Obviously we live in very difficult and worrying times right now. All I can say is I hope you are staying safe, staying strong and helping one another.
Acts of kindness, love and generosity go a long way at times like this. And on that note, it’s incredible to see how people all around the world are pulling together to help vulnerable members of society and, of course, support the frontline healthcare staff who are literally putting their lives on the line for all of us.
So, April is global Autism Awareness Month. While a lot of our usual activities – including the Golf Challenge – have been necessarily curtailed, it’s been humbling for Liezl, myself and everyone on the team, that some of my sponsors have stepped forward to offer their support for the cause. PUMA, Daphne’s Headcovers and Bobby Jones have all launched programs to donate to Els for Autism a share of the proceeds from sales of their products this month. Thank you so much, guys. Another of my partners, Clif Bar, generated a lot of interest for Els for Autism through an excellent article on its website: https://www.clifbar.com/article/ernie-els-autism-foundation. Thank you to the team at Clif Bar for making that happen.
Here’s a link to the Els for Autism website, where you can learn more about autism awareness month and the various programs our wonderful team is working on. https://www.elsforautism.org/.
Next, as many of you will know if you follow me on any of my social media platforms, we recently launched a new product, Ernie Els Biltong. It’s an authentic South African recipe and we’ve taken our time to get this absolutely right. This is the stuff! And this is how I like it; a pure product and a great snack whether you’re playing or watching sport. In South Africa, we grow up with biltong. We eat it all the time. We wanted to bring this taste of South Africa to the US so everyone can appreciate what this is all about. I think people are going to love it. For more information and online shopping, please visit the website: https://www.ernieelsbiltongusa.com/
Finally, an announcement that we’ve just launched ClubsHELP.org, which encourages golf clubs and members to connect with hospitals in their respective local areas to provide a much needed support network in fighting the Covid-19 pandemic. How it works is clubs basically ‘adopt a local hospital’, whereby members, companies, and individual donors pitch in to gather, collect, and deliver the most critical items and resources. Hospitals around the world are in dire need of support to fight this virus. Supplies are scarce and help is urgently needed in the following key areas:
- Basic Food Items: Bottled water, electrolyte drinks, hot meals, and wrapped sandwiches.
- Miscellaneous Supplies: Paper lunch bags, zip lock bags, UV lights for sterilisation, moisture wick tee-shirts to wear under PPE gear.
- Delivery Services: Drop off and pick up items from club kitchens, club members’ restaurants, businesses, homes, and so forth.
- Other Resources: Anything that a club member may be able to offer (vehicles, personnel, manufacturing capability, etc.) can be considered and discussed with club management and the local hospitals.
We’re aware that not everyone is in a position to jump on board and help with this initiative. But if your own circumstances are such that you feel you can offer some assistance, please do visit the website: https://clubshelp.org.
Okay, that’s it for now. Keep well everyone!
