April 24, 2019
A special lunch held in Kingaroy’s Glendon Street forecourt last Wednesday raised $2000 to help young local residents with autism.
The South Burnett Autism Support Group (SBASG) and Kingaroy Rotary organised the event to mark Autism Month.
Kingaroy Rotary fired up the barbecues and served up burgers and sausages on bread between 11:00am and 2:00pm.
They quickly found several hundred hungry customers, including Councillors and members of the public who had been attending the monthly South Burnett Regional Council meeting next door.
There was also a raffle, and fudge sales from Sister Bake Co for those who wanted dessert.
The Autism Support Group was formed by Jenny and Kurt Lutz 24 years ago when their son was diagnosed with autism.
Jenny put out an appeal to other parents and quickly unearthed several other families facing the same issues.
These days, the children of many of the group’s original members have matured into young adults.
But they still have difficulties socialising, and undertaking many other activities many young adults take for granted.
So SBASG has formed an “Aspies” group to help them get out and about, as well as give their parents some respite.
Jenny said the Aspies group has now been involved in a variety of fun activities including ten pin bowling, go-karting and archery.
A key aim of the lunch – apart from raising awareness about autism – was to raise extra funds for more outings in future.
“We don’t get any funding,” Jenny said. “So the money we’ve raised will go a long way, and we’re very thankful to everyone who helped us out today.”
- The South Burnett Autism Support Group meets on the second Friday of every month at SBcare in Avoca Street, Kingaroy at 7:00pm. New members are always welcome, and can obtain more details by phoning Jenni on (07) 4171-0096 or Jenny on (07) 4164-1107
