Our Autism Awareness Run/Walk event is in it’s 4th year. We host it in April each year as April is Autism Awareness month worldwide. This year we had to cancel due to COVID-19 which meant we received no income for the therapy sponsorship we do. We decided to host a virtual event instead which meant we could invite the whole country and even the whole world as the run /walk will take place in each participant’s neighbourhood. So far we have 7 countries participating including South Africa, U.K. USA, Germany, Sweden, Australia and Seychelles.
Our event started in 2015 with myself and 7 of my staff from Breakthrough Interventions (We are a therapy centre for children on the Autism Spectrum) when we joined a local 5km women’s race and had T-shirts made promoting Autism Awareness. The following year we had 50 people join us at a local fun run event to promote Autism awareness and the following year in 2017 I had formed a committee with 2 other parents of children with Autism and we hosted our own event: The Blue and you Autism awareness run, which was later registered as a non-profit organisation. We had 300 people that first year and the event has grown each year. 2019 we had 1056 participants and were preparing for 1500 in 2020 when our event was cancelled.
Our event attracts different types of participants: people with Autism, their families and friends, professionals who work with people on the Autism Spectrum, members of the community and general public as well as athletes. Everyone who enters receives a banner to attach to their shirts which reads “I am running for ________” where they can fill in the name of the person or Autism organisation they are dedicating their run to. We have been sponsored by Musgrave centre mall since our very first event and our other sponsors include Hollywood bets and The Department of Sports and Recreation, KZN.
Autism is a developmental condition affecting the following areas:
Social /communication
Behaviour
Sensory
Autism affects 1 in 54 children and sadly in South Africa, services and appropriate schooling for those affected with the condition are in short supply. Our event our goal each year is to raise awareness about the condition as well as funds to sponsor therapy for children with Autism from low-income families.
When: Saturday 1 August 2020
Time: between 8 am and 3 pm
Welcome and the start of the event live on our Facebook page at 8 am
Prizegiving also live on our Facebook page at 4:30 pm.
Winners will be announced and arrangements made to get prizes to winners.
https://www.facebook.com/blueandyouautismawareness/
How much? R30pp
Where to enter? eventtiming https://www.eventtiming.info/entryonline.php?id=233
Prizes for:
best dressed in Blue
best homemade banner
1st place men 8km
1st place women 8km
1st place men 5km
1st place women 5km
We are also accepting donations for those who are unable to take part, also through the eventtiming link.
We can be contacted via email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or via our Facebook page link above or phone 0837038891.
Pictured above the Collins family, left to right: Ethan (back), Jachin and Malachi (middle) then James and Caz.
Pictured here RHS L-R: The committee; Momeen Omar, Caz Collins, James Collins, back Sheldon Randall, Joy Randall, Gareth DeBroize, Robyn DeBroize and their daughter Kenzie (not committee of course).
News submitted by Caz Collins.