AIS, established in 1986, is a private sports club open to boys and girls between the ages of 6 and 21+ with mental and/or physical disabilities. Some examples of these include MR, Down Syndrome, CP, MS, MD, Amputies, Blindness, Spina Bifida, and LD, as well as able bodied siblings.

One of our alumni brothers, Ray Santiago and his wife Nadine are the proud parents of a beautiful and adorable 21-month-old (as of September 2000) girl named Gabrielle. Shortly after she was born, she was diagnosed with Nephrotic Syndrome, a very rare illness which affects the kidney's and in some cases requires a kidney transplant as a last resort. Chris has setup a website at http://www.geocities.com/weluvgabrielle to act as a clearinghouse for info for all concerned (including Manchester brothers past and present) as well as family and friends. Ray's daughter Gabrielle will most likely need a kidney transplant possibly as soon as the summer or perhaps within the year.

As a group, (the alumni of MH) we've all decided to get on board with the idea of fundraising to cover medical and related expenses any opportunity we get. What we are looking at is hosting/planning several events over the course of the next few months, and potentially ongoingly to help the Santiago's cover some portion of their ongoing expenses. So far we have run a 50/50 raffle at the 2000 reunion, a group NY Mets game, and a golf tournament.

Chris Wilson can be emailed or called at 718-488-4510 (work) or 516-358-0565 (home) if you have any questions.