EL1 Trenton Thunder

Annual Autism Awareness Game Returns on Sunday, June 6

Published on May 12, 2010 under Eastern League (EL1)
Trenton Thunder News Release


(Trenton, NJ) - The Trenton Thunder Minor League Baseball club announced on Wednesday that the team's annual Autism Awareness Game will be played on Sunday, June 6 at 1:05pm when the Thunder face the Richmond Flying Squirrels (San Francisco Giants).

The goal of the event is to give families affected by autism an enjoyable day at the ballpark while also raising awareness and funds to support various support and research initiatives. This year's event will support

Eden Family Services, Autism New Jersey, Autism Speaks and Parents Of Autistic Children (POAC). Tickets are available by contacting Anna Rosenblatt at 609-394-3300 ext 187.

This year, the Thunder are pleased to welcome Miss New Jersey International, Brielle Lacosta, to the ballpark on behalf of Autism Speaks. She will appear in the pregame ceremony on the field and be on the concourse available to meet fans at the Autism Speaks table.

"This day is all about getting families who are affected by autism together for a day of fun," said Trenton Thunder General Manager Will Smith. "We'll be trying to make the ballpark experience more sensitive to the needs of autistic individuals and we hope this event will educate our fans about autism."

Sunday, June 6 will also include a birthday celebration for Thomas The Tank Engine, one of the most beloved children's characters of all time. Fans a re encouraged to wear their Thomas The Tank Engine merchandise and may have a piece of Thomas' birthday cake on the stadium approach before the game, while supplies last. The first 1,000 kids will receive a Thomas Temporary Tattoo and a Thomas DVD coupon.

Eden, a New Jersey-based nonprofit organization, was founded in 1975 with a mission to improve the lives of children and adults with autism and their families. Parents and professionals alike joined together to develop a family oriented, multifaceted program with a well-trained and dedicated faculty. Inherent in Eden's founding was the commitment to provide a cost-effective, community-based alternative to institutionalization and to offer programming that would meet the changing needs of children and adults with autism.

Autism New Jersey is a nonprofit agency providing information and advocacy, services, family and professional education, and consultation. Autism New Jersey encourages responsible basic and applied research that may lessen the effects of, and potentially prevent, autism. Autism New Jersey is dedicated to ensuring that all people with autism receive appropriate, effective services to maximize their growth potential and to enhancing the general public's overall awareness of autism.

Autism Speaks was founded in February 2005 by Bob and Suzanne Wright, grandparents of a child with autism. Since then, Autism Speaks has grown into the nation's largest autism science and advocacy organization, dedicated to funding research into the causes, prevention, treatments and a cure for autism; increasing awareness of autism spectrum disorders; and advocating for the needs of individuals with autism and their families. We are proud of what we've been able to accomplish and look forward to continued successes in the years ahead.

Parents Of Autistic Children (POAC), a nonprofit organization, is the educational leader for the autism community providing more free training than any other organization. Additionally, POAC provides recreational and support services to children with autism and their families. The costs of such services are prohibitive for most families. For this reason, POAC is deeply committed to providing all services at no cost to participants. Founded in 1999, POAC's mission is to improve the lives of children and adults with autism by providing scientifically-based training to parents, teachers, and other direct service providers. POAC supports ongoing quality research on the causes of autism, its symptoms, prevention and a potential cure.

Thomas the Tank Engine is a fictional steam locomotive in The Railway Series books by the Rev. W. Awdry and his son, Christopher. He became the most popular character in the Series, and the accompanying television spin-off series, Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends which first aired in October 1984. Later, the title was changed to Thomas & Friends, and the series is now broadcast to over 145 countries worldwide and in 38 different languages. Over 200 million Thomas books have been sold worldwide since the publication of the first book in the Rev. W. Awdry's Railway Series in 1945.

The Thunder return to Waterfront Park to face the Binghamton Mets (New York Mets) in a four game weekend series starting Thursday, May 13 at 7:05 PM. Tickets are available by calling 609-394-3300 or online at trentonthunder.com.

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Eastern League Stories from May 12, 2010


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