The New England Center for Children® (NECC®) announced today it will honor Allen & Major Associates, Inc. (A&M) with its Community Autism Champion Award for 2018 at the annual Children of Promise Gala on November 30 at the InterContinental Hotel in Boston. A&M is being recognized for their dedicated and sustained commitment to supporting autism education and research.
A&M is a multi-disciplined consulting firm that specializes in civil and structural engineering, land survey, environmental consulting and landscape architecture. The award celebrates A&M’s 20-year relationship with NECC, which began when former A&M President, Jim Major, started the tournament on behalf of CJ Ricker, who was diagnosed with autism in 1998. CJ is the son of 
the late Brian Ricker, also formerly of A&M, and attended NECC before transitioning to public school.
Funds raised through the annual A&M Golf Tournament have provided more than $205,000 for research and education for children with autism. Past winners of the Community Autism Champion Award include Dunkin’ Donuts (2017) and Walgreens (2016).
“Allen & Major Associates is honored to receive this award from The New England Center for Children,” said Robert Clarke, PLA, ASLA, co-owner and Principal of A&M. “Helping children with autism impacts lives in so many ways, and we are proud to support NECC in their mission.”
“The work that The New England Center for Children does is inspiring, and is a worthy cause to help in any way we can,” said Timothy Williams, PE, co-owner and Principal of A&M. “We know the difference NECC made in CJ’s life. To support NECC in helping families with autism is to help make a real difference in our communities.”
“Allen & Major Associates’ commitment and dedication to autism education and NECC is outstanding, and it is our pleasure and honor to present them with our Community Autism Champion Award for 2018,” said Vincent Strully, Jr., President and CEO of The New England Center for Children. “From our days teaching CJ to today’s outreach to thousands of students worldwide, NECC has benefited from A&M’s support. Together we have brought new levels of education and independence to children with autism.”
“The New England Center for Children transformed CJ and all our lives,” said Jennifer Ricker Mace, mother of CJ. “CJ started in NECC’s home-based program in 1998, attended NECC preschool with an Individualized Education Program, and was in NECC’s transition program. Today, CJ is 24 and works three days per week. A&M is to be congratulated for their support of NECC, which has helped so many students beyond our CJ.”
The Children of Promise Gala brings together hundreds of Massachusetts’s most influential business and philanthropic leaders for an evening of dinner, dancing, awards, and stories of inspiration. The annual fundraiser supports children with autism around the world by providing resources for autism education research, best-in-practice knowledge dissemination, and activities and provisions for NECC students to grow and thrive. For more information or to purchase tickets to the Children of Promise Gala please visit https://neccwebsites.wpengine.com/gala.
About Allen & Major Associates, Inc.
Allen & Major Associates (A&M) is a multi-disciplined consulting firm that specializes in civil and structural engineering, land survey, transportation planning & design, environmental consulting and landscape architecture. Founded in 1973, A&M has over four decades of know-how and experience in the development industry. A&M provides their clients with a single source for their project design and development needs and helps their clients see better results by utilizing state-of-the-art means and methods to lower project costs, eliminate schedule delays and anticipate site opportunities and constraints. A belief in minimizing environmental impacts drives their design approach and allows them to incorporate sustainable practices into the esthetics, as well as the nuts and bolts of engineering design. By partnering their in-house disciplines, they are able to provide planning, design, preservation, and rehabilitation of the natural and built environments in both urban, and rural settings.
A&M serves New England from its headquarters in Woburn, MA, Lakeville, MA and Manchester, NH. More information is available at http://www.allenmajor.com.