By Aileen Kornblatt
On October 13th Princeton Day School (PDS) Senior Samantha Asch, raised $10,000 with her Aces for Eden tennis benefit to raise money for Eden Autism Services, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to improving the lives of individuals with autism and their families. Asch’s brother Andrew has been a student at Eden for the past 18 years. Asch, who will be graduating PDS this December to attend Wake Forest University in January, wanted to honor her community before she left for college and she could think of no better way than to raise money for Eden Autism Services.
“I learned a lot about Eden, fundraising, and the generosity and spirit of my many tennis playing friends and supporters in these different communities,” says Asch. “Eden is a local treasure that our community has relied on for the past 40 years. They are instrumental in helping autistic individuals and their families to work and contribute to our community. The programs they have developed are a model for supporting autistic individuals and their families throughout the world.”
Exhibition matches included local stars headed to or already in college. There were a lot of “ooos” and “aaahs” and a few laughs as well.
Hosted by PDS, teachers, coaches, deans, heads of school, parents, tennis team members, and students came to participate, shoot video, prepare the courts and donate their time and energy. Many of the local players who attended were supported by their coach, Marc Hill who runs the high performance training program at the Nassau Racket Club. During the event, Hill ran a clinic for young players and for parents. Additionally, many members of the Pretty Brook Tennis Club were present. Eden parents, siblings, students, teachers and staff helped organize and cheer on the players. The Asch family and their friends also came to support the event.
“It is gratifying to see young adults so active in philanthropy and community, says Melinda McAleer, Chief Development Officer for Eden Autism Services.” “Aces for Eden was extremely well organized and well attended. We are grateful to activists like Samantha who work so hard for causes they believe in and we are grateful to a very generous community who helped make the day extra special.”
Since 1975, the not-for-profitEden Autism Services has provided early intervention, education, employment training and residential services for children and adults with autism. Eden offers both in-person and online support and training programs for families and professionals. Recognized nationally, Eden is headquartered in Princeton, NJ. For more information about Eden visit www.edenautism.org or call (609) 987-0099. Follow Eden on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and EdWeb.

