February 2011 Update

Hi and a belated Happy New Year! Just to keep you up to date, the committee met on the 18th January for its first 2011 meeting.  As usual, we had a full agenda.  This year promises to be as busy, if not busier, than last year.  We plan to continue with our series of informal parents evenings – the next meeting is on the 9th March in the Aisling Hotel. Our Annual General Meeting and Information Evening will be held in May, and our annual Family Day will be on the 18th http://www.ourhealthissues.com/product/cialis/ June.

This year the organisation celebrates 30 years.  We plan to mark the occasion with a musical fund raiser in the Autumn.  In addition to our organised events, we are planning to add to our leaflet series, collate another 300 maternity packs, complete a collaborative project with the medical profession and perhaps start another.  In the meantime we continue to work with maternity hospitals and team co-ordinators supporting new families.

There is more, but that’s enough for now!  We look forward to your ongoing support and to seeing you throughout the year.

Christmas Cards – Order Yours Now!

Christmas cards

10 Euro per pack of 10 cards (includes postage), cure
or
20 Euro per pack of 25 cards (includes postage).

These striking cards not only help raise funds for CLAPAI but also promote awareness of Cleft Lip and Palate.

To order email info@cleft.ie or phone 087 1319803

Payment can be made by cheque & sent to:
Cleft Lip and Palate Association of Ireland.
C/o 36 Woodlands Avenue,
Dun Laoghaire,
County Dublin,
Ireland

Order now to ensure prompt delivery!

Great Family Day at Causey Farm!

Group Photo, CLAPAI Family Day, June 2010[8 July] Photos! All the photos from the Family Day are now available to view on the Association’s flickr page. The photos are are not available for public viewing, so in order to view the photos use this Guest Pass. A selection will be added to the Gallery here on the website in due course.

Right: Group Photo, Family Day, Causey Farm. (click for larger image)

A wonderful Family Day has been had at Causey Farm near Athboy, Co. Meath.  With some 27 families present in blissful sunshine, the highlight had to be the bog jumping. The kids had such fun! And I did see some parents daring to take that leap, so as not to be outdone by their children! This video is made available thanks to Dallan O’Reilly.  Now you will know what ‘Bog Jumping’ is all about! Photos will follow soon, watch this space!

Thank You!

CLAPAI TeddyA big THANK YOU to all the women that ran, erectile jogged and walked the mini-marathon in aid of CLAPAI, and thank you to all who sponsored them.  It was probably one of the wettest marathon days so far, but the energy and the enthusiasm shown by everyone made the day seem brighter than it should have been.  This year, as we have had an extra participant – see photo – we are glad to report that the CLAPAI Teddy made it all the way around the 10k circuit. When he got home he had a nice bowl of warm milk and honey and a good long rest!  p.s. please send us your photos for the photo gallery. (Click thumbnail above for larger image)

CLAPAI Teddy

Family Activity Day, 19th June 2010

Location: Causey Farm, sale Co. Meath.

The Cleft Lip and Palate Association of Ireland is delighted to announce that its sixth family fun day will be held on Saturday, cheap 19th June.  This year we are planning to spend the day at Causey farm, which offers both indoor and outdoor activites.  It is located between Trim and Navan, County Meath (see www.causey.ie).

Below: Family Day, June 2009.
Group Photo, Family Day, 13 June 2009

The day will start at 10 a.m. with registration.  At 10:30 we will break up into groups and take a tour of the farm. Buggies can get around but be prepared for a bit of rough terrain in places. The highlight of the morning is likely to be our ‘bog jumping’ event.  Our teenage and young adult group will lead the way and show us just how much bog they can soak up!  Everybody will get an opportunity to try this out, even the grown ups.  It is important to bring a change of clothes, a black bag for the wet stuff and some wipes to clear off at least some of the bog before lunch!

After the tour of the farm we will have a picnic http://www.buydiazepamsite.com (indoor if needed).  Families should bring their own food but we will have tea and coffee readily available and a few goodies too!  We will have some fun and activities after lunch including our annual raffle, which has proved to be a good success in the last number of years.

As usual there will be plenty of time to chat and mingle throughout the day.  Please check here for updates. Regarding costs, there is no charge for attending the event but we are hoping to make the event self financing by runnig the raffle and taking donations on the day. For security reasons we must have a completed booking form if you want to come along – see below. We look forward to seeing you for another great family day, hail or shine!

BOOKING FORM

Please complete the attached booking form and either post hard copy to CLAPAI, c/o 4 Wolverton Glen Dalkey, Co. Dublin, or send soft copy to info@cleft.ie.

Closing date for replies is Wednesday, 16th June. If for any reason you do not get a confirmation of your booking from us, please contact us at 087 131 9803

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Donegal Meeting

We are delighted to announce that we will be having our first ever Parents’ Evening in the Mount Errigal Hotel, Letterkenny, County Donegal, on Thursday, 29th April, at 8pm.

This is an informal evening for parents, where they will have the opportunity to find out more about the Association and hear other parents’ experiences, while sharing their own over a cup of tea or coffee.

We would appreciate an e-mail (info@cleft.ie), text or call (087 1319803) in advance so that we have an idea of likely numbers attending.

Admission is free, so please do come along.

Newsletter, April 2010

Contents:

AGM & Information Evening, prescription 15 April – Donegal Meeting – Family Day – Focus Group – Maternity Matters – Preparing for School – SLT Resource Pack – Report on 11th International Congress for Cleft Lip and Palate & Related Craniofacial Anomalies – Children’s Section

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Attention all Parents

Are you a parent of a child with a diagnosis of a Cleft Lip and/or Palate? If so, for sale would you be interested in helping to inform the development of services so that they might better support both your child and yourself?

The Cleft Team at The Children’s University Hospital, order Temple Street, and the Cleft Lip and Palate Association of Ireland, are working together to identify the support needs of children and parents. To this end, it is proposed to run a focus group at which parents will be given an opportunity to reflect on their experience of having a child born with a cleft lip and / or palate and, from this, to identify supports that parents and families would find useful and appropriate in dealing with the diagnosis and the ongoing condition and its impact on their child.  The Association will be inviting parents to participate in this focus group, which will be facilitated by social work staff from Temple Street.

The information gathered through the focus group will be used to assist the development and piloting of support services for parents and children attending Temple Street. Participants will be kept informed about the outcomes from the focus group and any subsequent developments through the newsletter.

The Association will be inviting parents to participate in this focus group in the coming weeks as part of a random selection. Date, time and location will be included in the invitation.

If you have any queries at this stage please contact Mrs Georgina Wade CLAPAI on 087 1319803, or bye-mail to info@cleft.ie

Flora Women’s Mini Marathon 2010 – Fundraising

Mini-marathon times is fast approaching! The Association relies heavily on donations and sponsorship from the mini-marathon, viagra which finances the majority of our activities.

Flora Mini-MarathonThe Flora Women’s 10k Mini-marathon is on Bank Holiday Monday, price 7th June.

As ever, pilule we need YOUR help. Sponsorship cards and T-shirts can be arranged by contacting Anne Gilsenan at 087 1319803, or annegilsenan@cleft.ie. Anne requires name, home address, (email address would be great too), home number, mobile number and number of cards and t-shirts required.

The first Entry Form is in the Evening Herald on Wednesday 3rd March 2010, or register online at www.florawomensminimarathon.ie.
Closing Date: 27th April 2010, or when maximum number of entries is reached.
Age Limit: Participants must be at least 14 on Mini Marathon Day.

Good Luck Ladies!

Cleft Conference Photos

The Dublin Cleft Centre Conference was held on the 13th March, nurse 2008.  The theme of the conference was “Cleft Lip and Palate: The Journey of Care from Birth to Adulthood”.

Below: Cathaoirleach Georgina Wade with Professor Brendan Drumm, CEO of the HSE.
Georgina Wade and Professor Brendan Drumm

The conference was held in the Hilton Dublin Hotel, Charlemont Place, Dublin 2. The aim of the conference was to provide an overview of the journey of care of a baby born with Cleft Lip and Palate from birth to adulthood.

More photos from the conference can be viewed on our photo gallery.