ASPIRE NY, Inc. - Autism Spectrum Peer Intergration & Recreation

“You must be the change you wish to see in the world” – Mahatma Gandhi

Deborah Garrelts has been committed to developing community awareness of autism spectrum disorders in the Capital Region for over 15 years. Mrs. Garrelts has connected hundreds of parents and professionals with information and services for children with autism spectrum disorders by developing and facilitating parent support groups CDHA (Capital District Hyperlexia Association) and SSASS (Saratoga Springs Aspergers Syndrome Support). Most recently, as founding president of ASPIRe N.Y., Inc. (Autism Spectrum Peer Integration & Recreation), she has turned her focus to addressing the needs of teens and young adults with autism spectrum disorders.

Mrs. Garrelts chose occupational therapy as a second career after a several years as a retail buyer and manager when her son, Kyle, was diagnosed with high functioning autism at age 6. Mrs. Garrelts attended the occupational therapy program at Russell Sage College in Troy, New York and graduated summa cum laude with both B.S. and M.S. degrees in occupational therapy.
Mrs Garrelts is an occupational therapist with specialization in PreK-12 school-based therapy. She has provided numerous in-services to teachers in several school districts on Asperger's Syndrome, Sensory Processing Disorders, and Attention Deficit Disorders. Mrs. Garrelts is currently the occupational therapist for Granville Central School District.

Julie Marks

“One hundred years from now,
It won't matter what car I drove,
What kind of house I lived in,
How much I had in my bank account,
Nor what my clothes looked like,
But, the world may be a little better
Because I was important in the life of a child” – Unknown

Julie Marks devoted herself to the needs of children in Northern New Jersey for 13 years. Mrs. Marks has served as a liaison between parents of children with special needs and the special education system. She is a member of the New Jersey Association for the Education of Young Children. Since relocating to the Capital Region, Ms. Marks has joined Deborah Garrelts in developing recreational and educational programming for teens and young adults with autism spectrum disorders as Vice President and Treasurer of ASPIRe N.Y., Inc.

After working in the market research field for several years, Mrs. Marks turned to the education field. Mrs. Marks graduated from the City College of New York with a B.A. degree in psychology with a focus on childhood and youth crisis. She earned teaching certificates as a post graduate in both elementary education and psychology. The move to the education profession allowed Mrs. Marks to spend more time with her son, Eric, who was diagnosed with autism at age 3.

Currently, Mrs. Marks is focusing her time and energy on the development of ASPIRe N.Y., Inc. as a Not for Profit organization.

Marc Ehlinger

Marc Ehlinger is a manager of computer application development with New York State. He holds a B.A. degree in Education from the State University System and has been a lifetime teacher and mentor. He spends his professional time supervising and mentoring computer programmers to deliver on-line, real-time results for various constituents of the NYS Insurance Department.
Marc's education degree is in secondary education and he uses his training both on and off the job. Privately, he has been helping with the religious education program in his church for several years and currently teaches the 9th grade morality class. Marc is a longtime resident of the Schuylerville area and enjoys the peaceful idyllic setting with Marie, his wife of over 35 years. Having a son, Lucas, with an Asperger's diagnosis has made Marc committed to help form the ASPIRe N.Y. group to further meet the needs of this special group within our local area.

Marc is a board member of ASPIRe NY and secretary for the organization.

For more information, contact info@aspireny.org, Deb Garrelts at 518-584-5447 or Julie Marks at 518-306-5506