My nephew, Gino, is a typical six-year old boy who loves animals, anything Mickey Mouse, his family and playing outside. He enjoys dancing, especially to Pop Smoke and any salsa, bachata and merengue music! He has recently discovered his love for waterparks and water-related activities, like spending the day at the lake. When he was 8-months old, he had to have craniosynostosis to correct the deformities in his skull. The deformities were causing pressure inside the skull, pushing his brain into his nasal cavity. As a result, he had to have reconstructive surgery on his eyes as well. Both surgeries were lifesaving and he recovered quite well. But, at the age of 2, his parents began to notice he had not begun any verbal communication and would not make any direct eye contact. After further evaluation by his pediatrician, he was diagnosed with autism and thus, began their journey. My sister has always worked hard to try and give my nephew the support he needs, however, her resources are limited and is at the mercy of public assistance and services. Four years later, and Gino is still completely nonverbal and does not consume any solid food. For the past two years he has been attending a public school in the Bronx, but their care is limited and they do not provide the additional services he requires, i.e. speech, occupational and feeding therapies. While on her quest to find a more suitable environment for Gino, she found a private school, the Rebecca School, that would provide all of the services and therapies he needs to maximize his development. The NYC Department of Education is now responsible for the cost of the school’s tuition, since they cannot provide the necessary treatment for Gino. The process by which the school receives the funds for the tuition from the NYC DOE, takes a considerable amount of time. Unfortunately, Gino’s advocate was unable to secure the funding from the DOE for the deposit prior to the deadline for the start of the 2020-2021 school year. We are now asking for your help. Anything that you can donate is greatly appreciated. If you can’t donate, please forward this page! Thank you for all your help and support!