Above: As NECC enters its 40th year in Southborough, a video and magazine help them promote and cap off 50 years of autism research and education. (images edited from video and email)
Last year, I shared news from Southborough headquartered The New England Center for Children highlighting their celebrations for 50 years helping children with autism. This week, NECC issued a 50th Anniversary Edition of their ezine (digital magazine) “Insight”. It included more details chronicling the 50 years of work and progress. It also spotlights the “nearly 100” employees who have worked at the center for more than 20 years and why they stay.
I reached out to the Southborough resident whose letter introduces the issue, NECC’s Chief Development & Strategy Officer Jared Bouzan. When I suggested he share a message for readers, he suggested there was someone else that many readers would rather hear from. He pointed me to a video from a couple months ago narrated by Jon Stewart (host of the Daily Show).
In Stewart’s classic style of humor mixed with passion, the narrator fumbles his way through introducing our town as the place where “Innovation happens” thanks to “the most brilliant minds in science and tech”. In the short video, he goes on to explain why NECC is “One Powerful Place”. You can watch that below or here.
Back to NECC’s magazine, capping off the 50th anniversary in 2025, the inside cover of its latest edition touts:
Our mission is to empower those with autism through comprehensive care, education, and research. Our vision is a world in which all individuals with autism can lead happy, independent lives.
The issue’s lead article focuses on the 50 year history, “A Dream That Changed the World: How a vision born in a borrowed building became a global force in autism education.” That story includes a recap that makes clear that 2026 is the 40 year anniversary for the non-profit’s presence in Southborough:
In 1986, led by accountant Michael F. Downey and supported by Governor Michael Dukakis, ERI secured a $23 million tax-exempt bond that doubled its size, funded 10 group homes, and made possible the construction of a main campus in Southborough.
With the new campus, ERI was renamed The New England Center for Autism (NECA) and expanded rapidly – adding a center-based preschool, a home-based early intervention program, a day school, a Staff Intensive Unit, and an adult program. A decade later, to better reflect the breadth of its mission, NECA became The New England Center for Children.
Additional stories include:
- A “Teacher Feature” spotlighting the longtime employee who built “NECC’s first integrated department for Occupational Therapy (OT), Physical Therapy (PT), and Adapted Physical Education (APE).”
- “Acts of Generosity” spotlighting donors and fundraising supporters
- “The Evolution of Research”
- “Global Footprint”
- “Changing the Public School Landscape”
- “From Binders to Browsers”
- “Inside Graduate Partnerships”
- and “Why We Stay” about “The people, the mission, and a culture that invests deeply in those who serve students and families.”
Browse the full issue here. And learn more about NECC here.
Of course, both the video and publication are geared towards helping NECC raise funds for its ongoing efforts. If you want to make a direct donation, you can click here.
