PRESS RELEASE

Lifespire, Inc. to Host Ribbon-Cutting for Harvey Weisenberg Resource Center

Manhattan, NY, September 7, 2007- Help is on the way for the growing number of New York City and Long Island families dealing with Autism and other developmental disabling conditions, with the ribbon-cutting for the Harvey Weisenberg Resource Center, at Family Residences and Essential Enterprises, Inc. (FREE). The ribbon-cutting will take place at 2:00 p.m. on September 12, at 191 Sweet Hollow Road in Old Bethpage.

The Harvey Weisenberg Resource Center is the first center of its kind which will provide information, assistance, resources, training and guidance to families and individuals who are dealing with Autism and other developmental disabilities. The Center represents the collaborative efforts of Lifespire, Inc. and Family Residences and Essential Enterprises, Inc., not-for-profits that have served individuals with disabilities for many years in New York City and in Long Island.

The Center is named in honor of Harvey Weisenberg who has represented the Long Beach and five towns area of Nassau County in the Assembly for almost twenty years. As a legislator, Mr. Weisenberg has been a highly passionate and effective champion for people with disabilities in New York State. He and his wife Ellen are the parents of five grown children including their son Ricky who has special needs. 

About Lifespire, Inc.
Lifespire, Inc. located in the Empire State Building, 350 Fifth Avenue, Suite 301, New York, NY 10118, has developed and operated a variety of services for individuals with developmental disabilities for over 50 years. Lifespire currently serves over five thousand (5000) individuals with developmental disabilities including over two hundred and fifty (250) individuals with Autism in 81 locations throughout all five boroughs of New York City.

Lifespire has consistently modified existing services, and/or created new services, to meet individuals’ with developmental disabilities evolving needs. Lifespire, Inc. is committed to the principle that all individuals with a developmental disability are able to become contributing members of their family and community. It is Lifespire's aim to provide these individuals with the assistance and support necessary so that they can attain the skills necessary to maintain themselves in their community in the most integrated and independent manner possible.

For more information visit www.lifespire.org, or contact Kamelia Kameli at 732-794-4777.

About Family Residences and Essential Enterprises, Inc.
Family Residences and Essential Enterprises, Inc. (FREE), in Old Bethpage, benefits individuals with developmental disabilities and/or mental illness or traumatic brain injury and their families in Long Island.  The agency provides educational, residential, and support services for people with disabilities.

Family Residences and Essential Enterprises, Inc. is celebrating 30 years of caring, independence and integration. The agency’s mission is to ensure the realization of human potential for all people, regardless of ability. The National Foundation for Human Potential provides financial and other support to Family Residences and Essential Enterprises, Inc., and other organizations that promote educational, residential, and support services for people in need.

For more information visit www.familyres.org.

Autism United, a coalition of service providers and advocacy groups, will be holding a fundraising walk to benefit the Harvey Weisenberg Resource Center and research on autism on the morning of September 30 at Belmont Lake State Park in Babylon.

Registration for the walk and donations can be made online at www.autismunited.org or by calling Autism United at 516-933-4050.