IRVINE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Talk About Curing Autism (TACA), a national nonprofit organization helping families living with autism navigate the challenges of the disorder, is pleased to share that Dolf Berle, CEO of Top Golf, and his wife Julia have made a transformational gift to the foundation of $100,000. As members of the TACA foundation, the Berle family has experienced the value of TACA’s support in the autism community firsthand since 2002, when their son, Baxter, was diagnosed with autism. While in California, Julia volunteered as a chapter coordinator and parent mentor of TACA Los Angeles. “TACA has been vital to our family since the onset of Baxter’s diagnosis. Dolf and I want to further the great works of TACA and broaden their reach as more and more families are living with autism,” she says. The Berle’s share TACA’s goal to reach and support over 100,000 families by 2020, doubling the 55,000 currently being served.
“This is our first platinum-level major gift. We are beyond grateful for the donation and the Berle family’s leadership to drive positive change. We are hopeful others will be inspired to help us meet the challenge of supporting more families and doubling the numbers we serve. Together, as a community, we need to do more to move families living with autism forward.” — Lisa Ackerman, TACA Executive Director
AUTISM BY THE NUMBERS:
- Almost 3 million people are living with autism in the U.S.
- A new case of autism is diagnosed every eight minutes — 180 kids each day in the U.S.
- Autism is on the increase and not slowing down. In 1970, the rate was 1 in every 10,000 U.S. children. Today, autism affects 1 in 68 children.
- More children are diagnosed with autism each year than with AIDS, diabetes and cancer combined, yet the least amount of funding goes to researching this disease.
About TACA
Talk About Curing Autism is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to educating, empowering and supporting families affected by autism. TACA’s aim is to shorten the cycle from the suspicion of autism to diagnosis to effective treatments, thereby creating the best future possible for individuals living with autism. The organization currently serves over 55,000 with an average of 500 new families joining TACA each month looking for support and best practices in autism.
Please visit tacanow.org for more information about the programs and services TACA provides.
