Daniel and Friends Fund: May 2016

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 7, 2016

You Better Shape Up!

Our annual Ladies Tea this year was hosted at the picturesque Trikores in Durbanville and based on the 1950's Grease-style theme "You Better Shape Up!"

With previous Tea's having proved hugely successful, guests were again invited to host a table to which they would invite their own guests, as well decorate their table at their discretion in the hope of winning the Best Decorated Table category. Without a doubt, our hostesses outdid themselves this year and attempting to choose just one table out of many exquisitely decorated tables was a task we did not envy the judges of.

Our program was tailored around providing our guests with carefully-selected discussions which would provide an informative and thoroughly entertaining morning, touching on topics which would inspire and motivate guests to make a priority of their own wellbeing, on both a physical and emotional level. Judging from how each speaker was received, it would be fair to say that we were indeed successful.

Kick-starting the speakers off in her usual quirky way was Lunge With Lauren's Lauren Finnerty, personal trainer and fitness coach, who shared her personal life's story about the struggle to begin and maintain a healthy dietary lifestyle and provided some easy-to-follow tips on how to achieve this.

Michelle Gildenhuys from Styled Success and Sherilee Gildenhuys from Styled Faces delighted guests with some trendy wardrobe hacks and an impromptu make-up demo, with heaps of tips and advice on creating a more beautifully-styled you.

Dr Helen Muir, a sought-after speaker and highly respected medical practitioner specialising in homeopathy, integrative oncology and with an interest in nutrition and genetic wellness, had guests riveted as she presented alarming facts about the harmful elements we expose our systems to, often unknowingly, on a daily basis.