From South Orange Police Chief Ernesto Morillo:
As Chief of Police of the South Orange Police Department, I am proud to announce that the members of PBA Local 12 and PBA Local 12A Superior Officers Association are participating in a fundraising exhibition game against the members of the Seton Hall Women’s Basketball Senior class and alumni members. This exciting game is being played to raise money for Autism Acceptance Month and for the organizations that help members of the Autistic community and their families.
Autism, or autism spectrum disorder (ASD), refers to a broad range of conditions characterized by challenges with social skills, repetitive behaviors, speech and nonverbal communication. According to the Centers for Disease Control, autism affects an estimated 1 in 36 children and 1 in 45 adults in the United States today.
Living with a person with an ASD affects the entire family—parents, siblings, and in some families, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. Meeting the complex needs of a person with an ASD can put families under a great deal of stress—emotional, financial, and sometimes even physical.
This is why PBA Local 12 & 12A for the third year in a row have worked together to raise funds to help those who deal with Autism on a daily basis by trying to improve their quality of life.
One of those organizations we are proud to partner with is Nassan’s Place (Nassansplace.org), located in Essex County, New Jersey. Since we started our relationship with the founder of Nassan’s Place, our command staff and officers have become more in tune on how to better understand and communicate with members of our Autistic community.
We thank Seton Hall University, Coach Bozella and the women of their Big East Division I team for agreeing to play us for this worthy cause.
We look forward to filling Walsh Gym with a raucous crowd when the community comes out for Autism Acceptance in South Orange on May, 9th 2024 at 7p.m.
