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10/13/2022 02:26 PMThe Guilford Racquet and Swim Club’s (GRSC) annual Aces for Autism fundraiser came up aces, in its efforts to raise awareness and funds for the disorder. Club Communication Coordinator Jill Fried said the fundraiser was one of their most successful.
According to Fried, the Sept. 24 event raised close to $10,000 for Autism Services and Resources of CT, making it one of the most successful fundraisers they’ve sponsored. Several staff and members of the Club who have a child diagnosed on the autism spectrum and as such the event has developed into an important community event for the GRSC family, Fried said.
“Guilford Racquet and Swim Club has a personal connection to every charitable event held here. Chris Marra, our head tennis pro, and another longtime member, each have a child with autism. They put on this event each year as a tribute to their wonderful kids and to raise awareness and money for the cause,” said Fried. “The event is always widely attended and is a great way to help strengthen the GRSC bonds as a community. We work hard to create a welcoming environment and supporting causes that are important to our staff and members is one way we can show how much we care.”
The Sept. 24 fundraiser was a California Point Play or CAPP event, which is a fast-paced round-robin style of play coordinated by a feeder player. There is no serving, and the action moves right to a rally. Players filled six courts, and the fundraiser was bolstered by raffles, giveaways, and a pizza truck.
Chris Marra is the Director of Tennis for the GRSC and the Guilford High School girls tennis coach. He is also the parent of a child with autism. Marra said the event was not only successful in raising funds, but it is an example of how the GRSC family rallies around causes and gives back to the community.
“Obviously, the Club likes to do these events because they really do care about the Guilford community and are always ready to help. But one of the big drivers for this event is that [another member] and I both have children on the spectrum, and we wanted to hold an event that would raise awareness about kids on the spectrum as well as raise some money to give back to the community,” said Marra. “We felt it was the least we could do to try and give people a window into autism in general and help them understand it's not a ‘bad’ thing, and shouldn’t be something that is scary for them.”
According to Marra, though there are obviously challenges to being a parent with a child on the autism spectrum, in most ways he and his family are no different than any other. The issues they face are often similar to those faced by any family.
“Our son is on the spectrum and we wanted to bring awareness, not necessarily on or for our son, but for the whole community out there of kids on the spectrum and their parents. It is really important for us to be involved in things that not just specifically help our son necessarily, but also involve other kids in the community,” Marra said.
According to Marra, the challenges his family takes can be mitigated by the support from other parents.
“I think what most parents with special needs kids find is, knowing there is somebody else out there going through the same thing. So, it’s good to know that you aren’t alone,” Marra said. “That is helpful because there are times when parents of typical kids or even relatives, sometimes “don’t get it”. By that I mean they understand and can have insight but it’s extremely difficult to understand unless you have a child with special needs, and as I said, even family to family the situations can be so different.”
According to Marra, he and his wife, Carolyn, are always eager to participate in events that bring awareness to autism.
“To be honest we feel really lucky that our son is who he is. And it’s great to be able to raise awareness for anyone out there, and this event do take a moment to appreciate that autism is out there and with so many causes and organizations out there that are in need, it’s great to have a day that focuses on autism,” said Marra.