Kicking off on the 16th of June, Autism Western Cape (AWC) is embarking on a campaign - Jail4Bail with the aim of not only raising awareness about autism spectrum disorders but also raising R1 million.

Executive Director of AWC, Gerhard Pieterse, will be escorted by police to a jail cell constructed at Bayside Mall (www.baysidemall.co.za) in Table View, where he shall remain until the minimum amount has been raised.

When asked how the idea was born, Pieterse says: “Families affected by autism spectrum disorders are often home-bound as society is so unfamiliar with the disorder and it’s often easier to become reclusive than to be exposed to an outside world of criticism and judgments, hence the jail analogy.”

Says Natalie du Preez, Portfolio Manager of Bayside Mall: “We are committed to be actively involved in the community and were honoured to be approached by the AWC for this initiative. We are proud to be associated with the local SAPS, the Cape Coast Chamber of Commerce (www.capecoastchamber.org.za) and the Association for Round Table SA (www.roundtable.org.za) – who have been doing commendable work in the area for many years”.

The funds raised will not only benefit AWC but R200,000 will also be allocated towards the development of a satellite police station in the Parklands area to train and assist the local South African Police Service and Community Policing Forum to deal with offenders who may have mental or intellectual disabilities.

Says Senior Superintendent Station Commander L.E. Nolan of SAPS Tableview: “Tableview SAPS and the Community Policing Forum support the initiative and appreciate the generous offer to donate a percentage of the funds raised for safety projects in the area”.

“I am confident that we will be able the raise the funds in less than two weeks and hopefully simultaneously raise awareness about autism spectrum disorders. If we have not made the target by the end of two weeks I would consider spending an additional two weeks in jail in order to complete our objectives,” says Pieterse.

Michelle Korevaar, Vice President of the Cape Coast Chamber of Commerce and Danie van Rensburg, President of the Association for Round Table South Africa (ARTSA) have also committed to being locked up

Says Korevaar: ”This is about healthy communities and there is nothing more inspiring than seeing people unite to make a contribution. If we all give a little, we could make a huge difference. I’m proud to be living in the Tableview area as I’ve seen time and time again how the community rallies together when someone needs help. This is one of those times. The Tableview Community Police Forum need a new station in Parklands and Pieterse’s vision to educate communities on autism is admirable in the fact that he is getting the job done and improving lives. He’s going the extra mile by assisting to implement a policing education program to assist in training SAPS and CPF to deal with offenders who may have mental or intellectual disabilities.”

Van Rensburg comments, “We are confident that Cape Town is going to step up to the plate and raise the much-needed funds for Autism Western Cape and the Tableview Community Policing Forum. Although not an ARTSA initiative, we are supportive of the initiative and guarantee donors that their meaningful donations will be managed appropriately.”

Juliette Du Preez, CEO of Eat Smart Organics(www.eatsmartorganics.co.za) (a producer of organic pre-cooked and packaged meals for the South African Market) says: “We’ve committed to donating 100 meals per month to Autism Western Cape for every R10,000 raised in the Jail4Bail project. We’ve become very aware of the need for facilities and services for autism and want to support the project in a meaningful way.”

Concludes Paul Pratt, Chairman of Autism South Africa (www.autismsouthafrica.org): “This is a brave initiative that Autism Western Cape has undertaken and I wish them all the very best. I hope that the originality of this project will attract urgently needed funds to assist with the provision of services for the ever-increasing number of children and adults diagnosed with autism, and secondly and equally essential, enhance understanding of the complexity of autism spectrum disorders”.

Donations can be made at collection bins in Bayside Mall from 16 June – 27 June, via the website: www.autismwesterncape.org.za or call 0861 AUTISM (288 476).

Contact Information
MANGO-OMC
Nicole Capper
021 461 9244/073 148 3561
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