Hi everyone,
This is the final news alert for this year. It has been a really busy one and we are all looking forward to a well-earned break before charging on to a brand new year, which is only a few weeks away!!
Let us re-cap on a few exciting things that have happened to us over this year.
Firstly, we have run three courses which have been well attended and they have achieved our goals of enabling people to learn new skills, meet up with others. and to forge friendships. People from all walks of life, and from other disability organisations, have enjoyed the camaraderie in knowing that EWCT is here to help. We are offering the same courses again next year. Our cooking class fills up really quickly and so please let Maria know if you wish to attend. We are going to offer a ‘Living Confidently and Well’ course with the focus being on health issues. Wade Limpus (our Trust Board member) and a Job Chat facilitator are looking forward to helping more people into employment, paid or unpaid. Please feel welcome to attend any, or all, of these courses. Watch this space for starting dates, times and location.
We continued to hold bi-monthly social events at Fresca Café, and these will continue again next year. We are grateful to the staff and Stu (the owner of Fresca Café) for their continued support of EWCT. We enjoyed a mid-winter feast at the Glenview Club and a sunny, end-of-year shared luncheon in the Hamilton Gardens. We recognise the need to stay in touch with people and to foster good friendships whilst on an epilepsy journey.
Maria was fortunate to attend an international epilepsy conference in Singapore in August with her epilepsy counterpart, Elaine Goldthorpe, from Northland. Great research continues to be undertaken on the epilepsy condition and many new anti-epilepsy drugs are being produced. It is recognized that the psycho-social issues surrounding the condition continue to worry some people, who have epilepsy, and much is being done world-wide to improve these people’s life experiences. We are proud to say that much is done in the Waikato by EWCT to help our community. We are running life skills courses, numerous social events and Maria is actively working alongside individuals, family/whanau/ friends and community groups to help people to understand and to cope with the epilepsy condition. To provide holistic care Maria has forged strong hospital and community links.
We had a really busy epilepsy awareness week with the launch of our “Go car-free for epilepsy” campaign, which will be a yearly event (1st week of November). Thank you to those who supported us by choosing a car-free day. We also launched our very own children’s epilepsy book, “Ben’s Buddies”, which was written and illustrated by the New Zealand award-winning duo, Sharon Holt and Deborah Hinde. This book has been warmly received nationally and internationally, and we are very proud of that achievement. For those who would like to purchase their own copy please contact Maria or AiEe.
Our Trust Board members were nominated and recognised at the Waikato Volunteer Excellence Awards for their efforts in helping to facilitate a new epilepsy service in the Waikato. Each board member has dedicated his/her time voluntarily, and doggedly, in producing a highly respected epilepsy organisation. EWCT wishes you well over this festive season and looks forward to seeing you in the New Year.
