The 16th Annual Bike Tour with MTS for Autism event recently raised over $100,000 for Spectrum Works, a Secaucus-based nonprofit that provides job training and employment opportunities for autistic high school students and other young adults on the spectrum.
Dozens of participants included logistics, shipping, and business professionals, their families, children, and friends who biked a nearly 26-mile round trip from lower Manhattan to Brighton Beach in Brooklyn, and back to Manhattan as part of a landmark effort within the logistics industry to amplify and support autism awareness and acceptance in the workplace.
MTS Logistics, a New York City-based freight forwarding and shipping company, has spearheaded this annual fundraiser, which over the years has collectively raised more than $700,000 for autism awareness while helping to place students in jobs with companies such as IKEA, Rent the Runway, Walgreens, Old Navy, Sesame Street Workshop, and American Dream.
Numerous businesses helped sponsor this year’s event on Saturday, June 13, including shipping giants Maersk, Mediterranean Shipping Company, Hapag-Lloyd, and CMA CGM; printing company FM Expressions; nonprofit Turkish Philanthropy Funds; logistics companies Gepax Group, Manuchar and Bergen Logistics; trucking company SunteckTTS; global air carrier Turkish Airlines; and resin producer Osterman.
“I always felt that the logistics industry was a great fit to promote autism acceptance in the workplace, and over a decade and a half, MTS Logistics and the logistics industry have helped affect so many families by helping to support Spectrum Works and provide jobs to young autistic adults,” said MTS Logistics President Sedat Saka.
“We are all positively affected for the better when lives are changed for good,” Saka said.
“With the industry's biggest traits being attention to detail, reliability, focus, and consistency, autistic individuals are positioned for success in logistics. We are so proud of the more than $700,000 raised since the event's inception and look forward to continuing these efforts."
Spectrum Works founder and CEO Anne Marie Sulllivan thanked the sponsors, bikers, volunteers and supporters who made the MTS Logistics fundraiser possible.
“I've seen first-hand how the logistics industry is driving positive change for families of autistic individuals by supporting Spectrum Works and helping them start careers in a variety of industries,” Sullivan said. “One in 31 children in the U.S. are diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder but only around 15% of autistic adults are employed, so these employment opportunities make a huge impact."
