Latest news from the Ernie Els Centre for Autism in South Africa, providing lower resourced families of children on the autism spectrum with free access to effective education for their child via e-learning programs.
1. The inaugural Oubaai Els for Autism fundraiser golf day
The first Oubaai Els for Autism fundraiser golf day was held at the magnificent Ernie Els designed course on the picturesque Garden Route. Oubaai is a special course for Ernie, as it was his first golf course design project in South Africa, and is also just a chip-and-a-putt away from his home in Herolds Bay. Pictured above on Oubaai’s signature hole, the 17th green, with the Indian Ocean as the spectacular backdrop are the team of Gerrie Earl, Morne Strauss, Werner Pons and Len Earle. Teams came from around the country for a weekend on one of the Garden Route’s finest golf courses and a chance to stay in the superb Hyatt Regency Oubaai hotel. However, a large contingent was made up from local supporters, among them personal friends and family of Ernie and Liezl, all wanting to show their support and recognition for what the Els’ are doing to tackle the challenge of autism in South Africa.
The format was fourball alliance and the teams had to cope not only with the demands of this challenging, beautiful golf course but also a strong ocean breeze. In the end, it was the formidable team of Wally Herbst, Joe Van Staden, Emile Van Der Merwe and Kobus Van Der Merwe who were simpoly too good for the rest of the field and walked away as champions of this inaugural event.
Piet Pieters, the GM of Oubaai Golf Club brought in a wonderful array of sponsors and partners that made the event truly memorable and successful. They are too many to thank, but the Els for Autism team are very grateful for their support and efforts. After a brilliant start, this event is now a firm booking in the year calendar, with the 2015 event planned for 24 July. Please contact duncan.woods@ernieels.com for more details.
2. The Ernie Els Centre for Autism supports Mandela Day
The Ernie Els Centre embraced the spirit of participation for Mandela Day on Friday 18 July with staff, volunteers and the team from Dawn Wing all getting together to give the Centre a new lick of paint. The overarching objective of Mandela Day is to inspire individuals to take action to help change the world for the better, building a global movement for good. Ultimately it seeks to empower communities everywhere – ‘Take Action; Inspire Change; Make Every Day a Mandela Day’. Our special thanks to Mario Haralambos, owner of Warrior paints Linden, who donated all the paint and also drop sheets, rollers, etc. It would have been an impossible task without this equipment!
3. Comedy evening in aid of Els for Autism on 2 September
We’d love you to join us at Parkers Comedy Club and Jive, Montecasino, for a great night of comedy and help raise funds for Els for Autism in South Africa. Tickets are R280 per person and that includes a direct charitable contribution to the Ernie Els Centre for Autism, an incredible line up of comedians, a glass of Ernie Els wine as a welcome drink and delicious finger snacks. The show starts at 7:30pm and the line-up includes Robby Collins, Ngoba Ngcobo, Hannes Brummer and Mel Miller. If you choose to use UBER for your luxury transport, you’ll receive R200.00 off the normal registration fee when signing up, plus an extra R50 donation is paid to the Ernie Els Centre for Autism. The code for your R200.00 discount will be sent to you when you purchase your tickets.
Contact claire.youngman@ernieels.com to sponsor this great event or to book your tickets!
4. Dawn Wing supports E4A and Mandela Day
We would like to express our gratitude to the team at Dawn Wing, who showed their support for Els for Autism in South Africa and for Mandela Day on Friday 18 July 2014 by helping us paint the Els Centre for Autism here in Johannesburg. Dawn Wing is a leading South African express courier and logistics company, providing access to a comprehensive national infrastructure as well as a DPD powered international product. Dawn Wing is a division of DPD Laser Express Logistics (Pty) Ltd, which is jointly owned by The Laser Group (Pty) Ltd and Geopost. The company was established in 1989, the brainchild of an entrepreneur who believed first-class service and a personal approach were the key to a successful business. This philosophy would see the business grow from strength to strength with 14 strategically placed hubs, a current staff compliment of over 625 employees and over 281 routes serviced daily. Visit the website: http://www.dawnwing.co.za/
5. About Els for Autism South Africa
The Els for Autism Foundation was established in 2009 by Ernie and Liezl Els to focus on the issue of autism. The Els’ son Ben is severely touched by the disorder, which in the U.S affects 1 in 68 children and 1 in 42 boys. For the last five years Ernie and Liezl have devoted their efforts to a catalytic philanthropic project, The Els Center of Excellence. This first-of-its-kind Center will focus on a digital e-learning platform that gives children on the spectrum around the world access to best practices in education and therapy. It will also help connect the international autism community with best practices and the very latest information and research. South Africa currently boasts the first international link to the Center of Excellence. Located in Johannesburg, the Ernie Els Centre for Autism provides lower resourced families of children on the spectrum with FREE access to effective education for their child via e-learning programs.
