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OUR NEWS

'champion connection,' december 2020

27/11/2020

 

Introducing the two new Centre Directors

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Wendy Entwistle, Executive Director
​Wendy was appointed Executive Director following the retirement of Dr. Susan Foster-Cohen in August this year. A registered Social Worker, Wendy has a Diploma and MA in Social Work, coupled with a Post-Graduate Diploma in Management Studies. For nine years, from 2003 until 2012, Wendy led the Family Support Team at the Champion Centre and was part of the Centre Management Team.

In 2013, Wendy moved to Hamilton and led the Consumer Engagement team at the Waikato District Health Board, where she established and supported the inaugural Consumer Council for Waikato DHB.
In 2018, Wendy moved back to Christchurch and is delighted to return ‘home’ to the Champion Centre. She took on the role of Early Intervention Services Manager, leading the team of 18 Early Intervention Educators, as well as being part of the management team and supporting a range of executive functions. 

​Driven by principles of equality and inclusion Wendy says: ‘A significant part of my professional life has been spent at the Champion Centre and I feel a strong connection and loyalty to it. For years the Champion Centre, in partnership with families, has provided a vital service for many families in Christchurch.’


‘I am especially grateful to Susan for her support over the years and wish her well. Moving forwards, I am excited to partner with Lauren as part of the new leadership team, ensuring the Champion Centre continues to thrive for many, many years to come’.
Lauren Porter, Clinical Director
Lauren was appointed Clinical Director in October. A registered clinical social worker, Lauren holds both an MSW and PhD in Social Work. Her PhD was completed at the University of Canterbury in 2017 under the supervision of Patricia Champion, with a focus on first time mothers and their premature infants. Lauren has been in direct clinical practice since 1995, working with children and families for most of that time.
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Lauren lived in Germany in the mid 1990’s for five years, where she worked for the US military, supporting adolescents and their families. She then took on the role of Programme Director for a city-wide child sexual abuse treatment programme. In 2004, Lauren and her colleague, Kate Dent Rennie, formed the NZ-based Centre for Attachment, ​an agency that provided direct training, consultation and intervention to parents, infant mental health professionals and government.
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In 2014, Lauren and her family relocated to Australia, where  she worked for both Griffith University and Southern Cross University in teaching and supervision roles. Since returning to New Zealand early this year, Lauren has been Clinical Manager of Massey University Wellington's Student Health and Counselling Centre.
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Lauren's appointment to the Champion Centre is a homecoming in profound and important ways. Not only is she returning home to Christchurch, but she is taking up a role that fortifies her most meaningful professional connections: to infant mental health; to Patricia, Jan and the team; and to the relational support of our youngest members of society. Lauren is excited to partner with Wendy, to learn from both Wendy and the team, and to dedicate herself and her professional energy to the best future for the Champion Centre.

December fundraising initiatives

26/11/2020

 
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​Rural ram sale to yield hefty donation
Our wonderful Champion Centre family Mark and Joanne, and their awesome young 'champion', Ted, are very kindly donating the proceeds of one ram in their  annual Ram Sale 2020. Lot #7 ram will be auctioned at The Gums sheep farm in Cheviot on Thursday 3 December from 1pm .

The Champion Centre would love you to help with Ted's fundraiser by making a donation, large or small, in support of the no.7 ram.  For more information www.thegums.nz
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​To donate: https://givealittle.co.nz/cause/ted-and-the-gums-ram-sale-fundraiser-for-champions

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Sonya's long, luscious locks are coming off!
Sonya Chamberlain, one of our Early Intervention Educators, will be shaving her head in a bid to raise funds for the Centre. Her beautiful long locks will be coming off on Monday 14 December, 4pm.

Sonya says, ‘I want to shave my head to raise money for the Champion Centre, because I'm continuously surprised when I say I work for the Champion Centre, that a lot of people have never heard of us! This may help to raise awareness of the wonderful work of the Centre as well as raising much needed funds.’

Sonya is taking donations until the end of December. 
To contribute: https://givealittle.co.nz/cause/losing-the-locks-for-our-champions
Stunning photo auction
‘Mainland’, a photography exhibition and auction, with works by Kevin Clarke. Kevin is an international award-winning professional photographer based in Christchurch. 

Kevin is very kindly donating a portion of the proceeds from his art auction to the Champion Foundation Trust.
1-6 December 2020
'Pumanawa' at the Christchurch Arts Centre www.cmgstudios.co.nz
#championcentre #CmgStudios #KevinClarke

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adventure runs through the veins of the latz siblings

25/11/2020

 
The family of Nick Latz says that the impact the Champion Centre had on Nick's life is immeasurable. Nick (39) has Down syndrome and younger sister Annabelle will be running the Tarawera 100 miler Ultramarathon, in Rotorua in February to raise funds to fill the significant financial gap the Centre must fill every year.

Over 200 pre-school children with significant disabilities each year rely on the critical early intervention work by the Champion Centre. The Centre receives 78% of funding from the government and relies on grants and fundraisers for the rest. Unable to access some of its traditional funding streams due to Covid, the organisation is this year fighting to make up a shortfall of approximately $600,000.

Annabelle Latz remembers her bigger brother attend the Champion Centre and knows first-hand how much the early intervention therapy helped him to lead a full and independent life.

‘It’s a privilege to run ultramarathons, and an even bigger privilege to have Nick as my big brother, and have this opportunity to raise money for these youngsters who are starting on their very special journey,’ says Annabelle.
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Nick and his sister Annabelle enjoy a walk and a laugh.
Nick’s parents Kate and Peter Latz say that the Champion Centre literally saved them after Nick was born. ‘From those initial feelings of being completely at a loss, we were reassured within hours of Nick’s birth that not only was help at hand, but that there was far more that was normal about our baby than not normal, and we should treat him as the precious baby boy that he was.’

‘As parents, we celebrated every milestone big and small and our initial despair became our greatest joy as we watched our beautiful boy embrace life,’ says Kate.
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Nick wearing his bronze medal at the Special Olympics World Winter Games, South Korea.
Nick now lives independently in a self-contained unit in Rangiora, where a support worker visits in the evenings while he cooks his own dinner. Nick will often prepare a meal in the crockpot or use his Weber barbeque to cook some meat, and he makes ‘the best’ salads.

Nick loves to dance! He is currently planning his 40th birthday celebrations next March, which will include some great food, drinks and music. Music is a passion that runs in his family and he’s enjoyed many live concerts over the years; David Bowie, The Rolling Stones and Joe Cocker to name a few.

Conquering personal challenges seems to run through the veins of the Latz family. Ski enthusiast Nick started skiing at the age of eight under the wing of Skiing for the Disabled, with whom he spends almost every Saturday in winter up on the slopes training at Mt Hutt. In 2013, Nick won a bronze medal in the Alpine Skiing Intermediate Giant Slalom at the 10th Special Olympics World Winter Games, in South Korea.

​Nick works part-time at F.O.D (Fools of Desire), a café in Rangiora, where he washes dishes and enjoys the camaraderie with his workmates. On his morning break you will see him sipping on a cup of Bell tea.

​‘He’s grown into an awesome, confident guy, and that’s largely thanks to his early years at The Champion Centre. And he’s a rock n’ roller from way back, so it’s fitting that the funds I raise will be going straight to The Champion Centre’s music programme.’
‘As we’ve said in our family, Down syndrome is what Nick has, not what he is,’ says Annabelle. 

To give to Annabelle’s fundraising efforts:
https://givealittle.co.nz/fundraiser/httpswwwchampioncentreorgnz

Earlybird, the perfect gift

24/11/2020

 
​Earlybird is a beautifully illustrated children's book that tells the moving story of Peri Pukeko, a baby bird who hatched early, as he gets ready to go home and learns to fly. It is written by Julie Burgess-Manning, illustrated by Jenny Cooper, and created from Dr. Patricia Champion’s themes and storyline. Earlybird has been created by The Champion Foundation and published by Kotuku Press.

Both the Earlybird book and stunning limited edition prints make wonderful Christmas gifts.

Available from: www.championfoundation.co.nz/shop
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​‘Wishing all our families and supporters a relaxing and safe summer break. 
We look forward to seeing you in 2021!’
- From all of us at the Champion Centre.



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'champion connection,' august 2020

18/8/2020

 
Korero with Susan
Kia ora koutou, ngā mihinui,
​

It is with mixed feelings that I write this, my last Director's column, for the Champion Centre's newsletter.  After almost 17 years as Director I will be moving on to the next phase of my life at the end of August. Although sad to leave, I am looking forward to having time for research and to adding to the list of publications produced by a range of individuals associated with the Champion Centre over the years. (See our website for the bibliography as well as the other materials for both families and professionals.)

My job at the Champion Centre has been the very best I have had, and I have only appreciation and awe for the incredible work of the Centre. I am therefore extremely pleased and relieved to be able to pass the baton on to Wendy Entwistle, our newly appointed Executive Director.  Wendy will soon be joined by a new Clinical Director, and together they will no doubt weather the challenges of meeting the needs of children and families in the years to come.

The Champion Centre is a place that truly translates the science of human development into practice and makes it possible for infants and young children with challenges to their development to reach their full potential.  That it has been able to do this for more than 40 years while being chronically under-funded is testament to the dedication of staff and the generosity of private donors and trusts who help us plug the gap between government funding and programme costs.

My parting plea, therefore, is for each person who reads this newsletter to make a donation to the Centre.  It could be a regular donation or a larger one-off.  Your donation would be the best parting gift I could receive.  Please mark it 'Susan's goodbye' so I know you have heard my plea! 

Noho ora mai,
Dr Susan Foster-Cohen
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Incoming Executive Director, Wendy Entwistle.

Therapy through arts

17/8/2020

 
Through the lockdown, arts therapy student Kate Willis realised that a lot of charities were struggling to find opportunities to fundraise. She decided that she wanted to do something, even if it was small, to make a difference. While walking around her neighbourhood during the lockdown, Kate realised that she could create a product that could be a memento to people from this time in isolation and help even just a few people in this strange and hard time. She started drawing and came up with the Teddy Bears in the Window series. She has designed a range of greeting cards that are being sold to help raise funds for three different charities, including The Champion Centre.

'Even to make a small difference to one or two children would be amazing,' says Kate. Kate raised $1000 for charity from her Teddy Bears in the Window card series, of which $300 has been given to the Champion Centre. We are very grateful that she was able to use her talents over the lockdown to benefit the Centre. 
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Kate occupied with her arts practice.
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'Friends in the window' greeting card series.
Kate fell in love with the Champion Centre back in 2015, when she was a volunteer, and was surprised to find out that the Champion Centre wasn't fully funded. 'The work they do is so valuable and life-changing for each small person who is able to attend the Centre. Every person I met in the Centre had a heart of gold and was passionate about what they did, and the children never failed to put a smile on my face with their excitement and contagious energy,' says Kate.

'I am interested in working with people. I have a background in visual arts training and have always been creative, be it dance or the arts, ' Kate says.

Arts therapy or arts psychotherapy is an emerging field in New Zealand. It uses creative modalities, including visual arts-making, drama, and dance/movement within a therapeutic relationship to improve and inform physical, mental and emotional well-being. The reason it is called "arts therapy" rather than "art therapy" is because of the different arts that are used to help people. Arts therapy differs from traditional arts-making or performance in that the emphasis is on the process of creating and making meaning, rather than on the end-product. The therapist and client/s develop a therapeutic relationship with clear boundaries, treatment plans and outcomes. The arts themselves are considered to have healing functions that arts therapists seek to harness to assist their clients to achieve change.
Kate says, 'I stumbled across the postgraduate course at Whitecliffe, an arts college, while I was doing my bachelor's degree in Visual Arts and was excited by the prospect of combining my two passions'. She enrolled in the one year post graduate diploma, which led into two years of the Master of Arts in Arts Therapy (Clinical) programme. Arts therapy students usually come from one of two areas of interest, either social work or the arts side, and any arts modality is welcome. As Kate began looking for non-paid placements through her Arts Therapy study in 2019, she once again sought out the Champion Centre.

Kate started at the Champion Centre as a student intern in the second half of year two of her training and extended it for a further six months. She spent one day each week working alongside the therapists, half of her time in the playroom and the other half in the music room. 'In the music sessions we used a lot of movement with organza ribbon sticks, creating visual imagery to the musical patterns. I worked with music specialist Julie Wylie and have learnt so much from her. In the playroom we explored sensory play with sand, rice or water, allowing connections to be created between the child and their body. We also explored both the doodle boards and paints and created pictures through their creative imagination', Kate explains.

A highlight was when she was working with a child who has a diagnosis of autism. The child made eye contact with her for the first time and it was these small but significant moments that were so special for Kate. Kate finishes her masters' degree at the end of this year and would love to keep working with children in the disability or mental health sector.

Kate Willis' artwork at www.katewillisartist.com

ardern painting yields significant donation

16/8/2020

 
An 'isolation idea' over lockdown saw professional artist Gwyn Hughes busy with a fundraising initiative in support of the Champion Centre. He was keen to acknowledge the incredible work our Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern, was doing during the recent COVID-19 events and began creating a large portrait in oils.

The original artwork was auctioned on Trade Me and took the interest of over 29,000 people. Radio station ‘The Breeze’ interviewed Gwyn, where he told of his passion to support the Centre’s intervention programmes. The auction also got a mention on ‘The Project’ on TV3.
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A portrait and landscape artist specialising in commission pieces and original works, Gwyn has a lengthy career in the arts internationally, and now here in New Zealand. He has recently won the ‘People’s Choice’ with the Adam Portraiture Award 2020 through the New Zealand Portrait Gallery.  
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Gwyn has very kindly gifted oil paintings to both the ‘Art from the Attic’ fundraiser and the 40th Anniversary Gala’s ‘live auction’ in 2018 and has donated $5000 to our early intervention programmes from his depiction of Jacinda Ardern. We sincerely appreciate his time and talents.
http://www.gwyn.co/
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Lead clinical psychologist moves on

15/8/2020

 
Lead psychologist and Centre Management Team member, Dr. Alison Gray, has left her role to pursue other interests, after nine years at The Champion Centre. Before coming to the Centre in 2011, Alison had been a clinical psychologist in the UK, working largely with children, adolescents and families, including those with developmental delays and disabilities, since the 1980's.

'Dad was an educational psychologist and quite well known in the UK. Originally, I wanted to go into teaching, but took psychology to keep my options open. On graduating, I studied clinical psychology and then worked for the NHS (the National Health Service) in the UK,' says Alison. Alison came to New Zealand in 2002 with her farmer husband, John and three sons. John had lived in New Zealand during his OE and had always wanted to come back. Then 'In 2001 there was the Foot and Mouth outbreak in the UK and all our cattle on our farm were slaughtered. We came over to NZ after that for a holiday over Christmas. During that time, we decided we wanted to move here for good, so we applied for residency and arrived at the end of 2002,' says Alison.
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Alison on a blue skied day on her rural property.
 Alison started off covering for maternity leave in the Mothers and Babies team at Princess Margaret Hospital then enrolled in a PhD in Psychology at the University of Canterbury with a study on the early development and family environments of children born to mothers enrolled in the methadone programme during pregnancy. Alison met Dr Patricia Champion while she was undertaking research at University of Canterbury. 'I also met Susan about the same time and when I had handed in my PhD, Susan asked me whether I would consider working at the Centre?' says Alison.

In February 2011 she started working one day a week at the Centre with a focus on babies born prematurely, but her work was interrupted only two weeks later by the 22 February earthquake.  Not only was the Champion Centre impacted, but also Alison and John's farm; and not for the first time. In the previous September, their dairy farm had been one of the worst affected on the Greendale Fault. 'We had 2kms of fault-line running through the farm. Luckily, none of our cows were injured but fences, powerlines, water-pipes, tracks and wells were badly damaged and the milking shed had to be completely rebuilt. 'It was interesting watching the scientific community pour onto our farm,' Alison reflects. 'However, from a psychology point of view, I found it interesting observing the process'.
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Over the years, Alison's role at the Champion Centre gradually grew from working with babies born prematurely, and their parents to managing the Family Support team and serving on the Centre Management Team. 'People often ask what is a psychologist doing working with babies or young children? Most of the time we are working with the parents and caregivers to help them understand their children's reactions and responses, so they can understand and support them better,' states Alison.

Alison says working in a multidisciplinary team and learning a lot from other colleagues are her biggest highlights from her time at the Champion Centre. 'The staff are very dedicated in what they do,' says Alison. Even though Alison has officially resigned from her position at the Centre, she has been contracted by the Champion Foundation Trust to write a paper on prematurity for use in talking with government. She is hoping we can put some pressure on the government for better support of these vulnerable infants.

When considering her future plans, Alison says, 'I may consider delivering some psychology services to children and families online. However, I discovered over lockdown when I ran out of broadband data, that we don't get very good broadband out rurally.' However, Alison has another string to her bow, as their Chief Pest Controller on the farm. 'I even caught another possum this weekend. I was busy upskilling over lockdown!'
The role of Registered Psychologists at the Champion Centre:
The Champion Centre currently employs one full-time and two part-time registered psychologists. Their role is vital to the effectiveness of all our programmes as they have as their focus both the social and emotional development of children and the key relationships between children and parents/caregivers that allow children to thrive. Whether they are working alongside new parents of children born prematurely or with a recognised disability, helping families understand their children's behaviour, or supporting parents to be effective parents their focus on child and family relationships is at the heart of the Champion Centre model.  With more than 200 families attending our programmes at any one time, our psychologists have more than a full workload.

New desks and blinds bring new outlook

14/8/2020

 
 Earlier this year we put out a request to our Champion community to help us with a quote for custom built office desks to house our growing staff of specialists and therapists. We’d outgrown our current space and needed a design concept that would maximise what we had and ensure each of our fantastic team members had a place to call their own. Misco Joinery wasted no time in heeding the call and taking up the challenge. It was a huge undertaking, with seven offices needing an upgrade but nothing seemed too much trouble for the Kaiapoi joinery company, who made it clear from the start that this office fitout would be a gift to the Champion Centre.

The fabulous folks at Misco designed, planned and prefabricated customised desk units for the seven offices, a set of pigeonholes and a large hall cupboard, in time to welcome the team back for the new term. Penny, Jess, Chris and his team did an awesome job of transforming the Champion Centre’s workspace.

We are humbled once more by the munificent support from Graeme Rose, Managing Director at Window Treatments NZ Ltd. Graeme contacted us after hearing about our office upgrade, and hearing that the old window fittings in the offices were in a bit of disrepair. Graeme and his team offered to restore, clean and replace our blinds and curtains to a standard befitting our new workplace upgrade as a wonderful gift in-kind. With the clean, repaired and brand-new window treatments in place, we are feeling very proud of our Champion Centre makeover.

Our heartfelt thanks to:
Ready Made Blinds Ltd (who supplied our new blinds)
The Blind Care Company (who cleaned our existing blinds)
And Window Treatments NZ Ltd, the company that Ready Made Blinds and The Blind Care companies are subsidiaries of.

We express our warm appreciation to Mike and Glenn and the Misco team, and Graeme and his Window Treatments staff for their generosity, expertise and time. The difference this project has made to our devoted team here at the Centre is priceless. We can’t wait to welcome visitors and show off our purpose-built offices. You’d have to agree they have done an outstanding job!

Thank you Misco Joinery & Window Treatments from all of us at The Champion Centre!
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An office space 'before' the makeover.
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An office fit out 'after' the makeover.
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The Centre's Chair, Graeme Daniel and Graeme Rose from Window Treatments.
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Penny and Jess from Misco hold a piece of artwork painted by some of our Centre children, with Graeme and Susan from The Centre.

We can do this, with your help!

13/8/2020

 
With a new landscape to navigate, it is no longer ‘business as usual’ around the globe, and the Champion Centre is no different. We are rising to the challenge and we have explored and created remote engagement with our community over the ‘lockdown’ period, moved with agility and responded to the changes in our current environment. We are doing much more with a lot less. While the Centre is feeling grateful and positive about the community support we are experiencing, many of our usual funding opportunities are now insufficient to satisfy the urgent needs of the charitable sector.

Funding grant makers are confronted with difficult decisions about where to distribute limited resources. We are continually reflecting on what we need to do to rethink, recover and rebuild. As a Centre, we are looking at how we can remain sustainable now, and into the future. We urgently need to explore and establish new partnerships, as it is clear that the philanthropic sector, and those investing in social impact initiatives will now need to revise their practices, in order to respond to a significantly altered economy. With lost revenue through postponed, cancelled and declined grant rounds, gaming trusts and fundraising initiatives, we are now faced with reaching out, as never before, to cover the most basic of our programme expenses.

The time for action is here! What we experience as a society, and the input and choices we make now, will affect the outcomes and lives of the generations of children that follow us. By thinking and working differently with our community and other philanthropic partners, we want to be well positioned to continue to provide the vital intervention services we have delivered for over 42 years.
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Without your support, this may not be possible. The Champion Centre, alongside the Champion Foundation Trust are constantly thinking ‘outside the box’, for ways we can connect and develop our community support. We are very appreciative that you are part of that team, that continue to protect and champion our families and their young children. We have work to do, but collectively we can achieve so much. Philanthropy has many faces, and we are in awe of the multitude of ideas people have suggested from ‘bespoke’ knitted creations to mufti days and sausage sizzles, volunteering valuable time and talents, and gifting ‘in-kind’ products and services, your efforts are the glue that keeps the Centre together. 

WE NEED YOUR HELP- PLEASE CONSIDER GIVING TODAY
If you would like to help our Champion Centre families and their children, please call us. We are happy to chat about the many ways you can make a difference. If you would like to give to our early intervention programmes, please
Donate Now: ​https://www.championcentre.org.nz/make-a-donation.html

story: Facing the realities of raising a child on the autistic spectrum

12/8/2020

 
Many of the children who come through the Champion Centre have disabilities that are immediately apparent to others. But there are many others whose challenges, while less obvious, nonetheless impact all aspects of their lives and the lives of the parents who raise them.  This is the story of one young man, now in his twenties whose mother shared her story with us. We are not going to identify him or his parents because, as his mother said in her interview with us, “when someone has already been identified as having a disability…the disability becomes the identity, rather than this is […] and he has strengths and he has weaknesses” like the rest of us. 

At about 18 months of age, delays in this child’s development led to a referral to the Champion Centre. Staff observed his terrified and unpredictable responses to loud noises, other children, animals, lights; his dislike of certain kinds of touch; his inability to express himself when highly anxious; and his ‘enthusiasms’ as autism expert Barry Prizant would call them: things he liked to do repeatedly and that calmed him down.  In response, the Champion Centre team worked with his parents to provide support at the Centre and at his pre-school, where he was lucky to have an excellent teaching team. As his mother said, ‘There was a whole network of support.’
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Going to primary school, however, presented new challenges, as the individual support of early childhood was replaced with the expectation that every child would fit into the same pigeonhole and just follow the rules.  Moreover, although he was not a trouble-maker, other children bullied and made fun of him. In the classroom he needed the support of a teacher aide, but because he did not qualify for one, his parents paid for an aide, and for a reading tutor.  Within weeks he had skipped ahead two years in his reading age! Additional parent-funded support helped his maths, spelling and grammar.

At intermediate, he was faced again with bullying in a situation that his mother recognises just is not set up to support a boy “who, to this day has difficulty understanding when to join the conversation and when to laugh at something someone has said”. He was also challenged by the complexity of the instructions in classes that meant he was almost always being growled at for not keeping up.

However, high school was a more positive experience as his artistic creativity was finally recognised.  A highly talented visual artist and a wonderful story writer, he also found others who loved the world of magic and fantasy as much as he did. As his mother says, “The magical world was probably easier to negotiate than the actual world”. And then there was the world of the theatre where he has excelled, earning a degree in drama and a teaching qualification.  He was out of the woods, it would seem.  But the challenges he faces are not things he can ‘grow out of’. Interpersonal interactions remain hard, as does organising and following through the complex set of tasks that constitutes daily living and teaching quickly proved more than he could manage and he is again looking for a new pathway.
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Throughout, his parents have been able to support their son through his challenges; and they remain forever grateful to the Champion Centre for the support they and their son received in the early years. But this doesn’t make the pain and grief of their journey as parents any less raw.  This young man’s fragilities and the risks to his mental and physical health will always be there and only a society that steps up to valuing differences, rather than seeing them as excuses for exclusion, can make a genuine and long-term difference.

'champion connection', may 2020

22/5/2020

 

Korero with Susan

Thanks to the team of three-thousand! The Champion Centre is up and running again!  The last few weeks have been challenging for the entire Champion Centre whānau: our current children and their families, our staff, our supporters and our funders – more 3000 people.

Although we have not been able to welcome children and families to the Centre, I have been amazed at the creativity and innovation that staff and families have shown in continuing to support the children’s development.  Staff have been checking in with families and each other on a very regular basis, coaching via video chat on Zoom, developing resources, and dropping off equipment (without contact, of course). For their part, families have been sending videos of their children doing things they’ve worked on, seeking help for particular issues, and discussing next steps including transitions to school, hospital appointments and more. 

As we get used to the new normal of Level 2, it is really good to know that the dedication, hard work, and passion of our wonderful team has not been dimmed by the threat of COVID19.  In all respects we have shown ourselves to be an awesome team, and you are part of it!
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Heartfelt thanks

21/5/2020

 

Jacinda Bear seeks new home

We would like to give a very big thank you to two very generous women who have donated their time and creativity in producing beautiful hand-crafted items, in support of the Centre during the pandemic. 

Debby Heard, one of our Centre grandmothers, has knitted this unique one-off Jacinda Bear. This is her largest project to date, after several other bears were created during the pandemic. Jacinda Bear is currently up for sale on Trade Me https://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=2628932343 with the auction closing Wednesday 27 May. Debby, once again, is very generously giving 100% of the auction proceeds to the Centre so we encourage you to get behind this and share it with your family, friends and communities.
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Debby’s earlier ‘Midwife Bear’ sold on Trade Me for $186. Debby also created a ‘Dr Ashley Bear’ that sold for $500, which Debby kindly donated to the Centre. The purchaser of the bear has gifted him to the children's cancer ward at Christchurch Hospital.
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Jacinda Bear - SOLD

>Read More...

BEAUTIFUL HATS FOR BABIES

21/5/2020

 
Another of our talented supporters, Ali Wegner, has knitted a selection of hats and headbands in appropriate sizes for our babies, including premature babies. All are available for a gold coin donation at the Centre. Ali makes hats, scarves, blankets to order under her label “hats4ubabe” and will donate ten percent of any purchase to The Champion Centre. Ali can be contacted on 021 101 6350 or hats4ubabe@gmail.com
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FRIENDS IN THE WINDOW SERIES

21/5/2020

 
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Kate Willis fell in love with the Champion Centre back in 2015, when she was a volunteer.
‘Every person I met in the Centre had a heart of gold and was passionate about what they did, and the children never failed to put a smile on my face with their excitement and contagious energy,’ says Kate.
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From her experience, Kate was surprised to find out that the Champion Centre wasn't fully funded. ‘The work they do is so valuable and life-changing for each small person who is able to attend the Centre. As I began looking for placements through my Arts Therapy study in 2019, I once again sought out the Champion Centre’.

Kate has been an intern at the Centre for just under a year and still loves the place just as much as she did a few years back.  ‘Through the pandemic, I saw a lot of charities were struggling with limited opportunities to fundraise. I decided I wanted to do something even if it was small to make a difference. Art is one of my passions, and through walking around my neighbourhood during the lockdown, the inspiration came to me. The idea that I could create a product that could be a memento to people from this time in isolation and help even just a few people in this strange and hard time,’ says Kate.
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Friends in the window series:
30% of all the profits go to a charitable organisation, of which the Champion Centre is one.
To place an order go to www.katewillisartist.com
 

Izzy Ashurst stars as lead actor in NZ short film

20/5/2020

 
Izzy Ashurst, aged nearly 13 and one of our Centre graduates, has the leading role in a short film that has been written and directed by her mum, Gillian Ashurst. 'The Meek' is an apocalyptic drama in which humanity is shown to be on the brink of extinction due to a virus. The film explores the journey of its lead character, who happens to be a young girl with Down syndrome. Ironically, the film was written and shot prior to the current worldwide crisis.
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Izzy with ‘Uncle Frank’ - Paul Glover. Photo by Bronwyn Evans

>Read More...

The power of social media

20/5/2020

 
​A recent response to the economic impact of the pandemic and the need to buy local, was the set-up of a Facebook page called New Zealand Made Products. To date, it has hundreds of local producers, artisans and charities promoting their goods and services.

​Earlybird, the story of the baby pukeko that hatched early and how he learnt to fly, is also in the pipeline to feature on this page. This children’s story book was created by The Champion Foundation and all proceeds from sale of the books and prints go to The Champion Centre. 
​
The book is available in English and Te Reo Māori. Illustrated prints are also available for purchase online:
​https://www.facebook.com/groups/519618962054849/search/?query=andrea%20heffernan&epa=SEARCH_BOX
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'Champion connection' april 2020 news

8/4/2020

 
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Korero with Susan
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​Kia ora koutou, ngā mihinui
Well, we are certainly in strange times, and we wondered whether putting out a newsletter right now was appropriate.  But then we thought about how important community is, and how we must bolster our support for each other throughout this period to be sure we come through it as strong as possible.  Community is, after all, what the science of human development tells us we all need to thrive physically, intellectually and socially; whether that is community within our families and whānau, our broader neighbourhood communities, or our national and international communities.



>Read More...

Are you going on a bear hunt?

7/4/2020

 
We would LOVE to see the bears on YOUR bear hunt! Send photos through to andrea.heffernan@championcentre.org.nz and we will upload them onto this page. The more the merrier!
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Ali's bears: 'We live in a back section so our house and windows are not visible from the street. We really wanted to display teddy bears, so our teddy bear family greets passersby from just below our post box.'
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The Bears of Timaru - from Lisa and her little helpers!
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Country Lane Bear, beautifully painted by the children.
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Roxy the puppy's bears.
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The Mackenzie family spotted this teddy bear in the window of the Colombo St police station in Sydenham.
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Ruth's bears: 'I’m adding a toy to my window for every day of the lock down. I have quite a loose definition of “bears” for this exercise, so you’ll find a toucan, koala, puffin, Clifford the Red Dog, Star Baby, and and eaglet, too!'
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A message from Arthur.

NEMO AND FRIENDS, THANKS TO RAY

5/4/2020

 
For more than 10 years, Ray has kindly contributed monthly towards the rental of an aquarium that sits in the foyer of the Centre and has brought great joy to the children who attend the programme. The tank is a focal point at the entry to the Centre for many of the 100 young children who visit weekly, as the gently moving fish provide an attractive and calming transition from the intensity of the outside world into the gentle ambiance of the Centre.
​
​Ray started work as an orderly at Burwood Hospital, right next door to the Champion Centre and stayed there 37 years, until his retirement six years ago. His first job was on the maternity ward; then in 1979 he became the first orderly to work on the spinal unit. For many years Ray would deliver the mail to the Centre and got to know some of the staff, particularly those in the office, as he always enjoys a chat.

I ask Ray what he liked most about working at Burwood, ‘the people,’ says Ray. ‘I helped to deliver two babies in my time, one in the carpark and one when a woman went into labour in the lift and delivered in the corridor.’


I point out that walking the long corridors must have been great training. ‘16 kms a day we used to walk. I wore a pedometer when we were raising funds for Telethon in the 1980’s, so I know that.’

It all started back in 1977, when Ray smoked 30 cigarettes a day and weighed 114kg. A health scare jump started him into running for fitness. Ray has now clocked up 8 ultra-marathons (80kms), 39 marathons and run several 100-mile races, and this May he was set to run his 40th marathon (event now cancelled). Ray, who is 71 in April, competes in the over 70-year category and proudly states there are few competitors in that group now. 

What has kept Ray interested in running for so many years? ‘I feel so much better. I started slow and built it up. I find I eat better, and running is good for sleep, however I now enjoy a nap in the afternoon to recharge.’ Other than arthritis and the odd niggle, Ray still keeps fit. I think we can all take a leaf out of Ray's book.
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Ray and the fish aquarium in the Centre foyer.
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Can you spot Nemo?
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