Montville — Children dressed up as Baby Yoda and Superman held out their bags Sunday and said "trick or treat" as they approached tables manned by volunteers at the town's Community Center.

Rainy weather caused a move indoors for Brady's Brigade's second annual Trick or Trunk event, but that did not matter to Brady Conoza, dressed as a skeleton, who said he was prepared for it. Typically, children go to the back of cars to collect candy.  

Brady, who has autism, is the founder of Brady's Brigade, a support group created for children and their families in the special needs/disability community that offers free monthly events at the community center.

The group started in 2016 when Brady, then 9, had a question about the weight of his blanket that he felt he had no one to ask. His mother, Corine Conoza, who is part of several Facebook groups, said he would message support groups with his questions.

That's when Brady got the idea to get together with fellow children with autism in his area and work on his social skills. Now 14, Brady is helping put together events and was asking people to sign in at Sunday's event. Brady's Brigade has more than 700 likes on its Facebook page.

"He's a generous kid," said Ryan Conoza, Brady's father. "It's not on me, not on my wife — it's all him. We're just here to support him."

Corine Conoza said they had three families with children on the autism spectrum that regularly came to the group's monthly meetings.

Karen Louer and her family have been going to Brady's Brigade for the past two years. Her 7-year-old son is developmentally delayed, and Louer said going to the support group is a great way for him and his sibling, who is not on the autism spectrum, to socialize.

"It's something we look forward to every month," she said.

Although Brady's Brigade is a support group for those with special needs, Brady said they opened their events to everyone.

The volunteers and most of those trick or treating on Sunday heard about the event on Facebook.

Aimee Suchomel was there decorating the entrance as a haunted construction site. She was dressed as a traffic cone, her daughter as the construction worker and her son as a skeleton hiding in the trash bin.

Suchomel said this was her first Trick or Trunk with Brady's Brigade. She said Corine Conoza posted on their Neighbors to Neighbors Facebook group page, asking for volunteers to decorate and give out candy.

Hosting a table decorated as Andy's bed from "Toy Story," a marketing team from Texas Roadhouse handed kids lollipops with free kids' meals and stickers.

Sandra and Melissa Truex, wife and daughter of Fire Chief Keith Truex of Chesterfield Fire Co., also had a table with candy.

Melissa said they saw Conoza's post on Buy Nothing, a Facebook group that advocates for doing things to help others, and wanted to be a part of it. Melissa, who considers herself an advocate for neurodiversity awareness, was displaying a sensory kit that first responders can use for children with autism. She was also handing out "I have autism" cards, meant for children on the spectrum to hand to law enforcement with their name and information.

For their next event, Corine Conoza said they are hoping to bring back their "friendsgiving" event.

"We want people to know this group exists," Louer said about the group, which can be found on Facebook at Brady's Brigade Special Needs Support Group for Kids. 

j.vazquez@theday.com