Just Bee
About Us: Since 2019, Layla has been a mother on a mission. As the Founder & CEO of the 501(c)(3) nonprofit Just Bee, she works to connect families with their local community by raising awareness, creating partnerships, and providing training resources for sensory-friendly businesses – encouraging positive experiences for those with ASD.
Our Story: The Just Bee story starts with Rio, Layla Luna’s son. Over the years, Layla continued to find herself in difficult situations when people did not know how to respond to Rio, who was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) at the age of two.
One evening while Layla’s family was waiting for a table at a local restaurant, Rio started to have a sensory-overload from the hectic environment. Other customers became irritated, prompting restaurant management to ask Layla and her children to leave. Embarrassed, heartbroken, and disillusioned, Layla was wiping her tears away with her daughter’s bumble bee blanket when she asked herself, “Why can’t people Just Bee nice? Why can’t people just bee kind? Why can’t they just understand Autism?”
This was the beginning of Just Bee.