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.

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...

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.

The Child’s Place for Children with Special Needs at the Brooklyn Public Library, will offer Social Skills for Children with Autism Workshop on Tuesday, October 18th, 2011 from 9:30 a.m. to 12 Noon at the: Central Library 10 Grand Army Plaza Brooklyn, NY 11238 Third Floor Trustee’s Room Parents and guardians of children with Autism are invited to attend. This workshop will examine the benefits of social play and leisure for children on the Autism Spectrum. Parents will gain insight into: Identification of play/leisure goals; Identification of associated social skills; Recognizing readiness for social skill integration; Ways to bring social skills taught in school to the home environment; How peer interaction...

Thank you Ave Maria Catholic Academy for generously inviting NYFAC members to the ‘FAMILY FESTIVAL’! NYFAC members were able to enjoy free rides, midway games, entertainment, and food. Additionally, Andrew Baumann, President & CEO of NYFAC, volunteered to be dunked in a water dunk tank, with all proceeds going towards the Ave Maria Catholic Academy. Check out the fun in the pictures below!