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New Bern High School’s Lady Bears softball team hosted its fifth annual Autism Awareness Game on Tuesday, April 28 on the school campus, giving 26 special needs youth a chance to swing a bat and run the bases.
Makenzie Richardson, sister of an autistic brother, first organized the event five years ago and has overseen it ever since. “I started my freshman year,” she said. Today she is a student at Campbell University but her devotion to serving the special needs community has not diminished. In fact, she said, she plans to make a career of it.
The game is open to any special needs youth, though the focus is on austism.
“I really appreciate how much the community has come alongside,” she said.. “I can’t wait to see what it keeps doing over the next couple of years.”
Bill Hand / New Bern Live
She said growing up with Jayden, her autistic brother, has deepened her respect, understanding and love of this community. He has always been involved with special needs games, she said, and has played at the special needs games held every spring at Creekside. “I was probably about three years old they let me play special needs baseball because I was so young,” she said. “When I was 10 they let me pitch.”
She played on the softball team every year while she attended New Bern High School as a third baseman and outfielder.
Richardson and her family attend Broad Creek Christian Church which has a ministry focusing on special needs. “They have an event every month,” she said, that is open to any special needs family. Information is available on the ministry’s Facebook page under New Bern Special Needs Community Events.