The KZN Cerebral Palsy Association is moving premises and they need your help
Situated in Pinetown, one of
the oldest and best-known cerebral palsy centres in KwaZulu-Natal is moving to
new premises on 25 November - and they need volunteers to assist.
The association is sad to say goodbye to their Pinetown premises, which they have called home for 20 wonderful years, but are excited to start a new journey in Cowies Park, Pinetown.
Established in 1969, the KZN Cerebral Palsy Association has supported people with cerebral palsy and their families for the last 50 years.
The running of two day-care centres for profoundly disabled children and adults is largely funded by the association. The association receives no government funding and relies entirely on donations from concerned individuals and businesses to do their vital work.
In South Africa, one in every 400 infants are diagnosed with cerebral palsy, making it one of the most common physical disabilities. The condition is a life-long disorder, and affects one's ability to conduct voluntary movement and co-ordination because of injury or poor development of the brain.
For the association, the individuals in their care have extreme high-care needs and most can do little for themselves.
“People living with Cerebral Palsy require continuous and attentive care. We alleviate the burden this places on the families of the Cerebral Palsied by caring for and supporting our members at the centre. Our Care Workers are excellent at this and have the best interests of their members at heart.” says Lesley Hall, Caretaker CEO.
How to get involved
To help make this move easy on the staff and those in their care, the association is appealing to the public to assist with packing, loading, transporting, unpacking, cleaning, and more. To get involved, you can contact Lesley on [email protected]
The association has had a rough year, with the cloud of closure hanging over its head; from a school (Reunion) which accepts children living with Cerebral Palsy, to a farm (Pevensey Place) in Underberg where Cerebral Palsy adults contribute to the running of the operations, and a Day Care Centre at the head office premises which caters for severely and profoundly disabled children and adults, all of varying degrees of severity. The association supports various projects that cater for people living with Cerebral Palsy.
"Without support, we face closure as we rely solely off donations. Should we close, our 24 members who live with Cerebral Palsy will have no other place to go to receive the constant care they require. This then means that we require sympathetic and compassionate donors who understand the importance of the services we provide. We have been operating for over 50 years and offer services which no other Association provides.” says Lesley.
From fundraising activities and appeals for donations, the association started Club 200 to get more people interested in funding. You can donate as little as R200 a month. All donations are welcome and will go a long way in keeping the association afloat. To join this club, contact Adéle van Vuuren on 031 700 2902.
The association is also part of the MySchool program. Simply sign up or add them as a beneficiary to the MySchool MyVillage MyPlanet programme and with every swipe of the card at Woolworths and other supporting stores, the Association gets a percentage of it.
If you would like to get involved with the move, fundraising or donations, contact the association on 031 700 3956.