Former Western Bulldogs vice-president Susan Alberti (pictured) will speak at a breakfast in Frankston this month to announce a new employment initiative for young people with autism.

The Susan Alberti Breakfast, on Tuesday, October 31, is being organised by Autism Helper, an initiative of Moveplay Pty Ltd and director Ron O’Dwyer, to raise awareness of the employment challenges faced by young people with autism and to raise money for LabPRO, a new program aimed at supporting these young people to become job-ready and connect with prospective employers.

Ron played with Carlton and Collingwood in the VFL and was president of the AFL/VFL Past Players and Officials Association from 2002-2008. His commitment to supporting young people with autism is based on his own family experience of living with autism.

“Kids with autism do it tough and face disadvantage and exclusion in many parts of their lives,” Ron said. “Governments make significant contributions in providing support and services but much more needs to be done. Like all families living with autism, we know how hard you have to work at self-help.

“We’re giving kids with autism access to professional mentoring services to hone their personal and professional skills so they’re job-ready, and sending the message to all employers that young people with autism have unique strengths and abilities to make a valuable contribution to any workplace as well as their community. We want employers in Frankston and the Mornington Peninsula to help us give these young people the opportunities they deserve.”

Susan, a philanthropist, businesswoman and trailblazer for the national AFL Women’s competition, will speak about her career and her passions as well as the tragic personal circumstances that inspired much of her work and philanthropy in support of medical research and services for the disadvantaged.

Helping stage the breakfast is Alan Wickes, who played with Ron at Collingwood and went on to become a player, coach and president of the Frankston Football Club.  Alan later became president of the Victorian Football Association and is the current president of not-for-profit community development organisation Proudly Frankston.

The Susan Alberti Breakfast will be held at Functions By The Bay, cnr Plowmans Place and Young St (7am for a 7.15am start); proceeds will help finance LabPRO’s launch next year. LabPRO is an extension of the Lab Network’s national mentor-based program that has helped establish more than 20 IT and computer clubs - known as Labs - around Australia, including Frankston, Mornington and Dromana, for young people with autism.  Frankston and the Mornington Peninsula will be one of three regions in Victoria to pilot LabPRO next year.

For breakfast bookings, go to autismhelper.com.au