Since 1995, the Rich Center for Autism has been working to improve the conditions with which children with autism live. Tracy Marciano has a son who is 12 years old. He's been going to the center since he was 2.

"This place, I can't speak highly enough about it," Marciano said. "Matthew is non-verbal so it takes very specialized care to get his needs, he really has a rough time, his needs and his wants and the school helps with every aspect of that. Learning, it's all individualized for each and every child."

Parenting a child with autism though, can be difficult.

"I mean it's hard," Marciano said.

Which is why the Rich Center also focuses on supporting the entire family.

Friday, those efforts, got a major boost with a check presentation of $30,158.

It was presented by Georgia Backus, the center's former director of 18 years and Doug Krinsky, an autism advocate who founded Ante4Autism.

"It is near and dear to my heart, that's why I do this big poker thing in Vegas and give back to all these charities because we want them to help these families," Krinsky said.

"Because of him, I am so humbled and grateful that he's fulfilling part of my dream and that's that the parents have respite, that they have fun, that they're educated, that they have a place to call here and just be able to be plain old parents sometimes too," Backus said.

The money will go into an endowment to support current and former families of students and help build a parent resource room at the center.

"We are going to do a room for them where we can have speakers come in to talk about waivers, to talk about guardianship so it will be support for our families here at the center and other families that will be invited throughout the community as well," Marciano said.

"This is a wonderful day, an absolutely wonderful day and dream come true," Backus said.