Old Palm Golf Club recently hosted a second fundraising event for the Els for Autism Foundation, raising more than $40,000 for the Els Center for Excellence. The charity was conceived in 2009 after Ben, the son of professional golfer Ernie Els and his wife Liezl, was diagnosed with autism. Although Ernie was playing at the Masters, Liezl represented the foundation and spoke about The Els Center of Excellence, a complex that will soon serve families with autistic children. The centerâs ground breaking was in March, and the first buildingsâa lower schoolâare scheduled for completion next summer. The center will also offer global E-learning, a research program, medical services, and job and independent living training for adults with autism. The event was held on the lawn adjacent to the Club at Old Palm, where nine food and drink stations were set up. Each station featured a dish donated by a local restaurant and a craft beer from Tequesta Brewing Company that made for a perfect pairing. Two new restaurants were represented this year: Aah Loi Thai and Sushi, which served vanilla cheesecake spring rolls, and EuroChefs Catering, which made wild mushroom sliders. Another highlight was âBig Easyâs Blue Brew,â which was named for Els, whoâs nicknamed âBig Easyâ because of his imposing 6â3ââ height and fluid golf swing. The beer is a Belgian farmhouse ale made with fresh organic blueberries. Autism strikes one in 68 children. To learn more about the condition and to join the fight against autism, go to www.ElsForAutism