(NY) Flushing Meadows

ACEing Autism is on a mission for children with autism to grow, develop and benefit from social connections and fitness through affordable tennis programming, uniquely serving individual needs while filling a national void for this growing and worthy population.

Meet Your Program Directors!

Hi, my name is Christina, and I recently graduated from Johns Hopkins University, where I competed for the JHU Women's Tennis Team. Throughout college, I volunteered with ACEing Autism at the Baltimore, MD branch, and I’m now thrilled to co-direct the Flushing, NY branch with my teammate, Celina! Born and raised in Queens, NY, I’m eager to share ACEing Autism's mission with my community. In my free time, I enjoy playing tennis, reading, and hanging out with friends.

Hi! I'm Celina and I'm currently working as a Research Data Associate at NYU Langone. I recently graduated from the Johns Hopkins Women's Tennis team, where I volunteered for the Baltimore, MD ACEing Autism program. I began co-directing the BJK program in July 2023 with Jen, my high school classmate and teammate. My hobbies include painting, reading, and indulging in desserts.

Trained Program Directors and volunteers lead participants through our curriculum. At the very heart, tennis is a social game that furnishes a natural opportunity to develop and reinforce skills that many children on the spectrum find a struggle: turn-taking, focus and attending, motor planning, fine and gross motor skills, and more. Our Program Directors meet athletes where they are at and progress through our curriculum at their own pace.

We offer weekly tennis clinics for children with autism between the ages of 5 and 18. Our clinics run for one hour, with sessions running for six to eight weeks at a time. Volunteers are paired up with a participant, hopefully for the duration of the session. The children in our program do not need prior tennis knowledge as our curriculum & volunteers support each child’s individual abilities and needs!