“Go long for Luke” event raises money for Autism

ATLANTA — Sophie Greenfield says when she and her twin brother Luke were growing up, their friends didn’t understand.

“We were in elementary school, and people didn’t really get it. ‘Why is my brother making weird noises? Why is he jumping around a lot? Why is he in a different classroom?,’” Greenfield said.

Luke is a person with autism . All those questions motivated Sophie to provide the answers.

So, she organized flag football tournaments that brought large groups of people together to raise awareness about autism and raise money to fund programs. It’s called “Go Long for Luke.”

“Our goal is to buy or build a few ‘Go Long for Luke’ group homes; partner with some organizations here that have been willing to help us, as well as building a recreational day program,” Luke’s mom Sandi said.

That starts with this year’s flag football event at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Sophie arranged it all, and hopes to reach and teach a record number of people.

“People don’t realize that one in 44 people are diagnosed with autism,” Greenfield said.

That includes people like her twin brother Luke, who spreads joy wherever he goes.

“He is the nicest person you’ll ever know. He is like a giant teddy bear. There is no one like him,” Greenfield said.

The event is this Sunday from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. For more information, check out www.golongforluke.org

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