Patti Griffith (right), Friends Committee member and Garden City resident, enjoys the evening’s festivities. The AHRC Foundation’s Friends of the Brookville Center for Children’s Services (BCCS) Autism Program raised $165,000 at the annual Reach for the Stars Dinner. More than 350 guests attended the event benefiting BCCS’ Autism Program, an affiliate of AHRC Nassau.

The event, which honored Philip Tavella, Senior Vice President of Diversified Financial Consultants & Foundation Director of the Darryl Strawberry Foundation, was a social and financial success, raising more than $165,000 for the Autism Program. This year’s event, which was the second most successful in its eight year history, was sponsored by Friends of Lee Strauss, Frida and Michael Vasinkevich - Rodman and Renshaw, The Ed Smith Mineola Lion’s Club, K.C. Gallagher’s in Sea Cliff, Pascucci Family Foundation, Capital One Bank, Dr. Lisa Liberatore and Dr. Dimitri Kessaris, Alisa and Lloyd Groveman, Barbara and Robert Lucey, and Donna and Anthony Pistilli.

The Autism Program, a vital component of the Brookville Center, is dedicated to providing children with autism an individualized education that takes into account their specific strengths and weaknesses, to teach the skills necessary to increase their ability to communicate and function independently. Approved and licensed by New York State Department of Education, the year-round program serves 90 preschool and school age children in Brookville. An interdisciplinary staff of dedicated professionals works to ensure that each child reaches their fullest potential using proven methodologies for teaching children with autism.