About US
It all started with an idea, and a desire to make a difference.
Humble beginnings…
In September 2016, Rockaway Beach, NY resident Kami-Leigh Agard, a writer by vocation and mum of a then eight-year-old energetic girl on the autism spectrum, approached the publisher of local newspaper, The Rockaway Times, about penning a column about parenting a child on the autism spectrum. Once given the green light, her biweekly feature, “Life With Our ‘Artistic’ Child was born. To Kami-Leigh’s pleasant surprise, her column got notice and other parents of autistic and special needs individuals started reaching out. Suddenly, she discovered that she was not alone on the Rockaway peninsula living “La vida del Autismo!”
For Kami-Leigh, this was a eureka moment. Why not host a monthly parent support group? Thus, Rockaway Beach Artistic Families was born, and after a year, the name of the grassroots organization was changed to Rockaway Beach Autism Families.
Fast track to today, RBAF hosts not just monthly meetings, but a plethora of educational and recreational activities geared to build autism awareness and acceptance, plus provide a nonjudgmental space for families to share, learn from each other, and have fun!
Today…
Everyone deserves to live life to the fullest, and at the core of RBAF’s advocacy is to affect meaningful change by increasing public awareness and providing rewarding opportunities for autistic individuals and their families.
RBAF is a grassroots organization advocating for autism awareness, acceptance and education. We host monthly meetings with guest speakers providing information about a variety of resources and services, such as employment, special-needs trusts, therapies and much more. All are welcome to attend our meetings, not just families of special-needs individuals, but the general public.
RBAF also hosts a plethora of recreational, fun activities for families of autistic individuals including our annual Rock Out For Autism Music Festival, Dance Out Under The Stars, Halloween Beach Treasure Hunt, End-Of-Year Holiday Party and loads more. Also, as our hometown, Rockaway Beach, is NYC’s only urban surfing beach bordered by the Atlantic Ocean, our motto is SEA—Support, Educate, Advocate for autism awareness and acceptance.
Join RBAF in “Turning the tide for the Autism community, one wave a time.™”
