GET THE LATEST NEWS EVERY DAY AT QNS.COM
Your Neighborhood — Your News®
ALSO COVERING AUBURNDALE, COLLEGE POINT, DOUGLASTON, GLEN OAKS, FLORAL PARK
• LITTLE NECK LEDGER
• WHITESTONE TIMES
April 30-May 6, 2021
WALKING FOR AUTISM
NYPD School Safety Division & Youth Strategies Division host fundraising event in Fresh Meadows
BY GABRIELE HOLTERMANN
The NYPD School Safety
Division Queens South & Youth
Strategies Division held its inaugural
5K walk for autism in
Cunningham Park in Fresh
Meadows on Saturday, April 24,
to raise awareness about autism
and show support for parents
struggling during the COVID-19
pandemic.
More than 500 participants
registered for the I Walk for Autism
event, much to the delight
of XO Sharpe of NYPD School
Safety Queens South, who came
up with the idea for the walk.
The event was also the kickoff
for her group’s second walking
season.
Since gyms were closed due
to the pandemic, she and her colleagues
began walking, setting a
new distance goal every month,
eventually reaching 75 miles in
one month, Sharpe said.
“So when the next year came,
I was like, ‘You know, I think
we should have a fundraiser.
Let’s do something.’ And March
came, and I was like, ‘All right,
so we’re gonna do it in April,'”
Sharpe explained.
After brainstorming which
cause they should donate to, they
decided to contribute to Birch
Family Services and New York
Families for Autistic Children
(NYFAC) with the help of NYPD
officers Barrett and Barksdale
The NYPD School Safety Division Queens South & Youth Strategies Division held its inaugural 5K walk
for autism in Cunnigham Park in Fresh Medows on April 24. Photo by Gabriele Holtermann
with the Youth Strategy Division,
who have a close relationship
with the organizations.
It took the organizers only
one and half months to put the
event together. Registration
ranged from $15 over $20, which
came with a T-shirt, to $45,
which included a T-shirt and a
gift bag. The officer pointed out
that the NYPD donated basketballs
with the names of fallen
officers, which they gave out to
participants.
“We’re looking to give back,
that’s our most important thing,
that we really just wanted to
give back,” Sharpe said before
proudly declaring that the event
raised $13,000, which was split
between Birch and NYFAC.
James Sherry, CEO of NYFAC,
shared that his organization
had been looking for
opportunities to deepen their
relationship in the community
and was proud to partner with
the NYPD School Safety Division
& Youth Strategies Division
for the event.
“I want to say from the bottom
of my heart, thank you to
everyone who’s donated, everyone
who’s signed up today. I
promise you that the proceeds
of this will go to helping adults
and children with developmental
disabilities and autism,”
Sherry expressed during the
check ceremony.
NYFAC supports both adults
and children with autism and
other developmental disabilities
and provides in-home support
for individuals and families
and after-school respite. The
organization is also developing
pre-vocational and employmentfocused
programs this year.
Sherry explained that the organization
is currently accepting
new participants, and interested
families can contact them at
nyfac.org.
Debbie Costagliola with
Birch Family Services was
grateful that they were chosen
and thanked everyone for the
donation.
“In the times of budget cuts,
the time of struggling, this just
really warmed our hearts. And
I promise you, the children’s
families will definitely put these
funds to use,” Costagliola said.
Birch Family Services was
founded in 1975. It serves over
2,000 people from ages 3 through
life across the city and provides
education and community services,
and empowers families by
providing resources to navigate
and access support services for
their loved ones.
Participants, who were
scheduled in waves to ensure
social distancing, started the
march under an awning of colorful
balloons to the tunes of
upbeat music.
Vol. 87 No. 18 32 total pages
EVERY SPECIALIST YOU MIGHT NEED,
RIGHT HERE IN QUEENS.
Book your appointment today at mountsinai.org/lp/queens
/QNS.COM
/nyfac.org
/queens
