About Us

Santino’s Voice is a 501(c3) non-profit organization that seeks to bring awareness to families impacted by Autism.

SANTINO’S VOICE began with  two parents desperate to help their young son. As Matt and Nikki Catherincchia sat in a doctor’s office in the winter of 2006 they knew their lives were about to change forever. That was the day their young son, Santino, received an autism diagnosis. And while that diagnosis gave them the answers they had been seeking for almost two years, it failed to prepare them for what lie ahead.

Very quickly the Catherincchias discovered the greatest obstacle to getting their son the help and care he needed was resources. The lack of coverage for the full range of autism therapies by medical insurance and the financial burden of autism is often overwhelming for families. Through scholarships, the help of loved ones, and the accumulation of a lot of debt Matt and Nikki did the best they could to provide therapies for Santino. And while it didn’t often make sense, they always seemed to have what they needed. Something they attributed to the many prayers lifted up on behalf of their young family. Fully aware of God’s faithfulness to them, their heart’s desire was always to find a way to pay it forward.

It was in this season that God birthed the dream that is now Santino’s Voice. Matt had a vision to run a marathon in honor of his son, who runs the marathon of autism everyday. So in 2009, with one lone member, the Santino’s Voice Detroit Marathon Team was born. A team designed to honor Santino, raise funds for his therapies, and to be a voice for autism awareness. It grew into a team of over 150 supporters, with a dream to help one special little boy and bring awareness to the autism community. Through the years, funds raised by the marathon team slowly transitioned away from helping Santino and began focusing on helping others. Culminating in 2016 when the dream of becoming a 501(c3) became a reality for Santino’s Voice. 

How do we help others in the community? 

Our desire is to resource individuals, families, and entities in our community impacted by autism. Over the course of 15 years the Santino’s Voice Detroit Marathon Team has grown into a conduit to not only help meet the needs of individuals impacted by autism but it has also partnered with organizations like Play-Place Autism & Special Needs Center to reach our community. As an organization our goal is to ease the challenges of families and cultivate a culture of accepting the beauty in the difference.

2024 begins a new chapter for Santino’s Voice. Our goals are the same but our desire for greater impact has increased. We will continue to have a Detroit Marathon team, but will be expanding into other fundraising opportunities as well. Over the course of the next several years we will begin to focus our attention toward providing individual scholarships to cover therapy costs, as well as scholarships to entities that provide services to individuals impacted with ASD (autism spectrum disorder). These entities include, but are not limited to, day camps, MISD (Macomb Intermediate School District), local churches desiring to implement special needs ministries, and more.