NYC Law Firm Opens Applications for Sixth Annual Avonte Oquendo Memorial Scholarship Fund

NEW YORK, Feb. 3, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Perecman Firm, P.L.L.C., today announced that applications are open for its 2021 Avonte Oquendo Memorial Scholarship. The scholarship celebrates the life of Avonte Oquendo, a 14-year-old boy with autism who tragically drowned in the East River after wandering off from his school in Queens, NY, undetected. The scholarship awards $5,000 to a student on the autism spectrum or a student who has a close family member with autism to pursue higher education, a cause important to the firm and to the family of Avonte.

To be eligible for the Avonte Oquendo Memorial Scholarship, applicants must be currently enrolled in or accepted to an accredited higher-level education institution for an undergraduate or postgraduate program; complete an application form; provide academic transcripts, and submit an essay on one of three provided prompts. The deadline for students to submit their scholarship application is Saturday, July 31, 2021, at 11:59 pm EST. The scholarship award recipient will be notified in August 2021.

"I am honored that our firm has been able to make a difference in the lives of autistic students and their families who are seeking higher education opportunities for the past five years and we are proud to offer the scholarship for the sixth year, at a time where financial and educational support for this community is more important than ever," said David Perecman, Founder and Lead Trial Lawyer at the Perecman Firm. "As an attorney, I've seen how higher education is not only a tool for personal development, but also a means by which individuals can better their own lives and ultimately shape and improve their communities. We want higher education opportunities to be accessible to all students, especially those who have autism and often face obstacles that other students do not."

The attorneys at The Perecman Firm, who represented Avonte Oquendo's mother Vanessa Fontaine in a wrongful death lawsuit on behalf of Avonte in 2013, have committed to keeping Avonte's story alive and helping students pursue higher education, something many families in the autism community are not able to make possible due to the rising costs of higher education.

David Perecman also helped Avonte's family pass Avonte's Law, New York City legislation aimed to increase the safety of autistic students who are more likely to wander from schools. Under the law, which was passed in 2014, the city's Department of Education is required to evaluate the need for alarms on exterior doors at elementary schools and schools serving students with autism and other special needs. A federal initiative, "Kevin and Avonte's Law," was passed in 2018 to provide resources to assist in planning, establishing or operating programs to prevent wandering and to locate missing individuals with forms of dementia or developmental disabilities such as autism.

"The outpouring support that followed Avonte's tragic passing has deeply touched me and the other members of our firm," said Perecman. "We are proud to honor Avonte's life by providing support to students and families affected by autism through the annual Avonte Oquendo Memorial Scholarship."

For more information about the 2021 Avonte Oquendo Memorial Scholarship, visit www.perecman.com/avonte-oquendo/autism-scholarship.

For more information about The Perecman Firm, visit www.perecman.com.

About The Perecman Firm, P.L.L.C.
Founded in 1983 by David Perecman, The Perecman Firm, P.L.L.C. is a full-service personal injury law firm with offices in New York, New York, and Jericho, New York. The firm's attorneys concentrate their legal practices in all aspects of personal injury, including construction accidents, premises liability, motor vehicle accidents, wrongful death, and civil rights matters, as well as workers' compensation and Social Security Disability. Recognized by U.S. News for the past eight consecutive years as one of the Best Law Firms in America for Plaintiff's Personal Injury in New York, and distinguished among their peers for their professionalism, knowledge, and results by nationally-recognized organizations, including Super Lawyers® and Best Lawyers®, the firm and its attorneys have recovered more than $500 million in verdicts and settlements on their clients' behalf. For more information, visit www.perecman.com.

SOURCE The Perecman Firm, P.L.L.C.

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