Teamsters Local 25 Autism Fund Presents More Than $300,000 to 11 Local Autism Non-Profits

McLean Hospital receives $50,000 donation

May 2, 2017

Teamsters Local 25 president Sean O’Brien recently presented more than $300,000 to local non-profits, including a $50,000 donation to McLean Hospital which will be used to continue groundbreaking autism research and support the McLean-Franciscan Child and Adolescent Inpatient Program at Franciscan Children’s Hospital, the only Massachusetts inpatient child psychiatric program with a sub-specialty in the treatment of youth with co-occurring autism spectrum disorders in psychiatric crisis.

“We couldn’t be prouder of the contributions Local 25 has been able to make within the autism community,” said O’Brien. “McLean Hospital and the research being done by Bill Carlezon, PhD, chief of the Jerry and Phyllis Rappaport Center of Excellence in Basic Neuroscience Research, and his team will hopefully someday help to identify the causes of autism to better treat it, and the Franciscan Children’s program is part of a critical support system for children and their families affected by autism. We’re proud to support its mission.”

Bill Carlezon, PhD, accepts donation from Sean O’Brien of the Teamsters Local 25 Autism Fund
Teamsters Local 25 Autism Fund president Sean M. O’Brien, third from left, presents a $50,000 donation to the McLean Hospital team, also from left, James Robbins, Galen Missig, PhD, Emery Mokler and Bill Carlezon, PhD

“We are enormously grateful to Teamsters Local 25 for their continued generosity to McLean,” said Joseph Gold, MD, chief medical officer and chief of the Simches Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at McLean. “The increasing prevalence of autism spectrum disorders makes this gift both crucial and timely. The Teamsters’ support has significantly enhanced our ability to provide specialized care and explore cutting-edge research into the disorder’s underlying causes.”

In addition to the McLean program, Local 25 recognized ten other non-profits for their work with children on the autism spectrum: Autism Speaks, Braintree American Challenger League, Jason Roberts Challenger League, Liam Nation, Malden Challenger League, Medford Invitational Tournaments, Norfolk County Sheriff’s Youth Leadership Academy, St. Francis Church in Memory of Thomas Beckwith, Stoneham Light It Up Blue, and Technology for Autism Now.

In its 10th year, the Teamsters Local 25 Autism Fund has donated more than $4 million since its inception. Its major fundraiser is the annual Teamsters Local 25 Light up the Night Gala, which took place this year on April 1. The gala serves as a major autism awareness vehicle as well as a critical fundraiser for local programs that help children, teens, and adults with autism or developmental delays.

To learn more about Teamsters Local 25’s commitment to autism, please visit teamsterslocal25autism.com.

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