Winning the Volunteer Award has allowed Cleft NZ to spread the word about what we do.  Take a look at Counties Manukau DHB’s magazine.  We are on page 8.  

http://www.cmdhb.org.nz/News_Publications/Newsletters/Connect/2010/connect-jun2010.pdf

At an extravagant award ceremony at St Matthews in the City on Tue 8th June, Susan won the Health and Nutrition Category of the Intrepid Travel Volunteer of the Year Award.  

Susan was overwhelmed to be amongst such amazing volunteers and manage to be one of the 7 recipients. Cleft New Zealand would like to thank Good Magazine, Intrepid Travel, Fujitsu and all the other sponsors of the event. We would also like to thank Honourable Tariana Turia and Te Radar for adding to the sense of occassion – it really made us feel special.

But an an especially big thanks to all of you who voted for Cleft NZ and Susan. It was the voters who made all the difference.

We would like to congratulate Darryl Pascoe from StarJam for winning the overall award. If you would like to subscribe to Good Magazine 20% will be donated to StarJam.  Everyone nominated does amazing work in their communities – a true inspiration.  For Susan the real motivation is the many amazing young people born with cleft that she has the privelge to meet.  How you face your adveristy and rise above the challenges is an inspiration and lesson to us all.

Learn about the recipients

Cleft NZ’s AGM was on May 26th. Thanks to all those who ventured out on yet another rainy, cold night.  Our Executive team has remained the same as last year, if a little reduced.  Find out more about your Exec.

Sandy Cavell – Middlemore Cleft Team Psychologist Intern gave us a great presentation about health psychology and honouring our differences.  Sandy discussed resilience and coping strategies and gave a really great overview of the psychological impacts to both individuals and their families of this difference.  Sandy’s material, eloquent and understanding really made it easy for people to open up and the result was a great conversation.  Facing It really opens up potential.

Some things we learnt:

• Health psychology is to do with the psychological impacts of medical intervention, illness and/or long term disability.
• Sandy’s insights not only help us as individuals and parents, but other members of the cleft team get a clearer idea of the impact of their work. 
• Everyone is different.  But denial and avoidance is not a healthy option. 

This study has gone through ethics approval and will among other things look at

• Incidence of cleft – with different variables like ethnicity
• Burden of care – which means the number of visits and surgeries required in the first 5 years
• Speech Language Assessment of all 5 year olds  (a modified GossPass assesment if you are interested)
• An orthodontic assessment of dental arch for 9 year olds (Goslon yardstick and Bauru Index)
• An assessment of the quality of the alveolar bone graft
• And an initial assessment from an oral health perspective on quality of life outcomes.

Cleft NZ would like to thank Peter Fowler and all the cleft units for taking the initiative to run this research. It will help to give a clear picture of what happens for our children and how this impacts upon our lives as families generally. It is a great way to assess how we are doing and the outcomes of the interventions we have.

If you have recently moved and would like to participate, please contact your closest Cleft Unit to update your details. It is a chance to use our experience to help our professionals do an even better job.

You are all welcome to a coffee group at Nikki’s house in Manurewa. 
Thanks Nikki – our families out your way wanted something local!!

WHEN:   Tuesday 8th June, 10am-12 noon.  Ring 0800 425 338 for the address

Just bring a small plate to share and your children.  We hope to see you there.

The AGM of Cleft New Zealand Inc. will be held on Wednesday 26th May 2010 at 7.30pm at The Parenting Place – 300 Great South Road, Greenlane, Auckland.

Remember we have a great guest speaker in Sandy Cavell (Psychologist Intern – Cleft Team, Middlemore) who will be talking about her role on the team & how this can help to support & empower families.

If you want to come along and haven’t RSVP’d, please contact us on either info@cleft.org.nz or 0800 4 CLEFT (0800 425 338) – it helps for seating & catering.
There were no Notices of Motion or General Business items received. The following Nominations were received for positions as Officers and/or the Executive.
John Frear – Chairperson ; Stephen Selwood – Deputy Chairperson ; Ian Pallas – Treasurer/Secretary ; Susan Frear ; Elspeth Lamb
We look forward to seeing you next Wednesday 26th.

John Frear

Chairperson, Cleft New Zealand Inc

Today is International Nurses Day – our chance to thank all those people who make nursing their careers. 

Cleft New Zealand on behalf of families throughout the country, would like to thank all the nurses who work with our children. Your empathy, understanding, nursing knowledge really makes a difference to our experiences in hospital. So to Ronel and her team at Middlemore, Jo and her team at Waikato, Hutt and Christchurch – thanks for your special care of our treasures.

A special thanks to the Cleft Nurse Co-ordinators, Megan Sanders, Jane Widdowson and Ruth Berry, Susan Reay and Harriette Van der Zee. Your role has made a huge difference to the experience families have, information and accessability, understanding and flexibility empower parents and grow trust and confidence within the system.

If you would like to add your messages of thanks, we will make sure the nurses see them.  You can add your comments here, or add to our facebook page.  (remember you have to be logged into your facebook account first)

The AGM of Cleft New Zealand Inc. will be held on Wednesday 26th May 2010 at 7.30pm at The Parenting Place – 300 Great South Road, Greenlane, Auckland

Notices of Motion, including nominations for Officers and the Executive, and any items of General Business must be received in writing by Wednesday 12th May 2010.

Notices of Motion and General Business can be sent either by:

•  email to info@cleft.org.nz
• or by post to; Chairperson, Cleft New Zealand Inc., PO Box 13-385, Onehunga, Auckland.

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)

We have updated the photos we have received from all of you. Take a look.

• Family & Baby
• Website launch  (look at the article below in What’s New)
• Kids

Aren’t we a handsome bunch!!

If you aren’t there and would like to be, just upload your images or contact susan@cleft.org.nz

Cleft New Zealand would like to thank the sponsors of the Face It launch.  Len Brown and Manukau City Council, NZ Lotteries Commission and Nautilus Wines.  Everyone contributed to the success of the event.

Sandy Mahoney, Thoughtfields Design Ltd, Paragon Design Ltd,Kenny Ardouin, Susan Frear, Ryan Mansfield and all those individuals who contributed their ideas, images and stories to the new website and brand, Cleft NZ would like to thank you for your contributions to the success of this project.

Around 70 people came to celebrate the launch and whether you were a young person born with cleft, a parent, or a professional, Face It had a positive personal meaning.  This is a really tangible way for Cleft New Zealand to show what our vision means to us.  We will face cleft seriously, but with positivity, a light heart and hope for a fantastic future. Our own personal life stories are the inspiration to those starting out.  Our future looks fantastic.