Whilst we have helped over 600 kids already, there are always more families waiting for assistance.
WHO WE ARE The Board Meeting Surf Charity was started in 2005 by a group of surfers looking to help Sunshine Coast kids with disabilities through a variety of surf-related events. Run completely by a dedicated group of volunteers and supported by the local business and surfing communities, the charity raises much-needed funds for families who have fallen through the cracks of Government support, are doing it extremely tough financially and have children with needs those of us with healthy kids could hardly fathom. Our fundraising events generally include an annual corporate surfing comp and a long lunch featuring a legend of the sport. We are also the beneficiary to a number of other events including the Surf, Show & Shine kombi show and A Night to Remember Music Quiz, both hosted by Rotary. The charity is also a beneficiary to the annual Noosa Festival of Surfing.
F UNDS RAISED SO FAR To date The Board Meeting has raised in excess of $2,800,000 and every single dollar has gone to the local families we support. All operating and administration costs are absorbed by our wonderful committee and sponsors. This proves without a doubt that surfers have big hearts when it comes to helping out those in the community. Some things we fund include: •
Wheelchairs [both manual & electric]
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Respite Care for kids and parents
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Walkers & Standing Frames
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Nappies for kids without control
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Disability Strollers
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Formula for peg-fed kids
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Specialised Seating including shower & toilet
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Learning aides including communication software
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Specialised Beds
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Speech Therapy
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Vehicles, including wheelchair compatible
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Occupational Therapy
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Lifting Equipment
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Mental Health Care
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Support dogs
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NDIS Assessments
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Home renovation for improved access
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Home air-conditioning for kids suffering heat related seizures
Home Education for children suffering anxiety or abuse
WHO WE HELP Principally, the Board Meeting assists local families with severely disabled children. All requests for funding are required to come via the child’s medical practitioner, occupational therapist or professional care worker outlining the need for funding and how the goods or services being supplied will assist the child. Basic criteria: • Age – must be under 18 years of age •
Location – must be a resident of the area where the chapter operates, i.e. *Sunshine Coast, Gold Coast or Northern Rivers.
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Must have a perceived or recognised physical or mental disability
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Financial status – the family must have exhausted all other avenues including personal funding.
O THER WAYS WE HELP We also fund special programs for kids with mental disabilities that include learning, physical fitness, sport, surfing, yoga, youth mentoring and art. Through our Guardian Program we also link benefactors with families in desperate need of respite. The Board Meeting Guardian Program assists families who have problems that aren’t simply solved by a one-off payment or piece of equipment. Many of these families have disabled children with high needs and 24/7 care that cause parents to simply burn out and shatter. The program offers urgent respite care for the kids and provides the parents with a short break to recuperate and refresh. The cost of professional care is well beyond anything these families could afford so the charity meets all those costs and arranges for free accommodation and sometimes even activities for the parents. The costs of respite care are high, but we remain committed to helping these families and ask for individuals, syndicates of friends, families, and businesses to become Guardians and commit to just $250/month for 1 year. This will guarantee a family of 2 weekends of professional respite care per year and an opportunity to change the cycle of physical and mental wear.
“From what we get, we make a living, what we give however makes a life.” ARTHUR ASHE
CASE STUDIES A few very special cases that no one would help. Over the last twelve months we have become involved with a family that had suffered an ugly domestic violence situation and were in desperate need for a car to enable them to access the supports they needed. We supplied the car with 12 months registration and a $500 fuel voucher, and it has changed their lives. They are now safe and back on track.
We have built a full support network around 3 boys who had suffered from horrendous early childhood abuse and are now living with their grandparents. The community support for this family has been extraordinary since we raised their plight. Probably the most heart-warming response to a call for help from our supporters were from the Penny family who provided $500 so that the family could enjoy a nice Christmas. Without that money, there would be no presents and the family probably would have been eating spam. We also paid for their medical assessments and now all 3 boys have NDIS support.
Another very difficult situation where a family had 4 autistic children, the husband had suffered a nervous breakdown and the mother was shouldering the full care burden while suffering from debilitating migraines that would often see her hospitalised.
Another stunning example of our community involvement was when a support group was asked by Child Services to assess a family for determine whether the children should be living in a particularly stressful situation.
The father of another family we are currently working with had a very successful business and a lovely family life, before an unfortunate accident saw him in a position whereby, he could no longer work. From there his life spiralled out of control; he lost his house, the family unit broke down, he was destitute and forced to move into less-than-adequate housing with his 3 autistic boys.
We have a number of permanent sponsors and benefactors who donate regularly, trusting in our decisions to spend their money wisely in a way that will best benefit the community.
We are slowly but surely getting them all back on track. Step one was getting his car back on the road with new tyres, then into public housing so the kids could return to school. Their lives are changing for the better, and he hopes to look for work very soon.
We don’t put restrictions on how anyone can help, we just assure them their money will be well spent.
When the father said that The Board Meeting was providing support and working on permanent solutions for the family, In this case we decided that the best answer was to help get the support group told the dad “Well, if the Board Meeting is the husband back on his feet so he could help contribute to the involved, we are more than happy to let you work with them to care of the children. We’ve been sending the husband to mental sort things out”. health fitness classes and the benefits are amazing. He is now healthy, active and back at work. It blows us away that our small, volunteer-based charity is rated so highly by professional care groups. We kept the family We also paid for a carer to come in 2 days a week to help teach together and got them back on their feet. The charity is very different to all others in that it will consider the kids a variety of social skills. funding anyone, whether they are Australian or foreign-born residents living here. If a child has a disability and the family “WE ARE RECOGNISED AS A QUALITY OPTION TO cannot fund their needs, there is a good chance we can help. SOLVE PROBLEMS.”
Other benefactors like to give to specific programs like our iPad - learn to communicate program or our Guardian Respite Program. Others might just want to fund something valuable like a wheelchair or car for a single family.
The Board Meeting Surf Charity Registered Charity Number CH1741 PO Box 6336 Maroochydore BC QLD 4558 Mark Skinner - Chairman P| 0411 477 390 E| info@theboardmeeting.org.au theboardmeeting.com.au