36 THE QUEENS COURIER • JUNE 15, 2017 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM People making a Buzz Geraldo Rivera turns expose into life’s mission for Life’s WORC BY THE LONG ISLAND PRESS STAFF It was four decades ago when reporter Geraldo Rivera exposed the brutal living conditions inside Staten Island-based Willowbrook State School, which at the time was the largest institution in the country serving kids with developmental disabilities. For Rivera, now a host on the cable news juggernaut Fox News Channel, the experience proved to be a seminal moment, as he continues to raise awareness about autism and other developmental disabilities. “Families with autistic children work heroically to provide them the care and services they need to enjoy life,” Rivera told the Press. “It is a tough job, oft en lonely and unrecognized. Th ey need our help, especially because government doesn’t always step up to the plate.” As a sign of how far autism awareness has come, hundreds of people recently attended the 30th Annual Geraldo Rivera Golf & Tennis Classic, a fundraiser to help support the nonprofi t Life’s WORC, which recently opened Th e Family Center for Autism in Garden City. Th at Rivera was doing his part to help inspire people to support Life’s WORC is no surprise. While reporting on Willowbrook State for WABC-TV in 1972, Rivera met Vicki Schneps, the nonprofi t’s founder and whose daughter, Lara, was a resident of the defunct institution. Lara was among 5,000 other young people crammed into the derelict school, which fell into disrepair following state funding cuts. Schneps is also co-publisher of Long Island Press. Schneps later founded Life’s WORC, which now supports more than 1,500 people with developmental disabilities and autism across Long Island and Queens. To better support its mission, the nonprofi t recently opened Th e Family Center for Autism in Garden City, which is open seven days a week and off ers a variety of services for people with autism. To Rivera, Life’s WORC symbolized the quintessential charity. “It provided the services so woefully lacking in the big institutions of that dark era,” he said, referring to infamous Willowbrook State. Among the most common problems associated with autism spectrum disorder is an inability to communicate eff ectively. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one in 68 children have autism spectrum disorder, which is most common among boys (one in 42). Researchers have said the best way to treat autism spectrum disorder is through early intervention. Another way to address it is to develop a cohesive support structure that includes providing assistance to families, Rivera noted. “Autistic children oft en have acute needs,” Rivera said. “As they grow to adulthood, their developmental lags. Th ey can become a handful for a parent, who is also aging. What happens when the parent can no longer care for the autistic individual? Th is really is a situation that ‘takes a village.’” Dylan Pritchad, Jeremy Koufakis, John Koufakis and Harrison Hefele Minglan Cai, Geraldo Rivera and Steven G. Santino Anthony Taormina Jr., Geraldo Rivera, Anthony Taormina Sr. and Janet Koch (seated, left to right): George Poll, Geraldo Rivera and Bo Dietl (standing, left to right): Erica Rivera, Victoria Schneps, Bob Coccia and Marty Berman Rick Ritacco, Rick Del Mastro, Edmond O’Donnell, Vicki Schneps, Janet Koch, Peter Klein and Lynne Koufakis Janet Koch and Perri Silverstein Geraldo Rivera and Tina Moreno Gillis Poll and George Poll Paulina Levine, Samantha Schneps-Sohmer, Stephanie Janowitz, Meredith Adelman, Erica Rivera, Geraldo Rivera, Rosalyn Meisner and Stephanie Sorkin Peter Resnick, Les Levine, Debbie Levine, Geraldo Rivera and Joel Levine
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