July 21, 2006

CSR golf tournament to benefit Autism Tree Project Foundation

By Lorraine Gabbert
Staff Writer

Through their third annual charity golf tournament at Cinnabar Hills Golf Club on Thursday, July 20, Customer Service Reality (CSR) and the Autism Tree Project Foundation (ATPF) are partnering to create brighter futures for children with autism.

2005 CSR Golf tournament participants included Tony Urbalejo, Stephan Oda, Brian Petitt, and Partner Steve Bonafede.

“Cinnabar Hills is a great golf course,” says CSR CFO Brian Bonafede, “and ATPF is a wonderful foundation.” Bonafede hopes 250 golfers will participate in the 18-hole tournament, which spans the scenic greens of this spectacular golf course.

“Our goal is to raise $50,000 to provide screenings of 3,000 preschool children for developmental delay in the Bay Area,” says Autism Tree Project Foundation Executive Director Dayna Hoff.

Co-founded by Todd and Dayna Hoff, the Foundation was created in 2003 to raise money for research to find a cure for autism, to educate people about autism and to find multi-disciplinary approaches to treating autism.

ATPF also provides preschool-level screenings, which the charity golf tournament will help to fund. ATPF hopes that these funds will also support an initiative to provide educational materials to preschool teachers in an effort to increase understanding and access to effective therapies.

As the best intervention for developmental disabilities is early detection, screening preschoolers by professionals familiar with autism disorders is essential to a child’s success.

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, one in every 166 children is affected by autism today. In 2005, the Autism Tree Project Foundation initiated the ATPF Early Intervention Strategy, which identifies speech and developmental delays in preschoolers. Throughout this process ATPF works closely with preschool teachers to identify students they are concerned about, and train teachers to educate parents.

“I believe preschool teachers are perfect partners,” says Hoff, “because they’re the first setting for a child where it becomes evident if that child isn’t developing along with his peers.”

After performing an assessment on the children, ATPF provides their parents with a summary of the results and recommendations for their next step, including which specialists would benefit their child at a crucial time in their child’s development.

ATPF plans to work with Almaden schools, setting up a model school in the near future through the Autism Education Network. In addition to screenings, ATPF offers educational resources that benefit children with neurological disorders, as well as other students. For instance, with In Harmony, they bring language to children through music and visual cards.

Although the purpose of the fund-raiser is serious, CSR and ATPF aim to make the golf tournament a fun-filled experience. In addition to prizes, give-a-ways and raffles, sponsored activities will be offered at many of the 18 holes, including wine tasting, Beat The Pro, margaritas, and a Las Vegas hole. “The sponsors come onto the green, creating contests to raise money,” says Hoff. “It’s a lot of fun.”

The event, which includes a barbeque lunch, continues into the evening with dinner and a live auction featuring original artwork, a trip to Las Vegas, a mountain bike and signed sports memorabilia. Both entertainer to the stars, DJ Joey Jam, who will provide the evening’s entertainment, and diamond designer to the stars, Joe Pacetti, will be flying in for the affair.

A highpoint of the evening will be an address by teen Joel Anderson, who helps others understand what it’s like to have autism. “People are very touched by him,” says Hoff. “He’s so real.” Anderson, who dreams of working for George Lucas, created the centerpieces which will grace the dinner tables, an art collection entitled “Joel’s Kids,” and artwork that appears on the foundation’s note cards.

The incentive for ATPF
After their little boy was diagnosed with autism, rather than gifts for his third birthday, the Hoffs requested that friends and family donate money for autism research. Selling paper hearts, they raised $10,000, and started a foundation in the process. “We had a vision of community awareness, education and early intervention,” says Dayna. “It’s amazing what we have accomplished in three years, but our doctors, family and friends are committed to the cause and have a lot of passion for what we do.”

For nine months, no matter how hard they tried, and what hospitals they visited, Todd and Dayna Hoff couldn’t find out what was wrong with their son. When they finally received their son’s diagnosis, they couldn’t believe it had taken so long to get an answer. Following their frustration, they were determined to find a way to prevent other parents from having to go through the arduous ordeal they had. “We thought if this is happening to us, what are other people going through?” says Dayna. We didn’t want another family to have to waste all their resources—their energy, finances and emotion—on anything other than therapy.”

Artwork created by Joel Anderson who has autism. Photo courtesy of ATPF

The Hoffs believe in getting the diagnosis and getting therapy as soon as possible. “There is so much hope when you get a child diagnosed before age 3,” says Dayna. “When you don’t, every day that passes is a missed opportunity, as young brains are the most viable for rewiring regarding neurological disorders.” The Hoffs know firsthand the huge impact intensive early intervention has and wish they had seen a checklist for autism a lot sooner. “If I had seen the checklist for autism that we provide,” she says, “I would have known immediately that our son had autism. That information wasn’t out there.”

In 2003, ATPF contributed $60,000 toward an extensive research project conducted by Dr. Doris Trauner, aimed at finding a cause and a cure for autism. In addition to her clinical practice, Trauner teaches medical students at the University of California, San Diego, and holds the position of senior attending staff, Children's Hospital and Health Center, San Diego. "I would like to see every child able to lead a healthy life,” she says, “and to be able to reach his or her full potential whenever possible."

Trauner advocates a comprehensive approach for patients and families with autism, referring them to specialists in speech, behavioral and physical therapy. She also understands the strain an individual with autism can have on a family and considers it imperative to identify related family issues and recommend appropriate steps toward healing, coping and hope.

“I’m glad we’re raising money and helping families in Almaden,” says Almaden Valley native Hoff. Bonafede agrees. “Giving back to the community is a huge part of CSR,” he says. “Our motto is, ‘What goes around, comes around.’ If you help people out, they’ll help you.”

Bonafede also follows that philosophy on a personal level. As a friend of the Hoffs, he saw firsthand the effect the right education can bring to a child with autism. “Seeing the impact of their son’s education was amazing,” he says. “The ATPF is a good organization and it’s important to give back to the community.”

Check-in time for the CSR Golf Tournament starts at 10:30 a.m., with tee-time at 1 p.m.

The $22 registration fee includes 18 holes of golf, use of a golf cart and practice range, a hat, sleeve of balls, lunch, dinner, prizes and more. Contact CSR for more information at 408-558-5000 or visit ATPF online at: www.autismtreeproject.org.