Mangano Announces “Autism Awareness Day”

at Eisenhower Park 

 

Nassau County Executive Edward P. Mangano has announced that Eisenhower Park will host an autism awareness event on Thursday, July 22, 2010. The “Special Day of Sailing and Autism Awareness”, held in conjunction with the ELIJA Foundation for Autism, will give children with autism the opportunity to sail remote-controlled model sailboats around Salisbury Lake. The sailboats come courtesy of “Captain Ron”, who began renting in May of this year.

“This is a great event for families that have been touched by Autism. It will not only help raise awareness in our community, but it will also be enjoyable for children and families,” said County Executive Mangano. “The children will be able to ‘take the helm’ and captain their very own ship right here in beautiful Eisenhower Park, and I welcome all of our new sailors!”

“It is critical that we have events like this to bring awareness to the prevalence of Autism in our communities, but more importantly, it creates an opportunity for families touched by Autism to spend some quality time together in a welcoming setting,” said Nicole Sugrue, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Outreach for ELIJA. “I am honored to have been asked by Nassau County to organize an event like this. It is a testimony to our community that our County does have a vested interest in children with Autism and their families.”

The “Special Day of Sailing & Autism Awareness” will be held from 4:00-7:00PM on July 22, 2010, and interested participants must RSVP to info@elija.org by Monday, July 19, as space is limited. Those who require assistance must be supervised and accompanied by a family member or caregiver, and siblings are family members of those with Autism are also encouraged to participate.

The ELIJA Foundation is a nonprofit organization that was founded in 2002, dedicated to improving quality education and intervention services for individuals with Autism. ELIJA also provides a 12 month, full day school program, serving children ages 3 to 21 with Autism in Levittown. For more information please visit www.elija.org.

Eisenhower Park is located on Hempstead Turnpike in East Meadow. For more information, please visit the Parks Department website at www.nassaucountyny.gov/parks or call (516) 572-0200.