East Rockaway's Reel cornhole tournament to support worthy cause

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Reel is hosting a cornhole tournament to benefit Ethan and the Bean, LLC, on Sept. 29 at 1 p.m.
Reel is hosting a cornhole tournament to benefit Ethan and the Bean, LLC, on Sept. 29 at 1 p.m.
Courtesy Google Earth

Pamela Donovan was inspired by her son, Ethan, to create Ethan and the Bean, LLC. The nonprofit organization teaches adults on the autism spectrum how to run a coffee shop.
“The purpose is to teach community tolerance,” said Noreen Donovan, Ethan’s aunt and the manager of the Reel in East Rockaway. “We want to get the message out to employers that there are ways to do this.”
The potential employees receive training at a center in Caldwell, N.J., and sell their coffee online. Ultimately, Noreen said, the organization would like to set up a physical coffee shop.
“This is just a beginning for us,” she said.
A physical coffee shop would require a lot of money to run, however. Noreen said the organization would need funds to pay for a building, vocational training and for the machines.

To raise that money, the Reel is hosting a cornhole tournament on Sept. 29 at 1 p.m. All of the funds will help Ethan and the Bean with its expenses.
Noreen said that she would like to have 64 teams compete in the tournament, and said that as of last week there were more than 30 teams that have signed up. She also said that some families are sponsoring teams comprised of children and adults on the spectrum.
Registration for the tournament is $100 for an individual and $200 for a team of two. All participants will receive unlimited food and soda as well as a swag bag. The first-place team will receive $800 and the second-place team will receive $200. The tournament will also feature a raffle for sports memorabilia, four club suite tickets to a Jets vs. Broncos game on Oct. 7, tickets to a Giants suite, a grand piano, and discounts to restaurants and salons.
For more information about Ethan and the Bean, visit www.ethanandthebean.com. To register for the cornhole tournament, visit www.reel_cornhole.eventbrite.com.