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 (pictured above) and was such a success that another is planned for July 2015. Please contact duncan.woods@ernieels.com for more details.
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. 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 SA.
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 simply 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.
2. Ride for Els for Autism with Momentum 94.7 Cycle Challenge
The Momentum 94.7 Cycle Challenge Ride for a Purpose campaign takes place over three days (13-15 November) and represents a wonderful fundraising initiative for anyone wishing to show their support for the Els for Autism Foundation. We’d love you to take part in this fun fundraiser and we’ll even pay your entry fee on the condition that you are able to raise R1500.00 for the Centre. Maybe you could get 15 of your family and friends to donate R100 each to the cause? Then it’s just a case of jumping on your bike and using pedal power to change lives!
It is estimated that one child every hour is born with autism in South Africa. More shockingly, less than .001 per cent of these children is expected to receive access to beneficial education. Ernie and Liezl Els embarked on a goal, in early January 2011, to create a service that would allow lower-resourced families of children on the spectrum in South Africa with free access to effective treatment. Thus the Ernie Els Centre for Autism was established. We believe that every child with autism can learn and deserves access to effective education, at the same time recognising that every parent and family member plays an important role in helping their child reach his or her fullest potential.
Speaking on behalf of the Ernie Els Centre for Autism, Claire Youngman commented, “riding for the Els for Autism Foundation will greatly reinforce the efforts of our hard working parents. Moreover, the funds will contribute towards the Centre’s overall growth and expansion so that our service can be as effective and reachable as possible for families who need support. I would like to express our utmost gratitude for your donation and support for South Africa’s autism community.”
More Information
Charity Bond: A charity bond is a team that is put together by a particular charity to help raise funds for the charity. The charity makes use of the event as a platform for fundraising. Having a charity bond is used to create awareness for the Els for Autism Foundation. As the Els for Autism Foundation is registered with the event, the charity bond will be given a favourable start group and time.
Seedings and Start Times: Pro-cyclists or non-novice cyclists can also enter with the Els for Autism Foundation. The system will seed them according to their index and if they have a better start time, they will be seeded at that time. They may choose to drop to the charity start time, or to ride with their peers. All novice cyclists will be put directly into the charity start time, if their time is after the charity start time, they will be automatically put into the charity start group.
Entries and Race Number Collections: Entries are to be completed online at http://www.cyclechallenge.co.za/. The entrant needs to select their charity being the Els for Autism Foundation. A request email is then generated to the Els for Autism Foundation and the cyclist will be added to the charity. The Els Centre will pay for your entry and Jersey on condition for you raising R1500.00 for the centre. Maybe you could get 15 of your family and friends to donate R100 each to your cause and you get to ride for free plus get a free, great quality cycling jersey. Race Number Collection takes place three days before race day at the Coca Cola Dome.
Race Dates:
Thursday 13 November 2014: 09.00-18.00
Friday 14 November 2014: 09.00-20.00
Saturday 15 November 2014: 09.00-15.00
Please contact Claire Youngman for more details: Claire.youngman@ernieels.com
3. Just when we thought Rethink First could not get any better…
It did! We at The Els for Autism Centre in South Africa are proud to partner Rethink First and its Behavior Support program, which is fully integrated with our ABA-based curriculum, automated data collection system, and progress reporting, Behavior Support is in essence a one-stop shop with everything you need to decrease challenging behaviors and increase student learning. It includes the following online resources:
Learn: A place where you access research-based training videos and articles on best-practice strategies for providing behavior support.
Create Plan: An easy to use plan-builder that uses a function-based approach to guide you through each step of developing an effective behavior support plan.
View Plan: A place where you can view, share, and monitor the effectiveness of behavior plans in collaboration with your entire team.
Materials: A wide selection of printable materials to help you implement your plan, including visual cues, schedules, motivation boards, and more!
To find out more about how Rethink’s Behavior Support works please email info@rehtinkfirst.com
4. Join Els for Autism on 21 October at Parkers Comedy Club and Jive, Montecasino
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 R240.00 per person and that includes a direct charitable contribution to the centre, a great night of comedy with an incredible line up, plus welcome drink and delicious finger snacks. The show starts at 7.30pm and features Kedibone Mulaudzi, 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!
5. Welcome to our new facilitator at the Ernie Els Centre for Autism
We would like to introduce the newest member of our team here at the Ernie Els Centre for Autism, Samuel Femi Oluwawunmi, who joins our team of facilitators. The Ernie Els Centre for Autism provides families of children on the autism spectrum with comprehensive training on how to use best practices in education and autism treatment to teach their child. All participants receive free access to an online treatment tool called Rethink Autism as well as monthly group and one-on-one sessions with trained facilitators such as Femi.
Femi is a passionate and enthusiastic teacher with over six years teaching experience. He previously volunteered in two special education schools in South Africa and has proved adept at handling the challenging yet important mission of teaching and encouraging children with special needs to learn. He describes himself as ‘a team player, possessing confidence, time management skills and proven ability to effectively communicate with diverse populations of students at different academic levels’.
We are proud to welcome Femi to the Ernie Els Centre for Autism and we look forward to him making changes in our families’ lives.
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.
