• Magician  11am
• Santa 1pm
• Food – coffee, cake, sausages and icecream.

Rhys Whiting is currently studying towards an Honours in Bachelor of Business Analysis Degree at Waikato University, with a view of undertaking Masters in 2012 majoring in Economics and Finance.

Rhys in action

His dream is to become a CEO of a major Multinational Corporation and he already has the next step lined up. An AIESEC Global Internship which would give him the opportunity to fine tune his theory with practical experience.

AIESEC is the largest youth-run organisation in the world which facilitates global opportunities and gives practical leadership and development experience to members. But it costs money, so Rhys has applied to AMP Scholarships for funding to help him reach this goal.

How to vote

Please Vote for Rhys Whiting and help him win the People’s Choice Award – it is worth $10K and would be a great way for us to celebrate another amazing young man, who happens also to have been born with a cleft lip and palate. We have a fantastic role model for our kids – Face It we can do anything.

Please vote for Rhys and let all your family, work mates and friends know too.

-       Wednesday 18th May 2011 at 7.30pm

-       The Parenting Place, 300 Great South Road, Greenlane, Auckland

-       Guest Speakers – Glenn Bartlett, Maeve Morrison & Heather Keall of the Auckland Cleft Team

If you wish to put forward any Notices of Motion or General Business to be raised at the AGM then please forward these to us in writing by Tuesday 10^th May 2011.

Members putting forward Notices of Motion or General Business must be present at the AGM in order to have these tabled.  Details of motions, nominations & general business received will be sent out approximately 1 week prior to the AGM.

If you have any questions about the AGM please don’t hesitate to contact us on either info@cleft.org.nz or 0800 4 CLEFT (0800 425 338).

Kind Regards

John Frear

Cleft New Zealand Inc

http://www.faceit.org.nz/
PHONE: 0800 4 CLEFT (0800 425 338)
Email: info@cleft.org.nz

Why come?

• Do you want to know what’s new in cleft care management ?
• Do you want to hear about what we can learn from overseas ?
• Do you have questions you want to ask the team that others may be interested in also ?

Then this is for you. Find out about what the Cleft Team are doing to deliver the best possible outcomes for you and your child.  

Even more reasons

• Show our support for the Cleft Team and the work they do
• Find out about Cleft NZ’s plans for the future
• Meet the Cleft Team professionals in a laid back environment

DETAILS

• Wednesday 18th May 2011 at 7.30pm
• The Parenting Place, 300 Great South Road, Greenlane, Auckland
• Please RSVP by Sunday 15th May 2011 to info@cleft.org.nz or 0800 425 338 (for catering purposes and to make sure we have enough room)

We hope to see you there.  Thanks.

The funds they raised for us, in excess of $6000, will be put to good use to further the objectives of Cleft NZ in order to deliver direct benefit to all those affected by cleft.

Our purpose as an organisation is “To support & empower people on their cleft journeys”, and this includes not only people born with cleft but also immediate family and friends, medical and educational professionals, peers and society as a whole.  We seek to do this through information, products, education & advocacy.

 It is through the support & efforts of people such as Mick & the staff at MPD that we can continue to pursue these goals.  We thank them once again for the support they have given, it is much appreciated.

When:  Tuesday 22nd March 2010, from 10-12.

Please bring a small plate to share.  For the address details phone 0800 4 CLEFT  (0800425338)

WHEN:  Tuesday 22nd Feb from 10am until 12 noon

WHERE:  Louise and Henry’s house in Epsom.  (Ring 0800 425 338 for the address)

Please bring a small plate to share and RSVP to 0800 425 338 so we have an idea of numbers.

“I would like to thank all those people who took the time to complete the survey”, said Chairman of Cleft New Zealand John Frear.  ”This information will be invaluable to us as we identify our priorities ahead”.

The survey was completed by 126 people in total – 29 people with cleft, 86 family members and supporters and 11 medical professionals. This was almost 30% of the 400 or so people listed on the Cleft NZ database so it was a very pleasing result.

Cleft NZ services are very well received, especially the Blue book and the new web site. The social functions were also appreciated but there is a need to hold more events outside Auckland. Social networking sites (like our Facebook page) are seen by many as a really good way to put people in touch with one another across the country.

Although the 0800 Cleft NZ number and parent support service received relatively low usage, the availability of these services for those that need them was seen to be very important. Most people see surgical repairs as being exceptional, although cleft people were marginally less favourable in their ratings.

Key opportunities for development were identified. Foremost among these were the need for improved socio – psychological support services to help address difficulties with self esteem and lack of confidence. Genetic counselling was also seen by cleft people and their families as an area needing improvement. Paediatric support and coordination was seen as lacking and capturing speech and audiology development needs were other areas for development. A number of the professionals felt the “system” was not enabling them to be fully effective. Advocacy is seen by most to be an important role for Cleft NZ.

Interestingly many were not aware that Cleft New Zealand membership is open to all cleft people, their families and supporters including friends, extended families and medical professionals. Pleasingly there was support for the idea of introducing subscriptions to help fund the organisation. Preference was given to a low level subscription between $10 to $50, but with discretion to nominate higher levels of contribution.

“We will use this information to develop our services and advocacy”, says John.