Painting It Forward 2016

On the weekend of 24-25th September we had the privilege of being a part of Painting It Forward 2016 - an initiative started by Chris Lategan who, after dealing with the devastating consequences of a brain tumour (including losing his sight), developed a passion for giving back once his health...and sight...had been restored to him..  With this being the third Painting It Forward project Daniel and Friends Fund has been a part of, knowing what a wonderfully uplifting experience it would be with artists, volunteers and other members of the community working together to make it a success, not to mention the breathtaking murals which experience guaranteed us would be decorating the passages at the end of the weekend, it was with a great deal of excitement that we made our way to the paediatric ward at Karl Bremer Hospital on the Saturday morning. 

The passages were a-buzz with artists and volunteers eagerly wanting to get started on the project.  The ease and prompt reaction with which artists and volunteers signed up this year to be a part of the project made it very clear how quickly Painting It Forward has become a much-loved community project. 

The first task was getting everyone signed up, making sure the necessary indemnities were acknowledged and accepted as well.

And then it was off into the passage which the Karl Bremer staff had kindly (and most helpfully) prepped beforehand.

  

Next up was wiping down the walls, taping off the corners with masking-tape and then applying the basecoat.

Before too long the artists were able to start on their murals, while volunteers keenly took to filling up the bottom section of the walls.

An intrigued patient wanders out into the passage to observe the activities.

And the end of Day 1 drew to a successful close.

It was off to an early start on Sunday morning.  Last year's project saw a few of the artists working right through into the early hours of Monday morning to finish their murals, but as the ward needed to stay up and running throughout the weekend, the artists had to work within a specified timeframe. 

It's not often one gets to have a hospital-stay which is accompanied by such a colourful and exciting form of entertainment.

The enthusiasm, gratitude and excitement of Karl Bremer's nursing personnel brought an unexpected air of humility to this year's project, so there was no doubt that the walls needed their 'mark' as well.

Vanessa Speck from Quality Paint Supplies, who once again supplied all the paint for this year's project, popped in to see how the murals were coming along.  Sister Nguta's grateful smile never left her face for a second and she was thrilled to pose for a snap.

Jampie Fourie from NG Kerk Oostersee kept our team freshly supplied with tasty hotdogs on both Saturday and Sunday (three cheers for Jampie - Thank You!)

Taking on a project of this nature would not have been possible were it not for the overwhelming generosity with which sponsors contributed, yet again.  We humbly offer our thanks and gratitude to:

QUALITY PAINT SUPPLIES for, as mentioned, sponsoring all the paint needed for the project
FRANCO FRAZZITTA who supplied the brushes, paint trays, mutton-cloth and masking tape
IAN DICKIE GROUP who sponsored the food and refreshments
GLACIER (by Sanlam) who supplied the artists with Posca Acrylic Pens
STEPHAN DU TOIT PHOTOGRAPHY for offering up his entire weekend to take photos
PREMIER SCAFFOLDING & KONIC HOME BUILDERS who helped transport equipment
KENRIDGE PRIMARY & TYGERBERG HOSPITAL SCHOOL for the use of their projectors
CANDICE RODRIGUES PHOTOGRAPHY for her awesome donation of toys to the ward, as well as contributing to the photos on Sunday afternoon

One can look through the pictures and listen to the feedback given by those who took part in the event, but you really have to be a part of it to experience the incredible vibe upon which the project flows. Rest assured, there are many more Painting It Forward projects in the pipeline...watch this space! Of course we absolutely have to close out with some pictures of the murals.  While it would certainly be wonderful to include a pic of each and every mural, practicality dictates otherwise.  And so, as blogger, I have the awesome privilege of getting to choose some of my favourites.  To everyone who contributed to the project, from the distributing of the paint and brushes to the painting of the magnificent murals, a super WELL DONE! You guys rock!

Elanie Bieldt's Bedtime Stories - what kid wouldn't want a mural like this in their bedroom.

Although it hardly seemed possible, Sandie Gie managed to outdo herself again this year with her exquisite mural.

In between offering some comfort and much-needed TLC to one of the patients, Brandon Challis managed to finish this brilliant Alice In Wonderland themed mural.

Chris Venter's awesome Pirate Maze inspired by one of his illustrated children's books, "Waarvoor is Seerowers Bang?" (written by Jaco Jacobs)

Elouise Milburn's mesmerising Rocket Spiral

Jodique Fontein's Alternative Earth

Maxine Koen's enchanting Pixie Forest

And Kim Mobey's breathtaking mural. All the murals can be viewed on the Painting It Forward Facebook Page  

We were thrilled to have our very own DFF princess-warrior, Layla Loos, there on Sunday afternoon to add her contribution to the initiative.

And the only thing which could possibly have made this year's event any more awesome? A Painting It Forward event taking place in Tawain...at the exact same time!

In closing...a winning Painting It Forward 2016 Team

From left (back) Stephan, Chris V

(middle) Kate, Lianie, Chris L, Talitha, Nicky

(front) Anja, Sandie and Iqraam  

Special Needs Parenting : Taking Care of YOU!

PREVENTING INJURY:

While the emotional and psychological implications of caring for a child with special needs is often a point of discussion, the impact on a parent/carer's physical wellbeing is consistently overlooked.  Parents/carers of children with disabilities have no choice but to place their bodies under extreme pressure on a daily basis and usually for indefinite periods of time and while this alone can be exhausting, there is the added challenge that the child they are caring for is growing as quickly as what they themselves are ageing. 

Thankfully, there are skilled professionals who can provide expert advice and guidance on how to both prevent serious injury to yourself and on how to strengthen the body in order to make meeting those physical demands that little bit easier.  One such group of skilled professionals, Aucamp & Wilsdorf Physiotherapists treated our Daniel and Friends Fund parents to an informative and delightfully entertaining morning on this very matter. 

Compromised strength as your body tries to accommodate your growing child, together with continuous repetition of high-risk movement, such as carrying a non-mobile, 25Kg child on your hip for extended periods of time or lifting your child into and out of the bath every evening, can result in painful and debilitating muscle and skeletal injuries, which in turn could cause the following :

• Lower back pain (usually caused by muscle spasms and/or discus lesions)
• Sciatic nerve injury
• Rotator cuff injuries (shoulder)
• Carpal tunnel syndrome

PREVENTION IS BETTER (AND CHEAPER) THAN CURE:

Getting to know and utilise your Transverse Abdominus Muscle - often referred to as the corset in Pilates, the transverse abdominum muscle is the deepest abdominal muscle, which extends from the belly button up to the rib cage. 

It wraps horizontally from the back of the body to the front and its main function is to maintain tone of the abdominal organs and to interplay with many core components, ie. the spine and the muscles surrounding the spine and other abdominal muscles.  Your core is the essential originator of most of the body's movement, as well as is the determinant for the quality of an individual's posture, aligning the trunk if the muscles all have the proper tone.  Because of this structure, the core is a good way to help prevent lower back pain and/or injury. 

 

PREVENTING INJURY – POINTS TO REMEMBER:

 Bath Time :

 

•      Always centre your movement from your core when moving your child

•      Keep your back straight, avoid uncomfortable positions and never rotate your back when you move

•      Keep the child as close to your body as possible

•      Always go down or up to the child’s level

•      Make the area as comfortable as possible and think out of the box with regards to prepping the area before the time, etc. 

•      Use a bath mat to prevent sudden, strained movement should you or your child slip

•      Make use of a bath chair where possible

•      Keep toiletries close by and prepare all necessities beforehand

•      Place a cushion under knees when kneeling next to the bath

•      Raise the bath, if possible

•      Make sure not to rotate your hips when transferring child into or out of bath

•      Ensure that the water level is not too high

•      When warm enough, dry child before taking out of the bath (to prevent slipping)

 
Bed Time :

 

•      Ensure the bed is at a comfortable height

•      “Log roll” the child onto his/her side first

•      Keep your knees comfortably bent

•      Use a slip-sheet movement where possible

•      Wear comfortable clothes

•      Make sure equipment is always at its highest functional level

 

Log Roll

 

 

Transferring child to and from vehicle:

•      Make use of a small step-ladder if the car is too high

•      Hold your child as close to your body as possible

•      Keep the child in a sitting position

•      Position pram or wheelchair before hand

 

Physiotherapist Annegret Wilsdorf demonstrating "Log and Roll"

And the benefits of keeping your child close to your body

Instruction on effective core exercises was enjoyed by young Pierre Cloete

With thanks to Aucamp & Wilsdorf Physiotherapists for,

once again, giving so generously of their time and knowledge. 

 

 

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.  

 

Grant Karpakis and "Die Baard" made sure every foot was a-tapping at regular intervals throughout the morning.



 

 

The winner of our Best Dressed Category - the lovely Noeline Grace

 

Having our DFF Family at our functions/events is always one of our main highlights. 

 

As too is the support of our loyal and passionate ambassadors:

Michelle Gildenhuys (2nd left) and Minki Burger (far right) 

COMMUNITY-BASED PROJECTS : ANTI-HIJACKING COURSE

On Saturday, 9th April, the Daniel and Friends Fund was excited to host its very first Anti-Hijacking Course, facilitated by Robert Martin of Global Learning Services, an ex-member of the South African Police Services. 

The Workshop covered the following :

Criminals and their Tactics :

• Criminals work either on their own or as part of a gang, most gangs of which work for syndicates
• Criminals approach their lifestyle as if it were a profession, affording it almost the same amount of planning and commitment, particularly as motives predominantly revolve around money

Reasons for Hijacking:

• Anti-theft devices make simply stealing the cars harder
• Although hijacking is far more risky for the criminal, the financial gain makes it worth it
• Hijacking is considered a petty crime so, if caught, the criminal would face a lesser sentence
• Hijacked vehicles can be sold for an instant R5 000.00 (sometimes more if "ordered" by a syndicate) and can take less than 2 hours to be stripped by the "chop shop"

Types of Hijacking:

• Spontaneous - usually carried out by an opportunist who spots a negligent victim
• Planned - a specific car "ordered" (usually through a syndicate). This particular type of hijacking usually requires observing the target's routine for some time first. 

Most common places for Hijackings to take place :

• When target is leaving/returning home
• Entrance/exit to place of work
• Intersections
• Petrol stations
• Outside shops, roadhouses, etc
• Parking lots/garages at shopping centres
• Narrow, isolated streets
• High-crime areas
• Popular locations eg. "lovers' lane", etc

Tactics hijackers use to fool their victims :

• Dressing up as police officers, hitch-hikers, car guards, street hawkers at intersections NB If a police vehicle instructs you to pull off the road, indicate to them that you are going to drive to the nearest police station and they should follow
• Pretending to be good Samaritans, eg. trying to pull you off the road by telling you your wheel is flat
• Faking an accident scene NB In the case of arriving at an accident scene, never leave your vehicle.  Stay alert and call an ambulance from your car.
• Pretending to need directions
• Bumping into your vehicle

Hijackers Planning :

• The hijacker will observe your routine and plan ahead - make a habit of occasionally changing your route, etc. particularly if your routine involves things like banking large amounts of cash on set days, etc
• Hijackers will often work in a team so that one members can distract the victim
• They will always target the driver as he/she has control of the vehicle

Weapons most often used :

• Firearms (including homemade firearms)
• Knives
• Batons
• Stones
• Tear gas or pepper spray
• Spark plug (to shatter the window)

Safety and Prevention :

• Always plan your route ahead of time and identify alternate routes in the event that you find your safety feeling compromised
• Avoid routine
• Always tell colleagues/family where you are going and which route you will be going
• When approaching your vehicle, have your keys ready in your hand and scan the area around your vehicle. Enter and exit vehicle as quickly as possible
• Leave your window/s (particularly the passenger window) with a 5-10cm gap. This reduces the severity of the shattered window and might deter a hijacker.
• Advise colleagues/family when you have arrived at your destination
• Make a habit of scanning your surroundings for possible threats, particularly when at intersections, and where possible advise your passenger to do the same.
• Refrain from using a cellphone while in your car.  Apart from being illegal, it is a driver's biggest distraction.
• Always keep your cellphone on your body, in case of being thrown out of the car

There are five stages of alert :

White :   when you are in your comfort zone, distracted and oblivious to your surroundings
Yellow : you are remotely aware but not perceiving danger
Orange : you are alert of non-specific danger
Red :      you are concerned and have reason to believe there is clear and present danger
Black :   you are under attack

Your vehicle :

• To be kept in good working order
• All valuables to be kept out of sight
• Weapons to be kept within reach
• Doors to be kept locked

Tactical driving when approaching an intersection :

• Reduce your speed slowly
• Pre-select your gears
• Maintain a "creep" distance between yourself and the car in front of you
• Constantly survey the area
• Allow for a survival space between yourself and the car in front of you once you have stopped
• Mentally prepare an escape plan
• When stopped, leave your car in first gear with your hand on the pulled up handbrake and your foot on the accelerator

What to do if a hijacker instructs you to exit your vehicle :

• Raise both hands to shoulder height (never higher as this draws attention to yourself which in turn draws attention to the hijacker who will then panic and react)
• Always keep your right hand up in defence position
• Use only your left hand when given instructions - release your seatbelt with your left hand and unlock and open your door with your left hand
• Slowly get out of your vehicle
• Tell the hijacker what you are doing as you perform each action
• Exit to the right, rear of the vehicle
• Do not attempt to make eye contact with the hijacker but instead keep your focus down while trying to observe any marks of identification
• Always answer the hijacker truthfully

What to do if the hijacker has a firearm pointed at you :

• Do not do anything to alarm the hijacker (eg. scream, try to hit the firearm from him)
• Never initiate any movement without instruction from the hijacker
• Obey all instructions
• Do not make eye contact
• Move your hands only when instructed

After the hijacking :

• Get to a safe place and report the incident immediately
• Seek professional intervention, particularly if a child/children were in the vehicle at the time
• Be aware of the signs and symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

 

We wish to thank Robert for his hugely informative workshop and encourage

community members to contact him on robert@emergencysa.com for further information.