On Friday April 26, the Town of Smithtown in conjunction with New York Empire Softball and the USSSA hosted the first annual Autism Awareness Charity Softball Tournament at Flynn Memorial Ballpark. The event was held in celebration of Autism Awareness Month, recognizing the resilience and spirit of children and adults on the Spectrum, who are an inspiration to the community. The tournament was spearheaded by Eric Theiss and New York Empire Softball, along with Gregg Caggiano of the Miller and Caggiano law firm who sponsored the event. New York Empire Softball took first place in the all-day charity tournament.
County Sheriff Errol Toulon (D) was on the field to cheer on his men, while Supervisor Ed Wehrheim (R-Kings Park), State Senator Mario Mattera (R-St. James), Councilman Tom Lohmann (R-Smithtown), and United States Specialty Sports Association (USSSA) recognized Law Enforcement and Fire/EMS Softball teams for their service and charity work. NY Empire Softball, NYPD Finest Softball, PAPD Twins, Nassau Blues, FDNY Brothers 4 Ever, Suffolk Lawmen, MTA PD, and Necessary Force all competed for the Tournament championship.
The first Annual New York Empire Autism Awareness Charity Softball Tournament featured eight teams, all from New York Law Enforcement and First Responder agencies. Each team battled it out on the ballfield for the title of champions, in the name of charity and raising awareness in support of Autism. The Tournament raised a little under $10,000 for the ACLD Kramer Learning Center, a leading not-for-profit agency on Long Island that proudly supports the needs of people with autism, learning and developmental disabilities, and their families.
Anyone wishing to still make donations to the ACLD Kramer Learning Center may do so online at: https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/donation-form/f586df0a-0ffe-4920-8af2-72d0e2d74615
Next year’s Tournament is tentatively set for the Saturday in April.