The first Mayor Eric L. Olivarez Golf Cup has raised P3 million for the kids at the Parañaque City Therapy Center for Children with Special Needs.
The charity event was held at the Tagaytay Midlands Golf Club on Friday, Nov. 18.
Olivarez said the annual charity last held in 2019 before the Covid-19 pandemic grossed P5 million in ticket sales, sponsorships and participation fees. It was organized by the officials of the Rotary Club of Parañaque-Saint Andrew.
The mayor said the funds raised during the golf cup will go a long way towards ensuring the viability and sustainability of the Therapy Center for Children with Special Needs, one of two currently in operation in the Philippines.
“We are really grateful to all our players, participants, sponsors and the Rotary Club of Parañaque-Saint Andrew for this very successful event, which broke many records set in the past Mayor’s Cups during the term of Mayor Edwin Olivarez,” Olivarez said.
“This means a lot to our children with special needs in Parañaque who depend on the free services and facilities provided by the Therapy Center that would otherwise be very expensive and unaffordable especially to poor families,” he added.
Cissette Ricardo, president of the Rotary Club of Parañaque-Saint Andrew, said many of their members share the vision of Olivarez to fully support children with special needs.
Aileen Olivarez, the mayor’s wife, also expressed her gratitude to all those who supported the golf cup and the Therapy Center during the event’s closing program.
“We really need all the support so that we can serve more children with special needs,” she said.
Mrs. Olivarez said around 880 children have registered for therapy when it was opened in June and was able to accommodate 130 children last month.
The center offers highly specialized services like physical therapy, speech and language therapy, occupational therapy, and creative arts therapy through music, dance and painting.
It also has an early intervention program, and modern facilities like a sensory integration room, a grooming room, a mini-theater, a simulation room for adaptive life skills and a parents’ training room.
All its staff members are licensed professionals and are regular employees of the city government which funds the center’s entire operations.