The Matthew Reardon Center for Autism will announce the selection of Georgia House District 164 Incumbent Republican, Ron Stephens, as the recipient of the 2019 Marie McGaughey Childhood Philanthropy Award at an open house which will be held at MRCA’s new location on Tuesday, Oct. 30. The award will be officially presented at MRCA’s 2019 Autism Conference on March 1, 2019, at the Savannah Convention Center.

“Ron was a natural pick for this award," said Kim Reardon, founder and Director Emerita of MRCA. “He is always ready to lead the fight for positive change in this community.” President and CEO Patti Victor continues, “Ron has been a consistent and effective advocate for quality healthcare and access to vital support services for children with autism and other developmental challenges.”

After spending five years at MRCA’s previous location, the organization outgrew the facility and had the opportunity to move to an 8,800 sq. foot school building, formerly St. Francis Cabrini Catholic School, which can accommodate up to 40 students and features natural light classrooms and outdoor playgrounds.

The increase in square footage allowed for new students; MRCA has 27 children currently enrolled, a nearly 125% increase since 2015.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 1 in 59 children in the USA will be diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This represents an increase of 15 percent over the CDC’s 2014 estimate of 1 in 68.