On Saturday, April 30th, the Southwest Detroit community came together for an autism fundraiser held by Latin Image Entertainment. The proceeds went toward the work that The Autism Society of Michigan is trying to do on behalf of people with autism and the people that support them.

Organized by Carlos Reyes, Hooping For Autism was a multi-faceted event that took place on April 30, 2011 at Cesar Chavez Academy High School. The Southwest Detroit All-Stars went up against the WJLB All-Stars in a fun basketball game. There was also a performance by breakdancing performance by The Motor City Rockers. Music was also provided by George Guzman, also with Latin Image Entertainment.

In the end, Hooping For Autism was able to gather around $3,000 from the community—a combination of a donation from the UAW and personal checks from attendees and other supporters. When I asked Reyes what was one of the best moments, this is what he had to say.

“The fact that people came to support. To me, this was pretty positive. Pretty much everybody had a good time.”

There were many people that Reyes wanted to thank: Jim Saucedo with State Farm Insurance. There is, also, Gloria Martin, with the UAW, and George Guzman. Lastly, there is also Kathy Johnson, Autism Society of Michigan’s Board President,

In light of the fact that, according to some statistics that say that an average of 1 in 100 children in the United States have some type of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), these funds can go toward helping the Autism Society of Michigan to continue their work.

Author: José A. Rodríguez