Volunteer counselors and a camper cast long shadows on the tennis courts at Rachel Carson College at UC Santa Cruz on Sunday during a session of ACEing Autism, an adaptive tennis program for kids on the autism spectrum. ACEing Autism provides a safe space for these athletes to be themselves, interact with peers and volunteers, all while working on their fitness. (Shmuel Thaler - Santa Cruz Sentinel)
UC Santa Cruz junior Sydney Boyd teams up on Sunday with Stefan Molina,10, during a session of ACEing Autism, an adaptive tennis program at UCSC. (Shmuel Thaler - Santa Cruz Sentinel)
Adeline Lai gets a high-five at ACEing Autism on Sunday. Lai, a member of the UC Santa Cruz women’s tennis team, volunteered on Sunday. (Shmuel Thaler - Santa Cruz Sentinel)
UC Santa Cruz women’s tennis team players Chloe Wu, Melody Ghaffari and Brooklyn Walker cheer on Connor Young on Sunday as the youngster makes contact on the tennis court. The three UCSC athletes were volunteering as ACEing Autism, an adaptive tennis program for kids on the autism spectrum, brought connection and spirit to the West Tennis Courts at UCSC’s Rachel Carson College. Ghaffari said, "I've been a volunteer with ACEing Autism since middle school when a friend of mine introduced me to the program. I was the program director of my local chapter throughout high school and decided to start a new chapter here at Santa Cruz with the help of my Co-Program Director Andrew Tjoa. This program is so special to me, and it is incredibly rewarding to see the remarkable growth in both physical activity and social skills the participants achieve over the course of our sessions." ACEing Autism is a nonprofit organization that aims at helping children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) grow, develop and benefit from social connections and fitness through affordable tennis programming. According Mylene Martin, a manager at the organization, "Children with ASD don’t have a lot of opportunities for fun and fitness, so we are excited to be bringing in-person programming to the local community. ACEing Autism provides a safe space for these wonderful athletes to be themselves, interact with peers and volunteers, all while working on their fitness." (Shmuel Thaler - Santa Cruz Sentinel)
UCSC volunteers and young participants grab hands in unity as Sunday’s session of ACEing Autism ends. (Shmuel Thaler - Santa Cruz Sentinel)
UCSC tennis player Chloe Wu works with one of the kids on Sunday. (Shmuel Thaler - Santa Cruz Sentinel)
1 of 6
Volunteer counselors and a camper cast long shadows on the tennis courts at Rachel Carson College at UC Santa Cruz on Sunday during a session of ACEing Autism, an adaptive tennis program for kids on the autism spectrum. ACEing Autism provides a safe space for these athletes to be themselves, interact with peers and volunteers, all while working on their fitness. (Shmuel Thaler - Santa Cruz Sentinel)
Members of the UC Santa Cruz women’s tennis team volunteered over the weekend as ACEing Autism, an adaptive tennis program for kids on the autism spectrum, brought connection and spirit to the West Tennis Courts at UCSC’s Rachel Carson College.
Melody Ghaffari of the UCSC tennis team said, “I’ve been a volunteer with ACEing Autism since middle school when a friend of mine introduced me to the program. I was the program director of my local chapter throughout high school and decided to start a new chapter here at Santa Cruz with the help of my Co-Program Director Andrew Tjoa. This program is so special to me, and it is incredibly rewarding to see the remarkable growth in both physical activity and social skills the participants achieve over the course of our sessions.”
ACEing Autism is a nonprofit organization that aims at helping children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) grow, develop and benefit from social connections and fitness through affordable tennis programming.
According Mylene Martin, a manager at the organization, “Children with ASD don’t have a lot of opportunities for fun and fitness, so we are excited to be bringing in-person programming to the local community. ACEing Autism provides a safe space for these wonderful athletes to be themselves, interact with peers and volunteers, all while working on their fitness.”
