Nassau County Executive Edward P. Mangano announced on Friday that Eisenhower Park will host an autism awareness event on Thursday, July 22. 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,” Mangano said. “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.”