Flutie Foundation Helps Area Autistic Families

REGIONAL — Northeast Arc (NeArc) has been awarded a $10,000 grant from the Doug Flutie, Jr. Foundation for Autism to benefit traditionally under-served, under-funded and culturally diverse communities served by the Autism Support Center.
“We are honored to once again receive this important funding from the Doug Flutie, Jr. Foundation for Autism,” said Gloria Ricardi-Castillo, director of family support centers at the NeArc.
“We serve a diverse range of families with varied needs, in communities from Lowell to Lynn, and this grant will allow us the flexibility to support our families in ways that are most impactful to them,” she said.
Diagnosed at the age of three, Doug Flutie Jr., the son of professional and college football star quarterback Doug Flutie, continues to inspire everyone around him with his infectious smile and passion for all thing’s sports, according to the foundation web site.
An annual grant program is offered by the Flutie foundation in Framingham.
Autism Community Impact Grants that the Flutie Foundation distributed this year support the foundation’s areas of interest; providing pathways to education and vocational training, supporting recreational and active lifestyles and ensuring people with autism are informed, safe, and supported.
The NeArc changes lives of people with disabilities, children at risk of developing them and their families. Each year, the agency serves thousands of people in nearly 200 Massachusetts cities and towns through the Center for Linking Lives at Liberty Tree Mall in Danvers. It is the largest Arc in Massachusetts and one of the largest in the country.
Services include: Adult Family Care, the ArcWorks Community Art Center, Autism Services, Black Box Theater, Breaking Grounds Café, Continuous Care Nursing Services, Day Habilitation, Deaf Services, Early Intervention, Employment Services, Family Support, The Learning Center Childcare and Preschool, parcels retail store, Personal Care Assistance, Recreation, Residential, Shared Living and Transition and Skilled Intermittent Home Health Care.