Daniel and Friends Fund: May 2015

What is the Daniel and Friends Fund?

On the 23rd August 2013 little Daniel le Roux lost his lengthy and courageous battle with Leigh Syndrome, exactly one week after another little warrior, Mariele Laurie, succumbed to complications of the syndrome she suffered from, Aicardi-Goutieres Syndrome. Professor Pieter Fourie, whose care of and love for Daniel and Mariele had gone over and beyond anything which might be considered fair professional expectation, was determined not to allow the heartache and devastation caused by such tragedy to go without lending itself to a higher purpose...and so shortly after Mariele and Daniel had earned their angel wings, Professor Fourie shared with Kate and Lianie, their mothers, his vision for an organisation which would provide much-needed support for other parents who might be on a similar journey. Just a few short months later, the Daniel and Friends Fund was born guided by, by this time, three special needs mothers, each symbolic of the three friends who had helped Daniel in the Biblical passage from which Professor Fourie had drawn his inspiration.

Since their launch in February 2014, the Daniel and Friends Fund (a registered non-profit organisation) and the dedicated and driven people behind it, have provided not only the emotional and psychological support often sought by parents of children with special needs, but have also committed to ensuring that these parents have had access to the necessary knowledge and training in order to equip them to care for their children in the best possible way that they can. While largely focusing on top priority issues like providing extremely affordable CPR courses, free therapy sessions, psychology-based programs for the parents, occasional donations of items/equipment necessary for caring for a child with special needs...the importance of also creating a fundamental base from which friendships and 'normalcy' can stem has not gone overlooked. To this end, the Daniel and Friends Fund mommies are often treated on special days like Mother's Day and Women's Day and, where possible, these invitations are extended to the entire family for celebrations such as Mandela Day, Christmas Day, etc.

The purpose of our blog is not only to provide the opportunity for sponsors, supporters and followers to stay in touch with the various projects and events we're busy with but also, and just as importantly, to provide an insight for others into what life entails for families on a special needs journey, as well as enlightening fellow parents to the fact that this journey need not be travelled alone...

Saturday, May 9, 2015

The Great Gatsby Ladies Tea/Haven of Hope Equine Aid Centre Project

Haven of Hope Equine Aid Centre, situated on the Kaapzicht Wine Farm, is a non-profit organisation which provides FREE horseriding therapy to children with special needs. The exercise of not only setting up such a facility, but maintaining both it and the horses is, as one can imagine, a costly affair so functioning purely on donations can leave little budget for 'extras'...which in this case runs along the lines of toilets, adequate stabling for the animals, etc.

A ministry close to our hearts, the Daniel and Friends Fund elected to host a fundraising event in the hope of being able to make a contribution towards the necessary upgrades needed at Haven of Hope. Keeping within the theme of Mother's Day, it was decided to hold a Great Gatsby themed Ladies Tea which, with giving the ladies an opportunity to dress-up and show off their hosting and decorative skills on top of a fun-filled morning complete with inspirational speakers, prizes and a trendy "photo booth', proved to be a huge hit.

Kate (Chairperson of the Daniel and Friends Fund) and Lianie (Social Director) succeeded in putting together a memorable and beautifully co-ordinated event and looked stunning while doing it!

Rose-Hanna Brown, a Counselling Psychologist, shared with us a few choice "secrets" with which to maintain a healthy and fruitful parent/child relationship.

Lauren Finnerty, a Personal Trainer at Lunge with Lauren gave us a quirky and upbeat presentation on the importance of a good fitness program, as well as much-needed insight into some myths regarding exercise.

This'd be me sharing how I managed to find myself delving into the world of Sh'Zen's natural skincare range after thirteen years in the completely unrelated commercial/retail property field.

The Daniel and Friends Fund mommies who were able to attend the function did so in creative splendour, as can be seen by their lovely outfits!

And last but not least, the beautiful La Provence Wine Farm in Stellenbosch, which caters for a host of different functions from weddings to corporate functions to company year-ends, was made available to us by the generous Joubert Family.

Should you wish to make a donation to Haven of Hope, one can do so as per the following :

Name : Haven of Hope Equine Aid Centre

Bank : ABSA - Brackenfell Branch (Generic code 632005)

Acc No. : 9295527721 (Savings Account)

NPO NO. 135-100