{"id":259681,"date":"2026-06-08T21:17:11","date_gmt":"2026-06-08T21:17:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/259681\/"},"modified":"2026-06-08T21:17:11","modified_gmt":"2026-06-08T21:17:11","slug":"south-richmond-hill-community-comes-out-for-annual-autism-awareness-walk-qns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/259681\/","title":{"rendered":"South Richmond Hill community comes out for annual autism awareness walk \u2013 QNS"},"content":{"rendered":"

The program was held to spread awareness about autism and developmental disabilities, promoting available resources along the way.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

In the opening moments of the event, Pastor Matthew Singh held a prayer, followed by the Richmond Hill High School Junior ROTC presenting the Pledge of Allegiance and opera singer Henry Drangel delivering a rendition of the National Anthem. Robbie and Rosanna Gammara also recited \u201cWe See You,\u201d a poem written by Community Board 9 Chair Sherry Algredo, with music provided by Bill Knight of Friends Smokey Oval Park.<\/p>\n

Participants then circled the park\u2019s perimeter twice, accompanied by various local organizations supplying information on early intervention, educational and employment services, and family support services. Resource tables were also arranged to provide families and caregivers with information about services related to autism and developmental disabilities.<\/p>\n

\"\"Photo courtesy of the Office of Sen. Joseph P. Addabbo Jr.<\/p>\n

State Senator Joseph P. Addabbo Jr. helped organize the gathering, working alongside Algredo, whose efforts brought the event to life.<\/p>\n

Algredo, who has an autistic son, underscored the importance of broadening access to programs and equipment to families in need.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to help families of children with autism or developmental disabilities access available resources, while giving the community a chance to show support and deepen understanding of these groups and their needs,\u201d Algredo said. \u201cI also want to advocate for more programs and tools that are still needed but not yet available.\u201d<\/p>\n

Data<\/a> from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that autism spectrum disorder (ASD) affects approximately 3.2% of 8-year-olds, with 17% of 3-17-year-olds having a developmental disability diagnosis, as reported by parents surveyed from 2009-2017.<\/p>\n

\"\"Photo courtesy of the Office of Sen. Joseph P. Addabbo Jr.<\/p>\n

Addabbo reaffirmed his commitment to public health and disability rights, urging greater government support for organizations serving this community.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe expansion of policies that improve education, healthcare and employment opportunities must be a priority,\u201d he said. \u201cAll people deserve success, and it is our duty as policymakers and community members to create opportunities for them to thrive.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The program was held to spread awareness about autism and developmental disabilities, promoting available resources along the way.\u00a0…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":259682,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[14836,101017,101018,101019,9,24,63,101020,122,124,123,101021],"class_list":["post-259681","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-queens","tag-autism","tag-autism-and-developmental-disabilities-walk-and-resource-fair","tag-community-board-9-chair-sherry-algredo","tag-developmental-disabilities","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-nyc","tag-pastor-matthew-singh","tag-queens","tag-queens-headlines","tag-queens-news","tag-senator-joseph-p-addabbo-jr"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/259681","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=259681"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/259681\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/259682"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=259681"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=259681"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=259681"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}