Kids With Arthritis Branch.
We would like to introduce ourselves as the Kids With Arthritis branch. If you have a child with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA) or know of someone, please contact us, we are here to help.
We offer our members advice on Centrelink benefits they may be eligible for, community services available, plus other ideas to make life as normal as possible while coping with JIA. Our members are families who have children of any age with JIA.
Our members virtually meet in an online chat session at times which means our membership is not geographically dictated; we have members from all corners of Australia, with family get-togethers in different locations to allow access to the majority of members.
We are currently planning our inaugural family camp called Camp Twinkletoes in March 2008. This camp will be opened to families with JIA children under 8, newly diagnosed children and those not confident to go to Camp Footloose alone. We are conducting fund raising events to assist with the cost of this camp and our first public appearance will be at the Central Coast Kids Day Out held at Ourimbah Campus of Newcastle University on 4th November 2007. Anyone in the area should come along for a cheap fun day out!
We run an Australia-wide online support group, if you need to talk to someone about your JIA child. For further information about the online support group or assistance please email us at kidswitharthritis@arthritisnsw.org.au.
What is Camp Twinkletoes?
Camp Twinkletoes is still a twinkle in our eyes, however, it is proposed to be an annual camp run by the Kids Get Arthritis Too branch of the Arthritis Foundation of NSW for children under 8 with any and all forms of arthritis along with their families. Camp Twinkletoes will also be open to newly diagnosed children and their families. We are anticipating that Camp Twinkletoes will be an environment where families can gain skills and information to manage their child’s arthritis with confidence and to build a support network of others in the same situation.
Our inaugural Camp Twinkletoes is to be held at Crusaders Galston Gorge on Friday 27th Februaury till 1st March 2009 and we are seeking sponsorship to assist with the cost to the families who are already financially burdened by having a small child with JIA. Camp Twinkletoes will be a weekend camp and will consist of parent information sessions, kids age appropriate activities and guest speakers. Our aim is to provide as much support and assistance to all participating families as we can pack into one action filled weekend. We also plan to have some quiet parent time, where we can relax and enjoy ourselves. We will also be issuing all families with an information pack and T-shirts and hats will be given to all JIA kids.
Please click here to view the Camp Twinkletoes Information Flyer for 2009
KWA Executive Committee
Contact us at kidswitharthritis@arthritisnsw.org.au
Presidents- Jo & Grant 0425 387 738
Secretaries- Jodie & Scott 02 4329 1546
Treasurers- Alex & Iain 02 4577 5074
The Kids With Arthritis Branch of AF NSW
Inaugural Camp Twinkletoes March, 2008.
WE NEED YOUR HELP!!
Camp Twinkletoes is to be held over a weekend at San Remo in March 2008.
The camp will be open to children with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA) under 8 years and their families. Additionally, we are inviting JIA children over 8 to come along if they are newly diagnosed, or not confident enough to go to Camp Footloose for a whole week without their families.
During Camp Twinkletoes there will be parents’ information sessions to assist with the daily management of their JIA child, along with the most recent medical updates from guest speakers.
We are seeking assistance by means of sponsorship for our families to attend at a reduced cost for the weekend. The families who will be attending are already financially burdened by JIA. The amount of sponsorship per JIA child’s family will be $300 for the weekend. This will contribute to accommodation, all meals, planned activities including play, craft, occupational therapy, and a crèche and ‘soft-play area’ for the very young.
As these are young children, we need qualified assistants to ensure their safety and needs are met at all times, which calls for a large number of camp leaders. We are sourcing University Students who are studying Play Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Physiotherapy, and Paediatric Rheumatology, to fill these leadership positions, along with any teenage sibling who wants to help out.
We are asking for help with sponsorship from AFNSW branches; in particular any active branch interested in helping the youngest children suffering from JIA. Any financial assistance would be greatly appreciated to cover the $300 per family cost. We would also need funding to provide information packs to all attending families which would equate to $500 in total for all packs. Additionally, we will be sourcing funds for t-shirts and hats for all children to take away as souvenirs of their time at Camp: the total cost of this would be around $1500.
If you can help us please email kidswitharthritis@arthritisnsw.org.au or call Jodie (Secretary) on 0425 274 704. All funds will be required to go through the AF NSW with a request for it to be allocated to the Kids Get Arthritis Too branch Camp Twinkletoes.
We thank you in advance for any assistance you can offer for our camp; our children and families will be ever so grateful for any and all financial assistance rendered!
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