charity

HUGE weekend. Rish arrived midnight Friday, we went to Newcastle Saturday, and while we were on the F3, I got a text from my brother in law to say they were at the hospital because my niece was on her way!! :)

Liam

I got dropped off at my parents place, and got to muck around with my nephew for a few hours :)

AUG2011 084

Liam

We wore funnels as hats, tinman style

Liam

Had rides in the washing basket.

Liam

Did some gardening

Liam

Including a little repotting.

Liam

Liam

Had a tea party with the empty mugs

Liam

Build a tower and didn’t break anything

Liam

Then it was time to head to the hospital with my parents and meet little Ezri Rae…

Born 1:20pm, August 13, 52cm, 7lb 3.

New Niece - Ezri Rae

A serious little thing, Ezri is like Ezra, and means “helper”.

New Niece - Ezri Rae

Perfect timing, two days before due date. All are going well, but tired, I’m told.

New Niece - Ezri Rae

After time spent with family, and a later than realised dinner with Rish’s side, we got back to Sydney after midnight… with the alarm set for the big race… City 2 Surf!

City2Surf 2011

What a day! I arrived at the starting point just after my group (blue) started… not to worry it took 10 mins to get to the start anyway!

City2Surf 2011

What awesome atmosphere. I may have been running alone, but I never really was!

City2Surf 2011

Things got tough at the end of hearbreak hill, had to walk for a bit, but then finished strong, and got in around my estimated time – by my time I was in in 1 hour 47 minutes. Only an hour more than the winner ;)

City2Surf 2011

I’m hurting now!!!!! :D

Thankyou THANKYOU thankyou for all of you who sponsored me! I have raised $660 for the Steve Waugh Foundation to help awesome kids with rare diseases who might otherwise have nowhere else to go for funding support. Thank you for your support.

Bring on 2012!! :D

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Happy Jeans for Genes Day! for tomorrow, anyway! So, wear your jeans and make a donation for the Children’s Medical Research Institute :)

The Children’s Medical Research Institute is an independent organisation committed to unlocking the mysteries of disease. Their scientists investigate conditions such as birth defects, cancer, and epilepsy.

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So, I went and did it. I entered the City2Surf. 14km.

I won’t die doing it, but I’ll have fun trying!

I decided, after browsing around at the charities available (including bible groups and missionaries… ) I settled on the Steve Waugh Foundation:

The Steve Waugh Foundation is committed to a coordinated approach to the service, identification, treatment and cure of rare diseases – primarily focusing on children (0-25 years of age).
We strive to improve the quality of life for children and families affected by rare diseases.

The rare disease patient is the orphan of the health system, often without diagnosis, without treatment, without research and therefore, without reason to hope.

Families and carers of children with rare diseases experience significant psychological stress due to social isolation, unemployment, diagnostic delays, lack of information and difficulty accessing appropriate health care.

The Steve Waugh Foundation is working to help change things for children with a rare disease by giving hope, providing medicine, equipment and treatment, supporting education and research, partnering with other like agencies and organisations as well as supporting specific projects and programs. The Foundation has already supported over 200 families through generous donations from our Patrons, corporate partners and supporters. Over a million dollars has been used for medication, treatment, specialised equipment and financial support.

I first heard of the foundation when someone at work was able to obtain funding for a piece of equipment through them, after approaching funding bodies (government and NGOs) all over and not having success.

So, if you’re able, sponsor me in this year’s City2Surf. (Pro tip: Sponsor before June 30 to claim on this year’s tax return!) I’ll be giving updates on sponsorship over the next two months and of course my efforts to train towards a 14km run!!

There’s also a widget in the sidebar that will keep track of all you lovelies. Yes, I’m setting a goal of $1000. But aim high, I say!

Anyone else going in it? :D

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Vinnies Ball

November 16, 2010 · 7 comments

Vinnies Ball

Rish and I got to go to last weekend’s Vinnies Ball thanks to The RiotACT

Vinnies Ball
Any excuse to dress up!

Greeted with bubbly on arrival, and then finding out that we’d been seated with workmates, magically, even though neither side knew the others were going. Good work by the organisers on that one!
[click to continue…]

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Date: 13 November 2010
Time: 6.30pm for 7pm
Venue: Rydges Lakeside, London Circuit, Canberra City
Dress Code: Cocktail, Lounge Suit
Master of Ceremonies: Corinne Grant

Tickets are now on sale and selling fast! Please book now to make sure you don’t miss out! ($100/head or $950 for a table)

Cheers to St Vinnies and RiotACT for the tickets! We’re looking forward to to night, but still don’t know what to wear!

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(we shall now take a break from nail polish and election ranting)

PAKISTAN IN DIRE NEED OF BILLIONS IN AID AS FLOODS AFFECT OVER 14 MILLION
9 August 2010

At least 1,600 Pakistanis have been killed and over 14 million residents have been affected by the worst floods in Pakistan’s history. With entire villages submerged and more than half a million hectares of farm land the tragedy from this ongoing natural disaster is immense and help is desperately needed.

“The devastation by the floods is enormous, and some towns have been completely washed away. What used to be small streams are now highways of fast-flowing water that are destroying everything in their way” said Josep Prior Tio, Field Coordinator for Médecins Sans Frontières in Swat.

The special United Nations envoy for Pakistan’s flood disaster has said the country will need billions of dollars in aid to recover from this emergency and further billions will be needed in the recovery and reconstruction in the months and years ahead.

Pakistan Floods Emergency Appeal is urging Australian’s to go: www.pakistan.com.au where they will be directed to a number of charities accepting donations for the disaster including Oxfam, Unicef and Medecins Sans Frontieres Australia and can make much needed donations.

The disaster has been described as worse than the tsunami, the 2005 Pakistan earthquake and the Haiti earthquake by Maurizio Giuliano, a spokesman for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
Funds are not only desperately needed to help those already affected but also to alleviate further illness and deaths associated with the contamination of water.

The northwest province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has been worst hit after receiving heavy monsoon rains to week ago, much of the aid needed for Pakistan will go to the recovery of this area.

Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has appealed to those outside Pakistan saying in a televised broadcast, “I would ask international community to support and help Pakistan alleviate sufferings of flood-affected people.”

Any donation no matter how large or small will help those affected so please go to www.pakistan.com.au and give to those who so desperately need your help. If you don’t have funds to give please spread the word of the Pakistan Floods Emergency Appeal to friends and family.

Visit http://www.pakistan.com.au/ to get the links to your charity of choice.

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Not a part of it

September 21, 2009

There’s this toy drive going at the moment for “Operation Christmas Child”. The idea is you gather a shoebox of little gifts, like pens and pencils, small toys and so on, and send it to Africa or someplace for Christmas. Sounds nice, right? Me being be, I decided to skim the website of the charity [...]

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