The Journey

A not-for-profit organisation, Gold Foundation’s origins can be traced back to 2007 when a mother, our founder Angie Pangallo, was searching for a social skills program for her child with Asperger’s.

Angie approached the Advertiser Sunday Mail Foundation for help and with their support piloted a social skills program for young people with Asperger’s.

While her child attended the program, Angie and other mothers on the same journey shared their hopes and dreams over cups of coffee in a nearby café.

Recognising the need for a dedicated centre for such programs and supports, Angie jotted their ideas on a napkin—ideas that became the foundational principles behind Gold Foundation.

It all started with one child and one mother searching for a Social Skills Program and a place to reach other parents on the same journey. Little help was available so she approached the Advertiser Sunday Mail Foundation and with their generous support, the first Social Skills Program for children with Asperger’s was piloted the following year.

Eight boys from 8-10 years took part in a very successful pilot Social Skills Program,

While the children attended the program, their mothers shared their dreams and aspirations over cups of coffee nearby in a cafe’.

The mothers recognised the urgent need for a dedicated centre where these programs and the ‘community support’ could continue.

Their dreams were jotted down on a paper napkin, our story was just beginning.

From scrawls on a napkin to reality…

In 2009, St John SA provided a share house at Belair for the social skills program to continue to operate, while a committee of dedicated volunteer parents worked tirelessly to establish Gold Foundation.

Finally, in 2010, Gold Foundation was officially launched.

Since our opening, we have continued to innovate for our growing community by developing new programs and support for young people on the Autism Spectrum and their families.

We look forward to continuing our journey by assisting more and more young autistic people find their place and tap into their untapped strengths.

We designed and developed an innovative pilot program for teenagers, now known as ‘Youth Group’ to provide a meeting place for young people on the Autism Spectrum and to provide the ‘next step’ for our young people after participating in the Social Skills Training.

We introduced ‘Educational Seminars’ which are designed to empower families. These seminars educated Parents & Carers with specific skills which will support the positive development of their autistic child, their siblings and the family as a unit.

Gold Foundation moved to Unley for a short time while we expanded our programs, which included our 10th birthday party celebrating a decade of happy and enthusiastic little legends and the incredible people that made it all happen!

Gold Foundation has now finally secured a new, permanent home at Camden Park Community Centre located at 9-11 Carlisle St, Camden Park. The new site is peaceful, safe, well-resourced and on beautiful grounds.

Our new home at Camden Park Community Centre is four times bigger than our previous Unley home. It has a dedicated cottage for the younger Gold children, a great Youth Group facility, themed program rooms, training rooms, enclosed and safe outdoor recreation areas and parents’ waiting rooms.

We continue to aspire and expand our programs to reach hundreds of young people to realise their unique abilities and dreams and we hope you can become a part of our journey!

Today Gold Foundation offers a place of belonging for young people on the Autism Spectrum and their families including Social Skills Programs, Social Groups & Life Skills Programs as well as fun events and education seminars for the whole family.

To think it all started with one child and one mother who was determined to change his world. Little did she realise that she was not alone and so began the journey to improve the lives of young people on the Autism Spectrum and in doing so has opened the door to hundreds of families on the same path.

Designed and developed a model for the first centre for children with ASD in Australia, now in our 14th year.

Currently assisting 550 kids with ASD or High Functioning Autism and assisted hundreds of families over the past decade and beyond.

Running 6 programs per week (What’s The Buzz 6-8, What’s The Buzz 9-12, You Can Do It, Youth Group & Not So Youth Group) plus regular events & seminars.

Future programs in the pipeline include Gardening, Cooking, Tennis, Kickboxing, as well as a Life Skills Program preparing kids for career opportunities and how to progress into adulthood.

Delivered over 100 Social Skills Programs for children aged between 6 and 20 years old.

Delivered over 150 other events and information sessions.

Conducted formal Graduation ceremonies and Christmas events for all classes every year.

Celebrated our 10th birthday party with over 500 attendees including celebrity guest appearance Daniel Talia, local politicians, media and lots of happy kids.

Delivering 2x Youth Groups for young people aged 12-20 years old and are now piloting an adult group for 18+ with over 60 participants between all 3 groups.

Donate today to support the work of Gold Foundation. Your donation will help young autistic people to discover their unique abilities.

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