Have you ever wondered how your donations help the cause? You’re not alone. Many donors commonly want to learn more about the impact that is generated from fundraising efforts.
Last month, Scott, our CEO, attended Kew’s Football Cub’s annual Danny Delbridge Memorial Day to not only express our gratitude to the club for choosing to fundraise for CPSN this year, but to also explain how their donations will really support our cerebral palsy (CP) community.
What kinds of impact do your donations make at CPSN?
Given an Australian child is born with cerebral palsy every 20 hours, CPSN is committed to providing free services that are vital for supporting individuals with cerebral palsy of all ages and abilities, as well as their families and support teams.
Did you know? Your donations assist our cerebral palsy community to:
Access online support groups for parents of children with CP, adults with CP and NDIS workers of individuals with CP.
Access CP-related classes, events and webinars.
Access advocacy programs such as our Tribal Wisdom Project, Brains Trust Program, and CPSN’s Board Kickstarter program.
Access business traineeships, allowing university students with cerebral palsy, such as Josh from our Member Service team, gain necessary paid work experience.
Fund out-of-pocket expenses regarding assistive technology and supports that are not covered by the NDIS.
Access critical information on medical advice from our Telehealth Nurse; and
Access the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) pre-planning and plan review services.
Why do people donate?
Aside from knowing the impacts of donations, research has shown that having a personal connection to a cause is also important. For example, the Danny Delbridge Memorial Day started almost eight years ago, when a few of the players sadly lost their father, Danny, to motor neurone disease in 2013.
Mr Delbridge was remembered at the Kew Football club for his generous spirit “Always came with Gatorades, drinks, and oranges sliced up for the players... classic local football club man,” says Josh, the club’s Vice President.
Initially, the charity luncheon day was set up to raise money for motor neurone disease each year, but as time went on the Delbridge family wanted to support other charities as well.
Ruby’s story
This year the club was excited to announce their fundraising efforts for CPSN. The club’s President, Michael, recently received a diagnosis of cerebral palsy for his two-year-old daughter, Ruby. With the blessing of the Delbridge family, there was no other charity that they wanted to support more this year than CPSN.
Ruby’s mother, Stephanie, shared the story of Ruby’s cerebral palsy diagnosis. Stephanie started noticing developmental delays with Ruby at six months; Ruby was sitting and standing up but in a different way. During the months of uncertainty as to why Ruby was a little different, Stephanie started googling to find answers as to why her daughter was having developmental delays.
Stephanie and Michael soon met with the paediatrician and received a further assessment, and it was then they heard the words ‘cerebral palsy.’ “My mind went straight to an image of a child in a wheelchair being completely dependent on their parents; because I had no idea about cerebral palsy,” says Stephanie.
Stephanie finally understood the reasons why Ruby was doing the things she was doing. She became inspired by some of the stories she read of other parents who were told their child with cerebral palsy could never walk, but at three and a half years of age, they began walking independently. She only hopes the same for Ruby given her mild form of cerebral palsy.
“Cerebral palsy doesn’t discriminate; it can happen to anyone,” says Stephanie. She went from the emotions of anger, denial, and resentment, to acceptance and determination. “I was more determined than ever to get the help Ruby needed to assist her with her disability and make sure it does not define her life.”
Your generosity creates impact
Thanks to the generosity of donors, such as Kew Football clubs, individuals with cerebral palsy, their families and support teams, like Ruby, Stephanie, and Michael, can receive information, advice and the right supports to navigate life with cerebral palsy.
So, next time you consider donating to a charity, ask the charity to tell you more about the amazing impact that your donations can have. In fact, at CPSN we are ready to answer any questions you may have about future opportunities to work together for greater impact.
Donate, partner and/or sponsor us today to support us in creating an accessible new vision for people with cerebral palsy and other similar disabilities. Don’t forget to use #DonatedtoCPSN to talk about your connection to CP and why you support CPSN. Here is the video highlights from the Danny Delbridge Memorial Day Luncheon.
Would you like to share your story? Get in touch with our Marketing and Communications Team on (03) 9478 1001 or via email: cpsn@cpsn.org.au