Autism school a hit in its rookie year
by Maurice
Saturday was a special day at Easter Seals Metropolitan Chicago. To celebrate the one-year anniversary of our state-of-the-art Therapeutic School and Center for Autism Research, Easter Seals Metropolitan Chicago organized the first annual Running Bases for Independence (RBI for you baseball fans).
The softball tournament featured sponsors such as the CENTURY 21 Real Estate Corporation, CVS Caremark, and many other employees from different Easter Seals sites throughout Chicago.
The event would not have been complete without the presence of notables such as Illinois Governor Pat Quinn, White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen and White Sox pitcher Gavin Floyd. I, along with my mother and father, had the opportunity to meet the Governor and share my life story along with other families of Easter Seals clients. Then I had the opportunity to get together once again with my buddy White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen, a great spokesperson for autism at Easter Seals Metropolitan Chicago.
The reunion with Ozzie was great, he recognized me right away! It would be greater if the White Sox were on a roll, though. I grew up on Chicago’s south side and have always been a White Sox fan, and while I am writing this they are in second place. No matter what happens the rest of the season, I will always be a fan of this White Sox charity that pledged one million dollars towards our new school. I had a conversation with Ozzie and Gavin on Saturday and I told them to hang in there. I hope my words will help — the Sox have a month-and-a-half left to get on that hot streak to overtake the Detroit Tigers in the American League Central Division.
In closing, I would like to personally thank Governor Quinn, Ozzie and Gavin for taking time out of their busy schedules to come support Easter Seals. The dream of this new school and research center would not have been possible without their support of our services and dedication to our mission. I look forward to continuing this great relationship with the White Sox organization and the Governor of Illinois as we continue to support clients at Easter Seals.