Volunteers of all ages gathered to lend a hand during NYFAC’s fundraiser last Sunday. Anna Gustafson/The Forum Newsgroup
The New York Families for Autistic Children’s annual car wash drew about 130 volunteers to Lindenwood last Sunday and raised funds for the Howard Beach-based organization’s extensive list of programs, including after-school and day programs.
NYFAC President Andrew Baumann shows some love for state Assemblyman Phil Goldfeder, who came to support the Howard Beach nonprofit’s annual car wash in Lindenwood last weekend.
“We’ve been struggling to recoup from Sandy, so this is a big help,” NYFAC President and Founder Andrew Baumann said at the event, which was held in the parking lot of Queens Community Savings Bank in Lindenwood.
In addition to the car wash, NYFAC sponsored a classic car show across the street in the Lindenwood Shopping Plaza.
About 80 children and 50 adults volunteered for the car wash, including members of Girl Scouts Troop 4993 in Howard Beach and individuals from NYFAC’s Board of Directors.
“We like getting together to help people, and we have a lot of fun with it,” said Amanda Clark, 13, a Girl Scouts member who helped to scrub cars in Sunday’s heat.
NYFAC opened its new state-of-the-art Community Autism Center on Cross Bay Boulevard in Howard Beach in April. It had been slated to open months earlier, but Hurricane Sandy tore through the building and rendered it unusable.
The nonprofit runs numerous programs for people with autism – a developmental disorder that affects about one in 100 children in the United States, according to federal statistics – including an adult day program and speech, occupational and physical therapy.
By Anna GustafsonÂ
