Despite rain, Wash for Autism a success

A dismal forecast of rain and hail did not deter New York Families for Autistic Children (NYFAC) from raising nearly $5,000 at the third annual Wash for Autism charity car wash.
Held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday, July 27 at the Queens County Savings Bank on 153rd Avenue in Howard Beach, the event was declared a success.
“Even though it rained, the event was fantastic,” said Andrew Baumann, the president and CEO of NYFAC. “The support from the community was unprecedented. We had 75 volunteers from all over the community. All the kids had a great time.”
The Wash for Autism, which had a suggested donation of $10, included approximately 30 sponsors such as ACE Hardware, Pepsi, Waldbaum’s, Training for Life, Autism Speaks, Senator Marty Golden and the New York City Police Department, among others. Sponsors helped provide funding for everything from pizza and musical entertainment to buckets, soap and hoses.
NYFAC’s Andrea Mercatante also noted that the event could not have been possible without the help and sponsorship of Joe Bergen at New York Community Bank and his staff.
Volunteers at the car wash included members from NYFAC, as well as the Explorers from the 106th and 105th Precincts, sisters of the Gamma Chi sorority and students from Townsend Harris High School.
With the motto, “Helping Parents…Help their Children…One family at a time,” NYFAC is an Ozone Park-based organization that strives to serve any family within New York that has a child with a developmental disability.
To learn more about the organization, call 718-641-3441 or visit www.nyfac.org.