Airdrie Inside
Airdrie Inside, with host and long time Airdrie resident, Chris Glass | Bringing light to our homegrown and hardworking heroes.
Airdrie Inside
Dustin Horlacher: Carson and Friends
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In this episode of Airdrie Inside, Chris Glass sits down with Dustin Horlacher, founder of Carson and Friends. Five years ago, Dustin’s son Carson sent out birthday invitations and received zero RSVPs. What started as a frustrated post on "Airdrie Dads" transformed within hours into a community-wide movement. Today, Carson and Friends is moving the needle for Autism Calgary, hosting over 700 people and aiming for a Guinness World Record—all while providing a safe, "black and white" truth for families navigating the spectrum.
"We were waiting for the RSVP date and like, absolutely nobody responded—not one single person. I vented on Airdrie Dads... next thing you know, I've got people like, 'Hey, I'll come over.' It spurred something that's now making a difference for hundreds of people." — Dustin Horlacher
We we sent out the invitations early and you know we were waiting for the RSVP date and like absolutely nobody responded. Like not one single person. And I mean, a lot of people have different things going on, right? But uh I was frustrated and um wasn't really sure how to tell them.
SPEAKER_01Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to another episode of Airdrie Inside. I am your host, Chris Glass. I am sporting a brand new haircut thanks to the ride of the Mustang. Uh, they raised over $78,000 for pediatric cancer, and that cost me my hair. So a shout out to uh counselor Chad Stewart, which originally made the challenge to me and uh helped my daughter Malia shave my head. So if you're wondering at home why I have short hair, this is why. Uh I'm really excited today. I've got a great guest here with a great story. Uh Dustin Horlocker, welcome to the show. Thanks for having me. So, Dustin, uh, I've been following your story for quite some time. And you had reached out to me this year uh in my role as a counselor to come come to the event on June 14th. We'll get to it. But uh I I couldn't have been more excited, and I thought this story needs to be told. So I wanted to welcome you to the show so you could tell us all about it.
SPEAKER_00Thank you. Yeah, I mean, it's uh, you know, it it's a great event that we've been putting on. Uh, we're going on our fifth year, and um, I thought it was important to invite uh, you know, city council and everybody out to kind of witness what happened, you know, from the airdree community and uh how big it's gotten. And I'm I'm really looking forward to the fifth year.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, it is an exciting airdry-esque story here. Uh, but before we get into the actual story, tell me a little bit about yourself. How long you've been in Airdrie?
SPEAKER_00I've been in Airdrie, I think about 20 years. Wow, okay.
SPEAKER_01So long time.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, yeah, quite a while.
SPEAKER_01Good. And and you've seen where was home before that?
SPEAKER_00Uh before that, I was in Calgary, and before that, I was in uh Campbell River on Vancouver Island.
SPEAKER_01Okay, so Calgary move to Airdrie, setup shop, build a home, that kind of thing.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, start a family, that the the whole thing. Excellent.
SPEAKER_01So tell me a little bit about your family.
SPEAKER_00Uh it's just uh me and my wife. I got my two kids. Um, a lot of people know Carson. Yeah, um, he's turning 13. I've got uh Kipton, my 10-year-old, uh loves Taekwondo. I got my mom staying with me, so she's been helping out, and uh yeah, that's that's my family.
SPEAKER_01That's great. So a nice multi-generational family in the house. That's cool. Cool for sure. Yeah. So tell me a little bit about Carson and how this event started.
SPEAKER_00Well, Carson, um, so I as a lot of people know now, he's uh he's autistic and uh he is a very black and white individual. Um, there is no truth like the truth from an autistic, well, 13-year-old now. And uh, you know, he's he's uh he's a good kid and stuff like that. But um, you know, five years ago he was writing out invitations for his birthday, and I I think that was at the point where it's not like you invite the whole class, the whole class shows up, yeah, kind of thing. And uh, you know, his birthday's in the summertime, and you know, he has trouble making friends. So, you know, we we sent out the invitations early, and you know, we were waiting for the RSVP date, and like absolutely nobody responded, like not one single person. And I mean, a lot of people have different things going on, right? But uh, I was frustrated and um wasn't really sure how to tell him because, like as I said, he's he's black and white, he takes everything very, very seriously, and there's no like I don't know for an answer. So um I vented on Airdrie Dad's and you know just wrote a post like you know, like I don't know what to say, right? Like, you know, any advice kind of thing. And then next thing you know, I've got people like, hey, like, you know, I'll come over or why don't you do this? I want to do that. And I think the post within the first day had a couple hundred people tagging on it, and then before you know it, it's like, okay, well, we can throw a birthday party, and then it got really big. And I'm like, where am I gonna throw a birthday party? And then uh big fun reached out, and they're like, Hey, like, we've we've got this place, like you can have it here, like, come on down. And um, a lot of people came together, and uh, we decided, like, you know, since all this is happening, we're gonna do a fundraiser for Autism Calgary, you know, make something positive kind of come out of this, and you know, invited a bunch of people, and you know, a few hundred people showed up and met a lot of people, and um it just turned into this great event that all these people that I'd never met, never heard from, like kind of came out right from the woodworks and were like, you know, let's do something about this, and uh, you know, made an awesome party for my son. I I never had to tell him that he wasn't having a party, um, and and it was great. And then um, on the other hand, there was a lot of people that came out because they'd been in the same kind of situation, yeah. And so after the first year with uh everything that happened, we kind of decided like, why don't we do this again? But you know, it doesn't just have to be about Carson, like, let's do this for everybody. So, you know, no other dad or family kind of has to go through what we almost went through, and uh yeah, that's kind of how it started.
SPEAKER_01Well, I remember I remember your post. I remember it quite vividly at the time when it came out. Uh after you put that post up, when did you realize that this was going to be uh an event, something bigger? Like when was that moment where you went from being a frustrated dad who's looking out for a son to hopeful and now planning something that's uh much larger than you thought? Oh, within hours.
SPEAKER_00Within hours, yeah, within hours. Yeah. It just it uh like it, you know, it's kind of like it almost went viral, yeah, like air drive viral. And it just like it was within a couple hours. I'm like, oh my god, like I, you know, trying to respond to everybody and like, okay, what am I gonna do? Where am I gonna hold this? Like, you know, like this is awesome. And trying to like I didn't even have time to absorb it, and then it wasn't until you know, I've got like companies, like I think it was McDonald's, are like, oh, we'd love to give you donuts and you know, like stuff like this for for the party. I'm like, oh my god, this is like huge. So that that that was kind of the moment for me.
SPEAKER_01And what was Carson's reaction? Like, uh, you know, he might have probably what sent out 30 invitations tops. Like I'm going through as a dad right now. No, he maybe sent out 10 to 15. That's kind of the scope of what we could do. Uh when what was his reaction to see all these people?
SPEAKER_00Um, when when I told him about it, he was jumping up and down, he was super excited. He was, you know, he couldn't believe it. He's like, Oh my god, McDonald's is gonna be there, and this person's gonna be there, and we get to go to big fun, and all these people like they're gonna come to my party. And uh it was huge, like uh it melts your heart as a dad to see that.
SPEAKER_01Absolutely. I I uh I mentioned on another podcast uh there was uh I was on cross-border network, and uh he asked me what makes Airdry so special. And I I went back to a Bruce Springsteen line where uh you know the community kind of wraps its arms around you, and that's really what happened here. The Airdrie Dads community rallied around one of their own and uh really came together.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I mean the the Airdry Dads came out in force, and all the all like the whole community just made this great, amazing day for me and my family, and uh you know spurred something that's now making a difference for like hundreds of people, and it's just a it's it's insane that it came from this community. I love it here.
SPEAKER_01So yeah, it's one of those things that really makes people stay in airdrame, I'm sure like it makes it so much more special. Uh so we're in year five. So year one is a huge success. What does the day after that look like? Because now you're you're going, okay, how do we top that? How do we keep it going? How do we keep the momentum going? What was the next step for you?
SPEAKER_00Um, it didn't happen right away. It was um, you know, we kind of relaxed after that a little bit, uh, because it was pretty crazy. Um, but I think it was a it was a couple of months after, and I was uh talking with Derek Fuller from Big Fun, and I was like, What do you think about doing this again? Like, you know, but make it for everybody.
SPEAKER_01And then did you know Derek before? No, so now you have this relationship from this. Okay, just wanted to yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_00No, he he reached out to me. Uh, I think somebody on Airdre Dad's like tagged him in the post, and then yeah, and so now now we talk and we've been doing it for a while, but um, yeah, we we talked and he's like, Yeah, I'd love to do it again, and then talked to Autism Calgary. And I was like, Would you guys like to do it again? And then started reaching out to you know, some of the people that sponsored, and I was like, Hey, like, we want to do this again. Like, would you be interested? This is kind of the direction we want to go. And every everybody I talked to was like, Yeah, let's let's do this, and then it's just kind of grown from there.
SPEAKER_01Wow, and and then so you repeat it year after year. Now we're in our fifth year, so what does the organization look like? Like uh this is I'm interested in in so much of how like uh something that could have been so negative and and just uh a real frustrating, angry thing has turned into such a wholesome good thing for the community. So what's your five now?
SPEAKER_00Uh year five is um, you know, there there's people reaching out that want to be a part of it. I think enough people have started to hear about it that they want to be a part of it and and keep making it happen. There's families now that are looking forward to it every year. Yeah. Um, you know, I've had people uh contact me recently, you know, from Edmonton, they're like, hey, can we come down? I'm like, yeah, it's for everybody. Like, you know, whatever you want to figure out to get down here is cool. Like we're we're not close, but you know, definitely come on out and it it's starting to get some traction and get to the point where it is starting to make a difference. I mean, it's put myself in a position where you know I can talk about autism with people I normally wouldn't be able to and do things for my family and for the community that I never would have been able to. Um, so the the fifth year is uh it's kind of the point where it's it's taking on a life of its own, right?
SPEAKER_01Getting that critical mass.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, and it's uh you know, we're we're trying to get uh registered as a like an actual nonprofit so we can actually do something positive, right? Um a little bit more so than just doing an event once a year. Um, you know, connect families with resources and stuff, which we've been able to do at the event, but trying to do a little bit more of that through the website and whatnot.
SPEAKER_01Right. And you know, I I think of uh autism and and the the very nature of how misunderstood it is. Oh, you know, because everybody has an idea of what it is, but until you're actually immersed in it, you you have no real frame of reference. So if and there are people gonna be listening to this show who don't have a lot of crossover. So uh talk to me a little bit about uh being the parent of an autistic child and and what that looks like and and how it manifests itself.
SPEAKER_00Um, well, for for me, um, you know, before we had Carson diagnosed, I had no idea what autism was. Yeah. Um, you know, how to identify it, what to look for, or anything. And then um, you know, as as you started going to school, um, you know, we started noticing some things and you know, teachers saying some things, and so we had them assessed and they brought up autism. And it wasn't until they mentioned it, and then my wife and I started looking into it, and we're like, oh, okay, the you know, some of these things that are happening are making sense. And uh, you know, for for us, I think we're we're quite lucky. Like, you know, Carson's very verbal, he communicates, um, you know, like he he loves to talk, um, which is is awesome, but it is also a wide spectrum. Like, yeah, um, life for us with Carson is wildly different than somebody else with autism that you know might have different interests or sensory things, or some of them are non-verbal. Um, so it's it's been a daily learning experience. Like with Carson as black and white. Um, he's the type of kid where if he does something wrong, um, you know, gets in trouble with his brother, he'll be right downstairs telling you exactly what happened. He just doesn't understand the need to lie. Um, you know, he's black and white, 100% truth always. And, you know, take it, you know, for for what it is. Um, you know, he'll he'll say what's on his mind. And uh, you know, he does have his special interests, and I I wouldn't change the way he is for the world. Um, again, I've seen families that uh, you know, have autistic people within the family, and not everybody has it easy. It's you know, and even for us, it's you know, we have our struggles, you know, but um it's it's a wide spectrum. And I think this event kind of has been good in the fact that a lot of families come out and they can see other families dealing with the same thing. Yeah. Um, you know, they can communicate, they can talk about things that work for them, they can talk about school, they can talk about friends, um, they can make friends, and it's um it's an environment where uh ever everybody is safe. Uh you know, like everybody's kind of on the same page, and uh that's important because like I said, like our situation with Carson is wildly different than every other person we met. I mean, there's a lot of similarities, but uh yeah, there's a lot of routine, a lot of structure definitely at our house, right? And that works for us. So yeah.
SPEAKER_01Well, and when you talk about that that uh connection that families are making, it's so important for people who are going through whatever you're going through to break away from that isolation and meet other people that are uh going through similar circumstances and and at least know that you're not alone and that there's resources and there's other people there to help you. Oh, yeah. Which resources have really stuck out to you? Who has been very helpful to you?
SPEAKER_00Um, Autism Calgary has been great. Um, I mean, I talk with them quite a bit more than probably a lot of people, but um the the staff there, they they know the resources, the ins and outs, and like they're a really good organization because they're they're boots on the ground. Like um autistic families when they're struggling with their kids in school, I know is always a big thing.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_00Um they have people that will go on and do seminars with teachers and classrooms and you know, teach them about autism and you know, open up their eyes to something that they maybe would not have thought of. But I mean they're there, right? Um they're going to people's houses, they're they're helping them find resources and you know, setting them up with um different things that they might not need, like helping families get you know, get through the FSCD contracts and stuff like that. So they've made a huge difference for sure, like with our you know, uh autism journey, anyways.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. What do you think uh can be done to help out the community?
SPEAKER_00Uh the autism community, yeah.
SPEAKER_01Uh you know, um, is it more education? Is it funding? Like I I know in some cases funding is key. I know in other cases, uh just getting information out there, you know. Like you said, the schools aren't really set up to deal with people who learn in any different fashion than just where 80% of the people are, and that's because they're just overwhelmed and that's where they go. Yeah. So what do you think we need to do differently?
SPEAKER_00Um, I I personally think uh education is number one and and normalizing it. I mean, up until I'd say fairly recently, it was very misunderstood. You know, people, you know, they'd see a kid, you know, maybe having a temper tantrum or something like that at Walmart, and they're gonna be like, Oh, you know, that kid needs to be disciplined. Yeah, you know, he's maybe, but maybe he's having a sensory overload and the parents struggling, and and you know, the kids having a hard time. Um, you know, people don't understand, they don't get it, right? They they think one thing or they see one thing, and you know, they they make up their minds. So, you know, for me, I'd say like normalizing it, you know, like it's it's a very wide spectrum. There's I can almost guarantee everybody knows somebody that's on the spectrum in some aspect. Um, you know, whether or not families want to advertise that or not, I that's totally cool, but um, you know, definitely education, like you know, teachers can learn about triggers, you know, students, um, you know, RCMP, like there's a lot of things that I've learned, you know, being a parent of an autistic child that I had no idea about. And if it wasn't for having a child on the spectrum, I wouldn't have had a clue, right? So I think education and awareness and understanding is is uh major key.
SPEAKER_01What message would you give to parents of other children who might be in a school situation with somebody with autism or whatnot? Like I know there's a lot of people who didn't RSVP back, you know. Uh what would you like them to know?
SPEAKER_00You know, it's it's it's not just you, a lot of families are going through that, and and you know, stay the course, stick with it, and don't be afraid to ask for help.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_00If I wouldn't have made the post that I did and reached out and vented, none of this would have happened. Um, I know a lot of people like to keep it in the chest, and you know, especially guys, you know, we don't like to talk, but you know, definitely, you know, talk, reach out, you know. Uh it it doesn't hurt to ask for help. You know, somebody will be there.
SPEAKER_01We've had uh quite a few guests talking about mental health, and uh especially for men, uh you know, people suffer what they're going through in silence because it's I don't know why we feel weak or we feel uh asking for help is a sign of weakness. I don't get it, but um I've seen so many people rewarded handsomely just by asking for help and putting their hand out and talking about their situation. And I think this is a perfect example of how your community will rally around you.
SPEAKER_00Oh, yeah. Like I I think people inherently want to help. Um they they're they they want to do something positive, they they want to help. And if you're not afraid to reach out and ask, yeah, you know, that help will be there. You just never know where you're gonna find it.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, absolutely. So what's next? So you said you're looking at starting a uh nonprofit. Uh once you get that done, what what's the next step?
SPEAKER_00Um, you know, I'd like to, you know, make it so I could have like a website or a place where people can find resources. Um, you know, there there's there's a lot of resources uh for autism and ASD. Um the unfortunate part is the unfortunate part and the fortunate part is we're close to Calgary, and that's where yeah the majority of that is. And I mean, if if you look at the amount of people that come to this event, the majority are from Airdrie, and there's not a lot here. Yeah. Um, you know, so my hope is that I can do enough with this event to start an organization to actually do more for families locally in Airdrie and provide them with resources that they might need. And uh that that's kind of the end goal, right? And you know, maybe do more than one event, too.
SPEAKER_01That's awesome. On the 14th, tell me about the event this year, because we're celebrating our fifth anniversary uh and uh we're celebrating Carson and all the other families. So tell me what's going on.
SPEAKER_00Oh well, we've got uh so far for special guests, we got uh the Alberta Widow Sons uh Westgate chapters is gonna come out and have a show and shine with their motorcycles. Oh, very cool. Yeah. So anybody that wants to take their pictures with that, that'll be cool. I believe the Shriners are gonna come out with uh their planes. Uh Santa's coming for a visit on the summer holidays. Excellent. Uh, you know, so the kids will be able to take pictures with that. Uh, we got um Orchid Balloons is gonna do a really cool like uh balloon kind of photo booth thing for anybody that wants to take pictures. We've got uh coloring contest. Um, I'm uh gonna do a bull riding contest. We're gonna auction off, or no, sorry, we're gonna raffle off a PS5 Pro. Oh wow. And uh we've got another company that are donating a custom game controller for your gaming thing of choice. Um, yeah, we've gonna have some gift bags, we got cupcakes, birthday cakes for everybody. Got princesses are gonna be wandering around, maybe some superheroes, maybe some athletes, and uh yeah, a bunch of silent auction items. There's a little bit of something for everybody. Um, yeah, there's gonna be lots of kids, lots of prizes. I think we're gonna have more people out this year trying to get in touch with Guinness World Records because I'm pretty sure we're pushing the envelope for biggest birthday party. So, how many people are you expecting? Um, last year we had 707 in three hours. Um, so far we've got it for four hours. We can extend it. Um, so I'm I'm looking at 800 to a thousand probably this year.
SPEAKER_01Wow, yeah. In uh Carson's wildest imaginations, uh, 800 to 1000 people coming to a birthday party. That's pretty amazing.
SPEAKER_00Oh, it's it's insane. And like the other kids, too, that have come and celebrated, too. Like to see them when they show up, and it's like, yeah, yeah, celebrate your birthday. Here's a birthday cake, you know, like have fun, right? And like the the smiles on the Interfaces and everything, it's just awesome. And like some of the families I know too. Um, like uh one of our sponsors made it so you can come for free, right? Or two-dollar donation is all we ask. Yeah. Um, and that's mainly just to make sure that people that want to come actually show up. But uh yeah, and it's open for everybody. And if you can't afford two bucks, then you just wanna walk up and say you're on the VIP list and you walk right on in. So, you know, like the families that might not be able to afford to go to a place like Big Fun and have a big party or something like that, that they can all show up, right? So I think that's one of the biggest things that's happened is uh, you know, the ability to make it accessible now for for everybody.
SPEAKER_01That is really cool. It sounds like this is gonna take a village uh to make happen. So uh who would you like to thank? Like, is there people that have been there from the beginning? Who would you like to thank when we have the opportunity here?
SPEAKER_00Well, definitely uh Derek from Big Fun. He's he's been huge. And uh, you know, my family, um, you know, my my mom, she helps out a lot. Um, you know, my my wife, she sticks by me while I'm dealing with this. Um, you know, uh double star where I work, right? They they've been very good because I know when it gets close to this time I'm I I can get pretty stricky at work. Um, you know, and they they also sponsor the event, but they they you know are are right there with me, um, you know, giving me a job where I can actually do this, which is nice. And uh, you know, I've got my admin group on the Facebook page. Yeah, right. They're they're there to you know see everything. And uh, you know, Autism Calgary 2 has been a huge help. Um, you know, they're there, they're helping me get the QR codes and you know, spread the word and and everything else. I think uh yeah, like there's a lot of people. Um, yeah, Air 106, right? They're spreading the word all the time, right? And uh yeah, you know, people like you, right? Like help me get the word out. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01Well, I I knew this was a story we had to tell. I I I know uh we were talking about just sharing a post and and that kind of thing. And I thought, no, I think we could do one better because, like I said, this is the kind of stuff that makes uh this community so special to me is seeing uh ordinary people kind of doing some extraordinary things, right? Um, you know, and it's amazing to me how things start and where they end up growing to. So, and we've heard a lot of these origin stories of these amazing uh events and these amazing movements that started from a very simple uh birthday party or a very simple conversation. So it's it's really cool to be a part of the uh telling the story and and weaving that tapestry of our city.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, no, I mean it it's amazing. I'm I'm very thankful to be a part of this city and uh you know, from from day one, uh just a quick little antidote. So I remember the first day I moved to Airdrie, I knew the difference, and uh went and I ordered pizza from Alexander's and went over there to go pick it up. And then they I sat down, they're like, Oh, like it's gonna be a minute or two, you know. Would you like a drink? Don't worry about it. And like they're actually talking and super friendly, yeah. Um, you know, night and day from what I was used to in Calgary, where it's like you just you know sit there and wait, and yeah, nothing like you know, it was felt like a lot closer, like it's like you know, the the city with the small town feel. And uh right then and there, I was like, Yeah, I know, like I'm not going anywhere, right? I'm gonna stay here, and then I'm glad I did because you know, the community did this for for my family and so many other families.
SPEAKER_01So, where can I go to find more information?
SPEAKER_00Um, so we've got our website, uh where it's uh Carsonandfriends.org. And uh all our sponsors are up there. Um, the address, uh a little bit of information about the poster. The website's still growing. Um, we're gonna have some more resources and stuff on that. But uh the biggest thing is our Facebook group. Like that's where 90% of you know all my posts and all the information and everything will be on the Facebook group and Carson and Friends organization on Facebook. And yeah, you'll see everything. That's where I'm doing most of my updates.
SPEAKER_01Excellent. Well, I look forward to the event. I can't wait. And thank you so much for coming on the show and spending some time with us today. Yeah, thank you very much. I appreciate it. Perfect. We're gonna be back with more great episodes coming up shortly. Thank you.