A new nonprofit took its first steps toward building a specialized center for autism treatment and therapy in eastern North Carolina.
People from in and around the Greenville area played in a tennis tournament and attended a dinner and auction, raising more than $40,000 for Aces for Autism.
The organization is leading an effort to open an autism therapy treatment center that offers Applied Behavioral Analysis, or ABA therapy, in eastern North Carolina. The closest center offering the treatment is in Cary. ABA therapy is most effective as an early intervention tool for younger children with autism, physicians say.
Three-year-old Samuel Robinson, diagnosed with autism at just 18 months old, was the honored guest of the day.
Nearly 100 tennis players, including players from both the womens and mens ECU tennis teams, braved a cold Saturday to support the Robinson family. The group was started by friends of Kyle and Bobbie Robinson, Samuels parents. Kyle is the director of mens basketball at ECU under head coach Jeff Lebo.
The event featured a celebrity match-up at noon between Coach Jeff Lebo, Nicole LaDuca of the ECU womens tennis team and WITNs sports director Billy Weaver and news anchor Gina DiPietro. Meterologist Matt Engelbrecht was the ball boy for the celebrity match.
After the tennis tournament was a dinner and auction at the Murphy Center at ECU. Dinner was followed by a silent auction and live auction that boasted a variety of items from vacations to sports memorabilia, furniture, jewelry, and gift cards. All auction items were donated for the event from area businesses.
For more information about Aces for Autism, click the related link.
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Aces for Autism raises $40,000 for Autism center in Eastern Carolina