By Alexa Altman Queens Courier Photo courtesy of Sandra Constantino   Several Lindenwood residents are raising money for Autism awareness, sparked by one young girl’s YouTube video. Sixteen-year-old Shyanna Constantino created an online video about her younger sister, five-year-old Kaylene Vazquez, who suffers from Autism. A friend’s mother saw the video, called “Happy Hope for Autistic Children,” on YouTube, and thought it would be a great way to raise money for the cause. Shyanna, along with her mother Sandra Constantino, friend Lisa Tazeras and her mother Drena Muniz, who originally spotted the online video, sold chips, cupcakes and toys to attendees at P.S. 232 Park in...

Fundraiser held to support New York Families for Autistic Children by Anna Gustafson Senior Editor Queens Chronicle   Queens residents flocked to PS 232 in Lindenwood last weekend to raise money for the New York Families for Autistic Children. Hundreds of people attended the event, which was organized by Howard Beach residents Shyanna Constantino and Lisa Taveras and included a basketball tournament. “Shyanna and Lisa wanted kids to be aware of what autism is,” said Shyanna’s mother, Sandra Constantino, who has a four-year-old daughter, Kaylene, who is autistic. Constantino will be holding another autism fundraiser on April 21 at Cordon Bleu, located at 96-01 Jamaica Ave. in...

NYFAC’s  annual car wash and car show will be held on Sunday, June 24th, rain date Sunday, July 1st  at the Lindenwood Shopping Center and Queens County Savings Bank located on 153rd Avenue, between 82nd and 83rd streets in Howard Beach,  from 9am-3pm.  For details or sponsorship call 718-641-3441 x 144. To register your car in the car show, please call x 100.   The 2ndAnnual Anthony J. Cirello Memorial Golf Outing will be held on Thursday, August 2, 2012 at Harbor Links Golf Course, 1 Fairway Dr, Port Washington. Registration and brunch begins at 11am. Putting contest starts at noon and  shotgun at...

On Thursday, March 1st, 2012, New York Families for Autistic Children celebrated 14 years serving it’s community.

Autism group offers help, hope to sufferers by AnnMarie Costella, Assistant Editor, Queens Chronicle A father takes his autistic son on a shopping trip to a mall. While there, the child wants to go into a toy store, but the father is in a hurry, so he refuses. The child, knowing no other way to express his frustration, throws himself to the ground and begins screaming “Somebody help me. Help me please.” Shortly thereafter, with other shoppers looking on, three mall security officer appeared on the scene to try and figure out what was going on. Before he knew it, the dad found...

NYFAC TO START RENOVATIONS ON $4.9M HOWARD BEACH AUTISM FACILITY The puzzle pieces on the wall of what will be the new nearly $5 million, 10,000-square-foot autistic services facility at 164-14 Cross Bay Boulevard in Howard Beach are meant to be symbolic, said Andrew Baumann, CEO of nonprofit New York Families for Autistic Children (NYFAC). “Autism is a puzzle; it’s about finding the missing pieces,” he said. The Ozone Park-based nonprofit, which provides services for more than 300 families in Queens and Brooklyn, hopes to help those families find those missing pieces in the form of new programs that their facility—scheduled to open...

NYFAC  was recently featured in the New York Daily News for the new autistic center opening early 2012.   Comprehensive $5 million autistic center to open in Howard Beach New York Families for Autistic Children to start facility renovations By Clare Trapasso / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS A Queens group plans to transform a Howard Beach Chinese restaurant into a $5 million comprehensive center for autistic children and adults. The New York Families for Autistic Children facility is expected to be one of the largest of its kind in the borough, said President and Chief Executive Officer Andrew Baumann. Renovations on the building are slated to begin...

New York Families for Autistic Children will hold its 14th Annual Dinner Dance and Awards Celebration on Thursday, March 1, 2012 at Russo’s on the Bay, Cross Bay Boulevard and 163rd Avenue  Howard Beach, New York Cocktail Party begins at 6:30 PM – Dinner to Follow Raffles and Silent Auction Please join us as we honor these very special friends: Guardian Angel Award:  …………………………………… The Honorable Erich Ulrich,                                                                                            ...

On Saturday, December 17th, 2011, Anita Sessa, Executive Assistant to the President of NYFAC, and Jennifer Persaud, MSC Supervisor, assisted NYFAC members create fun crafts to fill their homes for the winter holiday season. See photos below…

This is the final architectural rendering of the new NYFAC Building at 164-14 Crossbay Boulevard. The building is scheduled to open its doors in early 2012, and will host a wide variety of programs and services for the entire family.