rental company.

An 80-foot lift has been decaled with jigsaw graphics, representing the pieces of the autism spectrum disorder puzzle advocates nationwide have embraced as their de facto logo in the ongoing search for understanding—and possible decoding—of the complex neurological condition.

According to the Autism Society of America, variations of the developmental disability typically appear during the first three years of life, often communication skills and social interaction.

Although exact figures for the number of diagnosed cases in the state of Alabama are not available, the most recent statistics from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicate one in 150 individuals will be diagnosed along the autism spectrum, meaning as many as 30,000 Alabamians could be living with the disorder.

When Cook calls autism a family matter for the 10-year-old company, however, he credits General Manager Mike Sanford with raising in-house awareness to a level that fueled the desire to educate the community at large.

Sanford’s 9-year-old son, Forrest, might look like any other Rockwell Elementary School student, but he was diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome three years ago and attends inclusion classes to help him cope with his high-functioning form of autism.

When Cook became aware of the national “Color for a Cause” campaign in which companies paint pieces of equipment to promote awareness for a particular disability or charity, the idea immediately appealed to him, and it took the Volvo Rents team little time to choose its cause.

“We could have gone simplistic and just painted a machine red, white and blue in support of the troops or pink in support of breast cancer, but autism affects me 24 hours a day, and I can tell you that Baldwin County and the surrounding area is very much in tune with the needs this condition creates for the families dealing with it on a daily basis,” Sanford said, noting the project took eight months to complete.

“We just really felt like promoting autism awareness would draw the most benefit from this community,” he said.

And from a business owner’s standpoint, Cook said identifying and responding to causes that unify a community are the most rewarding.

“It is so critical—being part of the business community—to give back wherever we can, especially during these difficult economic times we’re all in,” Cook said.

That’s why 20 percent of all rental proceeds from the “Color for a Cause” lift for the next year will be donated to Project Reach at Spanish Fort High School. The program is designed to improve communication skills for autistic students while connecting them with neurotypical students, or those not diagnosed with autism.

In addition to the classroom environment created by Project Reach, a student-generated club, known as Project Outreach, has also formed to help educate the public about the disorder.

 “Autism is so prevalent now, and educating people and making them aware that it does exist can be a real challenge, but our program has been outstanding, and we have all learned so much in the process,” SFHS Principal Beverly Spondike said.

She applauded Volvo Rents for the generous gesture, noting the funds collected will be used to purchase equipment to help Project Reach students improve their communication skills.

“I think it’s incredible a business is reaching out in this way to help the kids,” she said.

Sanford said autism is almost considered a taboo subject in his native Houston, but he has been so impressed with the level of understanding and compassion his son receives in Baldwin County Schools.

“With my boy being probably six or seven years away from the high school level, it is very important to us to help Project Reach, so he can benefit from it when he gets there,” Sanford said.

Cook said the plan is to market the specialty lift to larger customers operating in high-profile, safe environments, but the company is also hoping to display it at industry events across Baldwin and Mobile counties as well as the Florida Panhandle throughout the year in the hopes the project will “grow legs” and possibly expand to other items in the inventory such as earth movers.

Forrest’s lift will be unveiled officially, however, during the main assembly April 9 at SFHS, capping off the weeklong Autism Awareness Week festivities.

“Autism affects our lives every single day, and I just can’t think of a better—more visible—way to get the word out to anybody else who wants to know what it’s all about,” Sanford said.