NEWS & UPDATES
The year ahead with the Cerebral Palsy Society
02 Feb 2022
Kia ora koutou katoa to all our members,
Welcome to 2022! Here’s to a positive year ahead with plenty of opportunities for all our members.
We’re certainly looking forward to the coming year, and we’ve got some great things up our sleeve.
Auckland office
The wellbeing of our members and staff is always our top priority. With news of the Covid-19 variant Omicron being in the community, and the entire motu (country) going into the red traffic light setting, our Auckland office remains closed for in-person visits and appointments.
We really miss seeing our members for social visits and things like trike fittings, but for the safety of our staff and members, we will continue working from home.
However, if anything urgent pops up while the office is closed, please don’t be afraid to reach out to us via email or call us on 0800 503 603 – we’ll do our best to find a way to make things work and get you the help you need.
We are currently exploring the best way to run “by appointment” only visits for members when we return to the orange level.
In the meantime – refresh yourself with what life in the red traffic light setting looks like, and ensure you and your whānau are Covid-19 ready.
Coffee groups
The red setting also affects people around the country eagerly waiting to get their beloved coffee groups back up and running.
We thank everyone for their patience while we work through the safest ways to run the coffee groups, and meet the Government guidelines around scanning in, showing vaccine passports, sanitizing and wearing masks. We want to run coffee groups as safely as possible to ensure the welfare of our many vulnerable members, and our staff.
In the coming week, some of our staff will be calling the regular attendees to get their thoughts on:
– starting up virtual coffee groups to run during red traffic light settings
– how best to run coffee groups in the orange level.
They will run through a few different scenarios with you, and we look forward to receiving your feedback.
We welcome thoughts on this topic from all members, even if you have not previously attended one of our coffee groups. Feel free to contact the team on 0800 503 603 or send us an email.
Pathways to Activity – Halberg Foundation
The Cerebral Palsy Society is embarking on a new initiative in partnership with the Halberg Foundation.
The Pathways to Activity project aims to:
– Create sustainable change to ensure that no tamariki or rangatahi with CP misses out on the opportunity to participate in quality and equitable participation opportunities of their choice.
– Gain insights to understand the numbers of tamariki and rangatahi with CP currently missing out, the unique barriers that exist to exclude these young people, and explore how they can be reduced/removed.
– Increase physical activity opportunities for those tamariki and rangatahi who have CP by empowering family/whānau to have choice and control, and workg directly with deliverers to enable them to confidently provide inclusive opportunities.
– Provide connectivity points/pathways/wayfaring for participants across the sports, recreation and disability sports communities.
The project is in its infancy, but we will keep you updated on this exciting project, and the opportunities that come from it, as things develop.
Staff update
Resignation
We started the year with some sad news within the CPS team, and that is the resignation of Maqymseahe Ninces – Member Support and Programme Coordinator. Maqymseahe (pronounced Mackenzie) has been a staff member since June 2019, and has held a number of roles, including Youth Alliance Secretariat and Communications Assistant.
During her time as an employee Maqymseahe has been a great source of knowledge and information. We will miss her sense of humour, her smile and her passion for advocating for people with disabilities.
We wish Maqymseahe, pictured, all the best for the future – we know she will go well, and go far.
Staff roles
A few CPS staff members have new job titles. These positions have been designed to provide relevant support and opportunities to members across all ages and stages of their CP journey.
– Amy Hogan – Researcher and Member Support Advisor
– Matthew Slade – Member Support and Programme Coordinator – Canterbury Region
– Michael Northcott – Member Support and Programme Coordinator – Adults
– Sara Sheehan – Member Support and Programme Coordinator – Children
You can learn more about our team here, or find our email addresses here.
The Review magazine
The long-awaited launch of our revamped magazine The Review is just around the corner – it’s due to be published mid-February! We’re really excited about it – and we hope you enjoy the magazine as much as we’ve enjoyed putting it together.
The magazine is going to be an e-magazine that is delivered to your email inbox. It’ll be simple to download, and you can easily flip through the pages, zoom in and zoom out to read content.
We’re going to publish the magazine three times per year, so you can look forward to reading about what the Society and your fellow members are up to.
Funding opportunities
get Programme funding
It’s great to see so many members making the most of the get Programme. Financial members are eligible for $300 get Programme funding for the four-month period ending February 28, 2022.
It can be used on the getOutThere, getPhysical, getThis&That and getUpAgain programmes.
To get your e-card loaded with the latest funding before February 28 send an email, phone 0800 503 603, or head to our website and click the “Dashboard” button and select “Apply for a programme”.
Please note: Any unused money on the card at the end of the four-month period will expire.
Click here to find the current balance on your e-card or check the receipt of your last purchase.
Grant applications
If the get Programme funding doesn’t meet your needs, you can consider applying for a grant.
– Individual Grants – to assist people with Cerebral Palsy to obtain items or services that mitigate the effects of living with Cerebral Palsy. Grants should assist a person’s independence and/or quality of life, or in the case of a child, also that of the parent/family.
– Academic Grants – enable members to participate in adult educational opportunities.
Virtual quiz – Feb 2
Our virtual quiz is back for another month. Come and test your general knowledge, learn some new things and have a fun time with fellow members.
The next quiz is on Wednesday, February 2 from 11am.
RSVP and we’ll send you all the details you need to take part.
Research opportunities
Researchers are looking for participants in the following areas:
– Swallowing difficulties (dysphagia) as result of Cerebral Palsy
– Leg MRI to Understand Muscle Shape and Growth in Cerebral Palsy
– Mapping accessible walking routes in Auckland
For more information, please go to the Research Opportunities page on our website.
Upcoming events around the country
There are plenty of workshops, webinars and expos being held by other charities and organisations around the country in the coming months…… on topics from building resilient families and getting the best outcomes for your disabled child at school, to dance workshops in Wellington and an Outward Bound course for physically disabled people aged 16-18 years.
Head on over to the events page on our website for information.
Take care during this current phase of Covid-19, and be sure to reach out if our team can help in any way.
Nga Mihi,
Clare and the CPS team
Clare Williams
General Manager
Cerebral Palsy Society
| Office: Ground floor 8 Railway Street Newmarket Auckland 1023 New Zealand |
Postal address: DX Box CP 31005 Newmarket Auckland New Zealand |
Phone: 0800 503 603 cpsociety@cpsociety.org.nz www.cerebralpalsy.org.nz Facebook & Instagram |
