 Hello Everyone,
it's been a while since I've written a blog but I'm back so let's get to it. I have had some real back issues this season and it's not looking great but as with anything that pulls you down, you got to fight and stay up. I'm working really hard to do that. I will have to have sugery eventually to fix the issues and I will defiantly go over things with the doctor when the season is over. I've made a lot of commitments to people and I intend to keep my word on those. I'm still very active in the autism community as well so just because I don't always post things doesn't mean I'm laying around doing nothing. I will have one event this month that will benefit autism as I will play a charity match against Joe Eng who Is a very talented golfer at a golf course to be determined so look for that soon. Being Vice President for the Seattle Children's Autism Guild has been awesome, and working with great people Like Andrea, Susan, Patty, Lisa, and Karen has only made me a better person and given me more knowledge to share to the autism community and I'm very grateful for that. My tour season is moving slowly but that's because of the weather, but now it seems that the weather is better and things should pick up and I look forward to that. My next event is May 13 in Sammamish, WA at The Plateau Club and I look forward to it. I want to thank all of you who take the time to read my blog and support what I do. I would not be where I am today if not for the support and love I get from you so thank you and I love all of you. I will do my best to have another blog up this month so look for that or catch my weekly radio show Talkin Golf & Autism with Eli on blogtalkradio.com. It's another way to get the word out about Autism and if you want to be a guest on my show, just shoot me a email and let's set something up. Until next time, take care and God Bless.
Eli
Hello Everyone,It's been a while since I wrote a blog, but I'm back and I'm ready to go. April is here and you know what that means....... That's right, it's Autism Awareness Month and I hope you all will be lighting it up blue on April 2nd. Let's make April the biggest and best month ever for Autism around the world. I can't wait! My golf season starts this month as well but first up will be a charity skins game on April 4th with three of my tour buddy's and I'm looking forward to seeing them and very thankful for the time and money they give for Autism. April 7th my season starts and I'm ready and look forward to a big year after not having a good year last season. I've worked hard on my game and I have seen a ton of progress which is exciting and I'm itching to get out of the starting blocks. My radio show, Talkin Golf & Autism with Eli is doing well and It has a new time slot and day,.. Sunday nights at 10pm pt is when you can catch it. I want to thank all of you for your support and like I said let's make April the biggest month ever for Autism.EliFacts about AutismDid you know ...- Autism now affects 1 in 88 children and 1 in 54 boys
- Autism prevalence figures are growing
- Autism is the fastest-growing serious developmental disability in the U.S.
- Autism costs a family $60,000 a year on average
- Autism receives less than 5% of the research funding of many less prevalent childhood diseases
- Boys are nearly five times more likely than girls to have autism
- There is no medical detection or cure for autism
National Institutes of Health Funds Allocation- Total 2012 NIH budget: $30.86 billion
- Of this, only $169 million goes directly to autism research. This represents 0.55% of total NIH funding.
Hello Everyone,
I hope all of you are doing well and excited that spring is close..... at least for some of us. This month begins my little roll out about what I'm doing and who I'm involved with. As most of you know I work for the First Tee of Greater Seattle and it has been pretty awesome to teach and watch these kids grow every time we get together. March 7 The First Tee of Seattle will be putting on a Kids Health & Fitness Expo and it's free for the whole family and I'm looking forward to attending. They really do a great job with what they do and I'm very grateful to work with them. Evan Johnsen is outstanding and I have really learned a lot from him. Patrick Mullins is also great to work with, as well as Cahill and the entire staff. March 8 I will be helping the Seattle Children's Autism Guild give out packets as part of the St. Patrick Day Dash and I'm always excited to be involved with anything that is autism related. March 9 my wife and I will be attending the Make A Wish, Wish Night Gala at the Westin Hotel in Seattle, WA and I will auction off a chance for a young fan to walk with me during a practice round at Chambers Bay Golf Links as I prepare for my Major Championship in July and I'm looking forward to hanging out with my lucky fan and who ever the fan is will receive a sleeve of Nike golf balls, a Nike Shirt, a Nike Hat and lunch, so I cant wait. I will also start releasing little videos about autism, ( Check out my Autism page for the first of many videos I will be posting.) and my online store is open so please check them out when they are released. My online store really means a lot to me because half the benefits go toward autism as I continue to build my brand which is centered around autism so please help me help the families who deal with autism every single day and together we can make huge difference. Let's also not forget about the mom's and dad's who also have to care for their children. They too need us and our support and we must make sure that they know how much love we have for them and that they are always appreciated. Not to get lost in all the great things I'm doing, my golf game is also important and I played my first nine holes last week and even though I'm rusty, I did hit it pretty well and in March I will be playing more and more as the season gets close. I play all my practice rounds at Bellevue Municipal, Willows Run, and Eagles Pride golf courses. I also practice at Redmond Ridge golf course. I'm very excited about this season and I plan on having fun and raising awareness about autism. My radio show Talking Golf & Autism with Eli is doing well and I will continue to use that platform to talk about Autism and golf. March is gonna be a busy month for me and I'm ready to push forward. I want to thank all of you who support me and give me the strength to do what I do. We are less than 5 weeks away from Autism Awareness month in April and I will be lighting it up Blue,..... What are you gonna do? To all the Advocates out there, keep doing what you are doing. Together we will make this year the best year yet for autism. Take care everyone and I will keep in touch. God Bless.
Elijah
Hello Everyone,
It’s February and golf season is getting closer and closer and so far my practice sessions have been going pretty good. I’m starting to find my swing as I am working on my grip and alignment and will start playing par 3 courses to really dial in my short game this season, which is always important. My new clubs are great and Nike is defiantly leading the way this year especially with their new driver which by the way I won’t be playing this season, but I do play the all of the VR S series clubs. Working at the First Tee of Seattle has been great as well and the kids are awesome to work with and follow directions very well. I've been so busy with other projects and practice, that I didn't have a ton of time to really do anything else. I’m trying to grow my brand and raise awareness about Autism and opening a new online store today is very exciting. My store Team Winfrey Athletic Wear, will sell T-shirts, sweatshirts, Tank tops for men and women as well as kids so please be sure to check it out. Half the proceeds will go to Kids and Adults with Autism. March 9, 2013 I will be attending the Make A Wish Wish Night and give one lucky young fan a chance to walk a practice round with me on July 18, 2013 as I prepare for the Pacific Northwest Major Championship being played at Chambers Bay and I look forward to it. Also as many of you know I host a radio show every Wednesday on blogtalkradio.com called talking golf & autism with Eli. My first episode was a little shaky being my first but I think I held my own and look forward to interacting more with my fans. Thank you all once again for all your support and I love all of you. Until next month take care and God Bless.
Eli
Hello Everyone,
I hope everyone had a great Christmas and rung in the New Year great. I’m looking forward to having another great year as I’m sure all of you are as well. I have begun hitting balls on the range and so far it’s going ok, but there is some rust there from not having picked up a golf club for several months, but I’m coming along fine. I practice at Interbay golf Facility a lot, and Redmond Ridge and Willows Run golf facilities. I can’t wait for the season to start. I have posted my tour schedule for the 2013 season and I will be playing in 10 tour events, and I created 3 more events on my own, not counting my end of the year tournament, so let me take this time to tell you about those. The first event I created is called the Elijah Winfrey Skins game, where three of my golf buddy’s will get together and play 5 dollars a hole and the proceeds will go to Autism Speaks. I can’t wait to play in that. The next event I created will be the Pink Ribbon Invitational and the will the proceeds from that will benefit Breast Cancer. In July, I created the Newtown Memorial Classic with proceeds going toward the victims and families of Newtown CT. and finally my tournament, The Elijah Winfrey Open Invitational which benefits kids and adults with autism, will be played in September. All of those events mean a lot to me and they are not sponsored by anyone, it’s something I wanted to do to help out and as I said before, I want to do everything possible to help people and raise awareness about Autism, Breast Cancer, and The Families of Newtown. We will never forget, and will do our best to help in any way possible. As many of you know, I’m a coach at the First Tee of Seattle as well and that starts next weekend with a workshop and I get to meet other coaches and we go over what we want to accomplish this year and I’m very excited about that. I will be doing some work as a Make A Wish Volunteer here in Washington State as well, so I’m going to be pretty busy, but if making a difference in a child’s life means being busy, then I’m always all for it. I say bring it on! I want to take this time now to talk about a person I met on twitter and let me tell you first and foremost, I love all my twitter fans and my Facebook fans. You mean the world to me, but I want to talk about a Diana Orlando DiPesa. This is without a doubt a great woman who is a runner and also raises awareness about Autism. She has a son who has autism and I wanted to take this time to thank her for all she has done for the cause and all she continues to do for autism. She has become one of my best friends not just on twitter, but in life and Diana, I’m very grateful and blessed to have a friend like you. Diana raised over 3000 dollars last year for autism speaks and that is just awesome. Keep up the great work and just know you have a huge fan in me. I also met Diana Barce, who has been a great supporter of mine and she is a survivor of breast cancer and is one of the reasons I’m doing this new event. I could go on and on about the people I have met on twitter like Vickie St. Clair, Jay Hawkey, Iuau, April, but I would be here all day telling you how great they are and believe me they are great people but I must move on and talk about my amazing sister who does a fabulous job with her 4 kids, two of which have autism and sis, I love you and will continue to fight hard for you. Keep doing the amazing job you’re doing, I’m so very proud of you. To all my Autism advocates out there, this year is our year to really be heard and we must get louder and raise more awareness. We must let them know we can’t be touched, can’t be pushed and can’t be stopped until something is done and families have what they need to care for their children as they get older. I play golf for me because I love it, but I use golf to raise awareness about autism and will continue to do so as long as I’m breathing. Together we will make 2013 the best year for Autism ever! In closing let me thank all of my fans who support me on Facebook and twitter and also hit my website, as always I’m truly blessed and thank you so much. I love each and every one of you. If you have any questions about golf or Autism, please feel free to email me at my new email address just for you at eli.winfrey@gmail.com. If you know of anyone wanting to sponsor a golfer/autism advocate, just give them that email or send me a direct tweet. Thank you for taking the time to read my blog and I will check back in next month. Thank you and God Bless
Eli
Hello Everyone,
Before I talk about my off season and projects I've been working on, let me first take this time to say that my prayers and thoughts are with the victims and the families affected by the horrific shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT. My heart goes out to them and we must support them in every way possible. As many of you know I dedicate my season on tour to my niece and nephew who are Autistic and all children and adults who have autism. I will also dedicate my season to all the victims and families of Newtown, CT. I will wear a special bracelet on my wrist and do my very best to make sure they are not forgotten. During this time we must continue to spread love and always be there for one another. I promise to do all I can and I know each of you will as well. Our kids are our future and we must do any and everything to protect them. LOVE. As I now transition into my off season, I must say things are progressing well. I did have a few setbacks with my back and elbow which I injured at the end of last season. I went to see the doctor this month and the MRI on my elbow was fine and my back has always been a problem, but with hot and cold packs, I have been able to stay in the gym and really build my body up for the upcoming season and I’m excited about that. 2012 was a great year on tour and a learning one as well. I met a lot of friends and look forward to meeting more next season. I also got involved with the First Tee of Seattle and the Make A Wish Chapter here in Washington State and I have to say that I’m truly blessed to do what I do and give back to our youth who are very important to me. I play golf for me, but golf has given me the platform to raise awareness about autism, cancer, Parkinson’s and now the people of Newtown. I begin hitting balls next week and start building for the upcoming season. In closing let me once again thank all of you who hit my website and check it out. I’m always grateful. To my fans on Facebook and Twitter, thank you so much for all your support. I love all of you. I hope you all have a great Christmas and Happy New Year. Talk to you in 2013.
Elijah Winfrey
Hello Everyone,
Welcome back to my new and improved website. Before I get started, let me wish all of you a very Happy Thanksgiving and I’m thankful for each and every one of you. It’s been a while since I’ve written on my blog, but I have been working behind the scenes really hard on some projects that will have an impact on not just me but kids and adults as well and let me explain. You all know I’m involved and an advocate for autism. Last year I raised $475.00 dollars and it felt great. In 2013, I will be forming a team (Team Winfrey) and together hope to raise $1000.00 dollars. If you would like to be on Team Winfrey, please let me know and we will make it happen. I’m also the newest member of the Make A Wish Alaska & Washington Chapter and can’t wait to put a smile on a young kids face. I’ve been through and passed all my training and I’m really looking forward to working with a great team. Next season on tour I will have a caddie thanks to the help of the First Tee of Greater Seattle. Kimberly Goode, who is the Assistant Director, really played a huge role in helping me find a young man who is very passionate about the game and really wants to be a part of golf. I interviewed three guys and all three were great to talk to and listen to as well. They all have a vision on where they want to be in life and I think that’s great. The young man I chose is Anthony Smith and you can read more about him in caddie corner as the season progresses. I look forward to having him on the bag; it will be a lot of fun. This season I will be sporting the pink ribbon raising awareness about breast cancer at some of my events and I do support Susan G. Komen for the cure Puget Sound, as well as 23andMe and 23andMe deals with Parkinson’s disease. I do have friends who put together a run for Parkinson’s event that I will run in every year so I look forward to that as well. Now here’s a big surprise……….. I will be endorsing my first ever product in 2013, Bear Canyon Coffee, that’s right I’m going to endorse a product! John Christner, Founder & CEO of Bear Canyon Coffee LLC is one of my best friends, and we are working on ideas on how to connect it to my cause which is autism. Mr. Christner is a great man and is in the process of revamping his website, so expect to see it up and running in early 2013. As soon as it’s up, I will post the link on my website. That’s been most of what I’m doing this off season and yes I have been working on my game even though the weather has been poor, I am in the gym almost 5 days a week working on my core and getting stronger. I’m working out at Pro Sports Club in Bellevue, so if your ever there and see me please stop by and say hello. I haven’t hit golf balls yet. That will come in late December, but I am putting at home. I’m really excited about next season as I feel like I’m going to take my game to the next level and can’t wait to get started. When the season schedule comes out I will let you know what events I’m playing in as I plan on playing in a few more this season. In closing let me just say none of this would not be possible without the help and support of my beautiful wife Lisa Winfrey. She has played a vital role and will always play a role in whatever I do and I’m very thankful for that. All of you play a role as well and I’m always grateful for the support you all give me. I will be back on my blog in late December with an update on how I’m coming along, so stay tuned. You can also follow me on Facebook under Eli Winfrey or follow me on twitter @ElijahWinfrey1. Take care and God Bless
Elijah
Hello Everyone,
I hope all of you are doing well. Since my season has been over, I've been spending quality time with my family and that has been great! I also have been preparing for next season as well. I start my off season workouts tomorrow at Pro Sports Club and I'm really excited to get my body ready for the tour. I also had a meeting with Kimberly Goode of The Greater First Tee of Seattle. Kimberly is the Assistant Director and we went over possibilities of me having a caddie next season on tour and me becoming involved with the first tee program. I am looking forward to working with Kimberly and others at the first tee and will be choosing a caddie through the first tee soon, so I'm very excited about that. I encourage anyone who plays golf to get involved with the first tee. You can really make a difference in a child's life by doing so by teaching them about core values and have fun in the process. I'm hoping to introduce my caddie hopefully next month and I have to say this is a true blessing to be able to play golf and meet great people like Kimberly. As always, thank you all for checking out my website and my Facebook fan page and those of you who follow me on twitter. I'm truly thankful and appreciate your support. I will let you know how training is going in the coming weeks. Take care and God Bless
Eli
 Learn the Signs of Autism Autism Speaks' multi-year Ad Council public service advertising campaign stresses the importance of recognizing the early signs of autism and seeking early intervention services. Recent research confirms that appropriate screening can determine whether a child is at risk for autism as young as one year. While every child develops differently, we also know that early treatment improves outcomes, often dramatically. Studies show, for example, that early intensive behavioral intervention improves learning, communication and social skills in young children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). One of the most important things you can do as a parent or caregiver is to learn the early signs of autism and become familiar with the typical developmental milestones that your child should be reaching. The following "red flags" may indicate your child is at risk for an autism spectrum disorder. If your child exhibits any of the following, please don’t delay in asking your pediatrician or family doctor for an evaluation:- No big smiles or other warm, joyful expressions by six months or thereafter
- No back-and-forth sharing of sounds, smiles or other facial expressions by nine months
- No babbling by 12 months
- No back-and-forth gestures such as pointing, showing, reaching or waving by 12 months
- No words by 16 months
- No meaningful, two-word phrases (not including imitating or repeating) by 24 months
- Any loss of speech, babbling or social skills at any age
The M-CHAT (Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers) can help you determine if a professional should evaluate your child. This simple online autism screen, available on our website, takes only a few minutes. If the answers suggest your child is at risk for autism, please consult with your child’s doctor. Likewise, if you have any other concerns about your child's development, don't wait. Speak to your doctor now about screening your child for autism.
 Hello Everyone,
Congratulations to Craig Butler on winning my event which benefits Autism. We had a blast and together the guys and I donated 240.00 dollars to Autism, which has been posted on my walk now for Autism web page. Its truly a blessing when friends help out and even people you meet for the first time. To date I have raised 475.00 dollars and I'm very proud of that. Next up is the Walk Now for Autism walk that will take place saturday September 8 2012. I hope to see a few of you there. I will have more info on that next week. Before I go I want to thank Tim Donnelly, Mark Mikulak, Dave White, Carlos Pinto, Greg Brooks, John Brooks, Will Yankow, Hank La Luz Jr, Lynne Durose, and Winner Craig Butler for taking the time to always play in my event. I'm truly honored and blessed. I look forward to seeing you all next year. As for you all that have always clicked on my website,... Thank you for your support and I am very grateful. Take care and God Bless
P.S. I did finish third by the way. Next year I will win
Eli
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