The New England Center for Children will host its 16th Annual 5k Walk/Run for Autism on Saturday, May 21 at 10 a.m. at the Margaret A. Neary School in Southborough. This year, NECC is offering free registration for all participants.
NECC staff have been educated at higher learning institutions across the world and have found their way to Southborough to join in our mission to create a better world for children with autism. In honor of March Madness, the annual Division I college basketball tournament, we’ve collected some numbers of our own.
Jordan Smith has been a BHT Saddle Hill Road since August 2021. A colleague nominated Smith because “she definitely goes above and beyond to support the team and the students. Jordan always picks up overtime to help out the team.”
Navya Reddy Lenkala is the lead quality assurance (QA) engineer in NECC’s ACE® Department. She was promoted to lead QA engineer last year after operating as a team of one for months. A colleague nominated Lenkala, noting her “very strong work ethic” and dependability despite increasing demands.
During NECC’s 45-plus years of operation, many women have impacted NECC. This Women's History Month, we take a moment to remember the contributions of Myrna Libby, Maria Felix Lonergan, and Renee Mansfield, who continue to change the lives of children with autism and NECC staff even after they have passed.
For the last 13 years, New Jersey native and current Watertown resident Ashley Lagas has cheered for Boston Marathon runners as a spectator. This April, she will be on the other side of the ropes running and raising money for The New England Center for Children (NECC).
Ellen Harper is a speech-language pathologist (SLP) for The New England Center for Children’s Higley Road and Westborough 1 residences as well as for some students living on Parker Road and Apartment 2 of ITT. She joined NECC in June 2019 after spending the fall of 2018 as an SLP intern. A colleague nominated Harper
Rachel Vick, a level 2 teacher at NECC, has been running since she was 13 years old. During the last decade, running has provided Vick with a number of challenges and opportunities, including the one to run the 126th Boston Marathon raising funds for NECC.
Leo Orlando joined NECC as a level 2 teacher in August 2019 and has been on the Westboro 1 residential team for the last two and a half years. A colleague nominated Orlando because he “goes absolutely above and beyond the standard of care for both students and fellow teachers.”
Growing up in Massachusetts, running the Boston Marathon was always a lifelong goal for Bellingham native and current San Diego resident Alexa DiAntonio. Being able to raise money for The New England Center for Children while doing it has been a bonus.
