A Perfect Match

ACEing Autism’s inspiring growth is a reflection of its active participants and committed leaders.

- Lindsay Gibbs

In 2008, husband and wife Richard Spurling and Dr. Shafali Spurling Jeste launched ACEing Autism, a tennis clinic specifically designed for autistic children. It was the perfect marriage of their careers—Jeste is a child neurologist specializing in autism and neuro-developmental disorders, while Spurling is a former tennis pro—and it has only gotten better with age.

The first ACEing Autism program, launched in Longfellow, MA, served just 15 children. Today, there are 52 program locations in 22 states across the U.S. The combined effort has introduced tennis to 1,027 autistic children over the course of 2,864 clinic hours—which were run by 1,725 volunteers that have served over 37,000 combined volunteer and community-service hours.