Bridgestone South Africa has announced it is to be one of the sponsors for the 2015 Big Autism Thing, a large-scale coastal walk to raise funding and awareness for autistic people.
The walk begins on March 1 in Port Shepstone, KwaZulu-Natal, and ends in Strand, Western Cape, on May 2. The route, of almost 1500km, will be tackled by six walkers, dubbed the Autism Champions by the organisers, the Association for Autism. Sporting their Bridgestone-sponsored clothes, the Champions will walk a designated route each day. As they enter towns, they will be joined by local support groups, residents and other community organisations.
“We are very pleased to be involved with the Big Autism Thing,” said Bridgestone PR Manager, Desirée van Niekerk. “What’s important to us is that the walk isn’t just a fundraiser, but an awareness raiser too – the Champions will be meeting with mayors and community representatives to improve understanding of autism and hand over funds raised to the local organisations which provide support to autistic people,” she added.
Autism is a developmental disorder which typically manifests in early childhood and results in impaired communication, reduced social skills and other traits like repetitive behaviour. There is no known cure. Autism support organisations focus on providing assistance and therapy to help autistic people function more comfortably in society. Autism manifests with differing degrees of severity in different people and as a result is often referred to as Autism Spectrum Disorder.
The Big Autism Thing fundraiser will include a support volunteer team who will pave the way for the Champions in each town. All the support vehicles will drive on tyres sponsored by Bridgestone, and apart from providing essentials like first aid during the journey, the support team will supply information and promotional materials to local residents. They will also interact with the communities who will be providing accommodation for the Champions and the support team.
“Autism is a very challenging condition both for those who suffer from it and their relatives and friends,” van Niekerk said. “We hope our contribution to the Big Autism Thing will go some way to providing assistance and relief to autistic people,” she concluded.
With love, from Durban.