Meet Ken Kubisch, a 78-year-old volunteer from our Redding, CA program. A soft-spoken former civil engineer, Ken has been involved in sports his whole life. “Because of my experience with youth sports, especially with baseball, it helps me see when volunteers might need help when they teach,” Ken explained. Back when his children were growing…
We are thrilled to showcase the incredible efforts of our two amazing volunteers, Amit and Ella Shroff, from the South Orange, New Jersey program. For the second year in a row, they organized a successful tennis tournament fundraiser in benefit of ACEing Autism. Amit and Ella’s passion for making a difference shines through in…
Meet Jacob Cohen and Haniel Peralta, respectively a volunteer and participant from our Great Neck, NY program. Jacob, who is 15 years old, and Haniel, who is 6 years old have built an amazing bond even though Haniel is only speaks a few words. Written by Jacob: Hi, my name is Jacob Cohen and this…
Meet Kathy Connelly, our Program Director from Buffalo, NY. In just a few short months, the cheerful leader has already made her mark within ACEing Autism. “It’s almost like a calling,” she revealed. “The Village Glen Tennis Club has been so supportive, we have the time and talent, so it was meant to be.” After…
Meet Mack Raymer, a 14-year-old athlete from our Winston-Salem program in North Carolina. “I just ran into ACEing Autism, and I thought it was great, so I signed him up right away and when I told him, he was like ‘great! What is tennis?’” his mother, Casey, laughed. “That is telling of Mack’s personality, that’s…
Meet Mia Seltman, one of our kind and thoughtful DC area high school volunteers, who this year took on the additional role of first ever ACEing Autism intern! During her winter and spring semesters, Mia worked on court with athletes at both our Southeast and Northwest, DC locations. At the same time, Mia took photos…
Meet Shannon Govekar, a first-time volunteer from our Burlingame, CA, program. “I was excited to teach, nervous about how to teach and what was the right approach,” the Roboticist explained, laughing. “I just wanted them to enjoy the sport and I wanted to enjoy the experience.” After receiving a newsletter from his tennis club, Shannon,…
Meet Alistair Davis, a 15-year-old athlete from our Akron, OH, program. After seeing everyone’s reactions to Alistair’s story by his High School Varsity Tennis Coach Craig Sampsell, we knew we had to get to know him. A freshman out of Firestone High School, Alistair participates in our ACEing Autism Akron program and “he really looks…
Meet Xander Leonard, a 14 year-old athlete from our McKinney, TX, program. Contrary to other sports or activities he tried before, “he was eager to try this one,” his mother Kara laughed. But not only has ACEing Autism benefitted Xander in many ways, “it has kept us close as a family as well. We all…
Meet Kevin Hudak, an 18-year-old athlete from Akron, OH, who was diagnosed with cerebral palsy at 1 year old. “One of my girlfriends who worked at the hospital stopped by to meet Kevin but discovered that he had apnea,” Kevin’s mother, Karen, explained. “Then, we discovered that he had a stroke in utero, which we…
