Matthew Abrams's Fundraising Page
As you many of you are aware, autism awareness and support is a cause near and dear to my family and heart. Our eight year old son, Zachary, was diagnosed with PDD-NOS, a high-functioning form of autism when he was 3 years old. Zachary is fortunate, as his symptoms are mild compared to many other children, and he has received tremendous support from the Brookline School system where he is entering 3rd grade next year. Many kids are not as lucky as Zachary.
Zachary and I are avid lovers of the water and water-related sports. So when I heard last August, that 50 surfers, including several professional surfing legends, Stand Up Paddle boarded 28 miles around NYC in the name of autism awareness, I knew I had to be a part of the event. Because Zachary is a space shuttle fanatic, we have decided on the team name of "Atlantis" after the shuttle mission.
For those of you who are curious, Stand Up Paddle Boarding (SUP) involves a very long, thick surf board which one paddles with a long, single bladed paddle. It's very strenuous and we expect to complete the paddle in 7-8 hours.
The inaugural event, called SEA Paddle NYC, drew international attention and, in conjunction with the White Water Gala fundraiser held just prior to the paddle, raised a total of $90,000 for three autism awareness groups: Autism Speaks, NJCOSAC and Surfers Healing & SEA. (more about the benefactors http://www.seapaddlenyc.org/node/11)
So please help us this year surpass that amount!!
I want to thank all of you for your support, it means so much to me!
Team Atlantis and The Abrams Family