As you know, we've been trying to devise a good way to honor the memory of Matt Inman, the former captain of the Felons who passed away on May 2, 2006.
As you’ll read below, after some tough conversations with Matt's family and Wayne, the current captain of the Felons, we've decided to honor the memory of Matt by raising money in his honor. Please forward this message to each member of your teams. I recognize that there is a lot of information contained in this email. If you or any of your team has any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me at 917-807-0947. If I am not able to answer your question, I will place you in touch with someone who can.
The league each year supports one or more organizations. At the end of
each season, the league donates money to the Nassau Suffolk Services for Autism
(NSSA) in the name of the league champion honoring the memory of Kevin. We've
decided to focus our efforts to honor Matt on NSSA as they are moving to a new
facility and will have a brick entrance area to honor loved ones and celebrate
key events in life.
NSSA is in the process of moving to a new facility. As part of their
fundraising efforts, they've created a campaign labeled "Help Us Pave the
Way!." The goal is to help raise funds through purchasing a brick to
honor a loved one, commemorate a special event or show the support of a
business or friend helping NSSA to create a Center of Excellence in autism
education and treatment. The bricks will adorn the entrance of the new
headquarters and will be engraved with the names or phrases that will serve as
an enduring tribute to all participants and leave a lasting impression for
years to come.
Bricks are available in two sizes: 4" x 8" at a cost of $100 per
brick and 8" x 8" at $250 apiece. Personalized messages can be
engraved in characters of upper case, lower case, or a mix of both.
No one is obligated to participate, but if you're interested please let me know
and we can pool together all of our resources and buy a series of bricks to
remember Matt. I'd like to inform the family at the end of our efforts,
the actual impact that we were able to have in memory of Matt. With 24
teams in the league, I'm hoping that we can make a substantial impact. For
those interested, all donations to NSSA are normally considered tax deductible.
In addition, as part of the Capital Campaign, NSSA has a number of sponsorships
available for large donations. If you know anyone who may be interested
in making a larger donation, please let me know and I may provide additional
details. If we can raise enough money, I'll speak with members at NSSA
and find additional ways to honor Matt's memory. Regardless, I'll keep
everyone updated on our progress.
I'm hoping that we can make this a quick turnaround as the deadline for the
first round of engraving and installation is June 15. All monies received
by this date will be able to be included during the Grand Opening Ceremony
slated before September of this year.
Nassau Suffolk Services for Autism (NSSA) offers hope to people with autism and
their families by providing high quality life-long support through services
that enable people with autism to function better in everyday life. NSSA offers
the most advanced treatment and training programs for the benefit of people
with autism, and will continue to pioneer, through research, comprehensive
treatment models, which can be adopted nationally.
For those who may be interested, Matt was very active
working with the Minds Matter of NYC.
Minds Matter is a not-for-profit organization that brings bright and
motivated inner-city high school students together with dedicated mentors to
achieve academic excellence and expand educational horizons. Founded in 1991, Minds Matter pairs up underprivileged
inner-city students with young professionals to provide assistance with basic
homework, SAT preparation and the college application process including school
selection, essay writing and interview skills. Currently, Minds Matter is
enrolled with over 80 students from over a dozen local high schools and is
supported by more than 200 volunteers. For sophomores and juniors, Minds Matter
assists in selecting and applying to summer academic programs both in the
United States and abroad. For seniors, Minds Matter helps students with the complete
college application process. Minds Matter students have attended some of the
country’s top colleges and universities including Amherst, Duke, Georgetown,
Harvard and Yale. The organization relies solely on donations from generous
individuals, corporations and foundations to send students to summer programs
and to provide scholarships. Minds Matter builds lifelong mentee/mentor
friendships and provides students with academic opportunities that may
otherwise never have existed. For more information, please visit their website
at www.mindsmatter.org. Minds Matter also has chapters in Boston and Denver.
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Historical Background on NSSA
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NSSA LAUNCHES A CAPITAL CAMPAIGN IN PURSUIT OF A NEW FACILITY
For the past year NSSA’s Executive Staff has been in pursuit of a new facility
for NSSA. After an extensive review of the real estate market on Long Island,
coupled with a comprehensive assessment of NSSA’s current and expanding needs,
the Board of Directors and Administration have concluded that NSSA will require
approximately $4,000,000 to purchase a suitable property. Currently NSSA
is in contract for the purchase of an ideal facility.
From it’s creation in 1983 as an agency offering respite services to families
touched by autism, NSSA has grown into an agency whose path few could have
envisioned. Much has changed over the years and much has stayed the same. NSSA
remains steadfast in pursuit of its mission to offer hope to people with autism
and their families by providing high quality life-long support through services
which enable people with autism to function better in everyday life. But as an
agency, NSSA has spread its wings to envelop an expanding constituency beyond
the initial Respite Program.
In 1993 NSSA opened its Education Program, the Martin C. Barell School, the
first school of its kind on Long Island utilizing the science of applied
behavior analysis as its cornerstone. For the first time, students and their
families were offered a school program dedicated solely to the treatment of
autism and based on teaching techniques and strategies that had been
scientifically proven effective. Over the years the Barell School has served as
a model program to school districts throughout Long Island and
nationally who have witnessed its effectiveness and desire to replicate it.
NSSA’s current programs also include a Consultation Services Program,
Recreation Program, Afterschool Services Program, and an Adult Services
Program. With growth of this nature comes increased staffing requirements, an
increased client base, and the concomitant need for expanded facilities.
In 2004, when the Barell School’s first student reached the age of twenty-one
and could no longer be served in the Education Program, NSSA launched an Adult
Services Program to serve the needs this student and the many others that will
graduate shortly after him. In the next five years 12 additional students will
graduate and leave the education program; in ten years a total of 20 students
will be graduated. With each passing year NSSA will be serving an expanding
adult population. As students
from our school graduate to the Adult Services Program, we will be able to
serve more students at the Martin C. Barell School, thereby doubling our
population.
In addition to the expansion of our client population, the passing years have
seen the needs of our students become more varied. Our present facility is no
longer suited to addressing the variety and complexity of our students’ needs.
To maximize each students’ potential, and foster as much independence as
possible, a larger facility is needed. As NSSA embarks on a capital campaign,
moving into this new and exciting phase of its development, we would like to
offer heartfelt thanks to our extended NSSA family and constituency for their
love and support throughout the years.
A campaign of this magnitude will require the support and dedication of many in
order to succeed. This brochure outlines the variety of ways in which you can
support this campaign.
Together we can continue to change lives and build futures for those who are
touched by autism.
Nicole Weidenbaum, M.S., SAS
Executive Director
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Initial message regarding Matt
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Just to recap, the initial message that I sent regarding Matt on Thursday, May
4 is below.
Running the softball league is a great thing that I do to honor Kevin's
memory. It allows me to keep his memory alive as well as form additional
relationships with all of the teams and each of the captains. With most
teams returning year by year, we tend to learn about each other's professional
and personal lives.
This morning, I received a call that I hoped I would never would receive.
It has come to my attention, that one of our captain's, Matt Inman, was in a
serious accident on Tuesday and has passed away. Matt was the captain of
the Felons and was just 31 years old. He had worked for a government
agency for four years and investigated health care fraud. He was
originally from St. Louis and is survived by his parents, Carol and Gary, and
two brothers, Thomas and Timothy. Services will be taking place in St.
Louis.
Having not informed anyone of the news of Matt's accident and grieving their
lost captain and leader, the Felons actually had a game last evening and played
with heavy hearts winning a game against the Giants. In an attempt to not
sound cliche, it is ironic that it was raining during most of their game.
Please all pause for a moment to say a prayer for Matt and his family. It
is a sad day for Matt's friends and family and the Kevin McAuliffe City
Softball League as well.
In the event that you wish to make a donation in Matt's memory, I will be
putting up something on the League Homepage with options. According to
the assistant captain of the Felons, Matt had been working with a local
charity. Obviously, he's in a great deal of shock so I did not receive
all of the information. In addition, I will also publish information regarding
the league's charity if you'd like to make a contribution in his memory there.
Going forward, I will gladly consider any ideas to help honor Matt. As
you may be able to tell, I'm both shocked and saddened by his passing. He
was a good guy who was a pleasure to have in the league. He
will be sorely missed, as I would often speak with him during the off-season.
Yours truly,
Larry Ackerman
Commissioner, Kevin McAuliffe City Softball League
Email: larryackerman@hotmail.com
League Site: www.gwhynot.com
Telephone: 917-807-0947