Cape Town - The newly formed Child Speech and Hearing Programme, a three-way partnership between
The Children’s Hospital Trust, the Western Cape Government Health Department
and the Carel Du Toit Centre, that aims to address the lack of provincial access
to Speech - Language and Audiology Services in public healthcare, was this year’s
beneficiary of the annual Pearl Valley Celebrity Golf Day charity event which took
place on September 23.
GALLERY: View pictures from the event
The event raised R200 000 for the Programme.
Teeing off at 12:30, all four-ball team slots were sold, after record interest was secured from leading sportsmen and radio personalities.
Celebrities included current and former SA cricketers Dale Steyn, Dave Rundle and Craig Matthews; former Springbok rugby players Schalk Burger, Rob Louw, Chester Williams, Werner Greeff, Toks van der Linde, De Wet Barry, Marius Joubert, Hanyani Shimange, Charl Marais and Nick Mallet, a former Springbok rugby coach and player.
“Even though the Estate is a respite from the everyday stresses of life, we still carry a moral responsibility to support those involved in the betterment of others, and the Western Cape’s public healthcare services are in dire need of support, when it comes to preventative, rehabilitative and curative services care for children” says Gawie Marx, General Manager for Pearl Valley Golf & Country Estate.
Speech, language and hearing problems lead amongst the most common childhood disorders. Very limited Paediatric Speech, Language and Audiology services are available in the Western Cape, with children often referred to tertiary hospitals for diagnosis and treatment. However these services struggle to address the extent of the need, with over 800 children on a waiting list at the Red Cross Children’s Hospital’s Speech Therapy department.
The Children’s Hospital Trust has committed to raising R3 million to support a process to pilot the implementation of the newly designed model.
“It was a wonderful event and we are thrilled to be able to support such a valuable and worthwhile cause. A big thank you to everyone who contributed to the success of the day,” says Marx.