Melanoma Awareness Foundation is a Not for Profit organisation, established in 2008 in Loving memory of Amanda Carter to Raise much needed Awareness and Education on Melanoma and Skin Cancer.

MAF has just turned 4 years old! And still going and growing strong!
A big Thank you to the generous sponsors, supporters and volunteers that have and are helping MAF continue its Awareness campaign.
April 2012! wow time just flies doesn’t it!

Busy year ahead with “Relay for Life” 21st April at the Cleveland Show grounds, you can still join our team or sponsor one of our team members or team. We are still looking for prizes for our raffles both for Relay and MAD.

Only 6 weeks to go til MAD March May 20th at Little Bayside Park Manly, right next to Manly Markets. It really is shaping up to be a jam packed family fun day. So remember to bring your comfortable walking shoes, sunscreen, sun protective clothing and water. Guest speaker/s, Skin Scanner Camera, Storm Troopers, Ghostbusters, Bobbie-G Trike Tours, Classic Cars from Rod’s Inc, sausage sizzle. Special announcement on the day! And of course our 4km walk for Awareness and remembrance.

Jordana Blackman is a survivor of Melanoma. To help raise Awareness of Melanoma, Jordana will be participating in the Great Wall of China Marathon on 19th May, (day before MAD March), how awesome is that! Not just a Marathon, The Great Wall of China Marathon!!!

Please go to her Everyday Hero page and show Jordana your generous support and leave a message of encouragement. 

http://www.everydayhero.com.au/jordana_blackman_5 Go Jordana, GO!!

For more information on this very worthy cause, please see the attached flyer here.

Epilepsy Queensland invites you, your family and friends to help celebrate
Purple day for Epilepsy.

Join staff, volunteers and members for a Purple Procession (walk) through South Bank, Brisbane to watch the city’s skyline turn purple – as QPAC, Kurilpa Bridge, Treasury Casino and The Brisbane Wheel all light up purple in support of epilepsy awareness.

The walk will commence from The Ship Inn, South Bank at 5.30 pm.
Afterwards celebrate with us back at The Ship Inn from 6.15 pm
for a chat, nibbles and complimentary drink on arrival.

Bookings are essential and wearing something purple would be perfect!

RSVP by Thursday 22 March – 3435 5000 or rsvp@epilepsyqueensland.com.au

For more information please contact Epilepsy Queensland on 3435 5000

All too frequently, a family in Australia is confronted with the news that a child has been diagnosed with a rare disease, a condition that is severe, chronic, regularly degenerative and life threatening, and for which there is often no cure. The family quickly discovers that there is little support available: even if there is medical assistance, there is virtually no help financially, nor is there a social network on which to call. No one in their community has ever heard of the disease their child is suffering from; they are isolated and alone.

It is my pleasure to invite you to a lunch on 22nd March in the Senate Alcove, 12.00pm – 1.50pm, to celebrate a milestone of which to be very proud: the Foundation’s 500th grant to a family impacted by a rare disease. This event is proudly supported by Genzyme, a company undertaking important research work in this space. During the lunch, there will be briefings about the work undertaken by SMILE, insights from a medical specialist, and from a family impacted by a rare disease.

The SMILE Foundation is a groundbreaking national charity that was established in 2007 to improve the quality of life of children with a rare disease or condition. SMILE provides financial assistance to families of affected children, which is often the only support they receive. Additionally, the SMILE Foundation funds research relating to rare childhood medical conditions. SMILE is also committed to raising awareness of rare childhood diseases, an area which in the past has often been sadly overlooked.

One in every ten Australians is affected by a rare disease: today, there are over 2 million people including 400,000 children living with a rare, unique and often recently identified genetic condition. There will be constituents in your electorate who daily struggle with the challenges of coping with and caring for people who suffer from rare diseases.

Your participation in this event will help to significantly raise awareness of what we can all do for those living with a rare disease – we do hope you will be able to join us on this important occasion.

Eliza Newton will be in touch with your office to ascertain your availability, but please don’t hesitate to contact her in the meantime if you have any questions – (02) 8281 3252.

PDN Twilight Workshop: Wednesday 21st March 2012

Overview:

The purpose of this workshop is to assist participants in setting up environments that are supportive of people with ASDs. Specifically, physical structure to give meaning to the environment and reduce visual and auditory distractions will be covered. Additionally, visual supports such as schedules, work systems, curricular adaptations and modifications will be discussed within the context of Universal Designs for Learning. This workshop will utilise pictures and videos from across a range of school and community placements and will include examples from early intervention through adulthood.

The Presenter: Dr Laurie Sperry Ph.D.

Dr. Laurie Sperry was a classroom teacher for children with autism and related disabilities for 8 years. After leaving the classroom, she served as a state consultant for the Autism Division in South Carolina. She received her Ph.D. in Child Development and Family Studies and did postdoctoral work at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She worked with Division TEACCH for a number of years as a lead trainer, served on 2 diagnostic teams- young children and adolescents/adults, co-developed a play and social skills group for parents with young children who were newly diagnosed with autism and worked with the adult social skills group. She is a consulting editor for the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders and has published numerous articles and written a book chapter related to autism spectrum disorders.

You may register by: On-line Registration:

I would like to encourage my constituents to our next Telstra Open Day at the Albion Exchange on the 10th of March from 10am to 2pm.

This is a great opportunity to come out and communicate to Telstra staff face to face about your Telstra service. Telstra staff will be able to talk to you about any concerns you might have whether it be an explanation of a Bill or the greater infrastructure plans for Telstra for the future.

The following staff available for customers to talk to:

• Customer Service
• Sales
• Mobile Network Planning
• Field Technicians
• Fixed Network Planning
• Local Leadership Team

Our volunteers will also be opening the doors to the newly refurbished Telecommunications Museum. This is a great opportunity for visitors to go on a nostalgic trip through 150 years of telegraphic and telephony history.

We hope to make this a great day for those that attend so we will be providing entertainment for kids, a free sausage sizzle, and plenty of prizes to be won.

For more information please see the flyer invitation here.

Small and medium businesses are the unsung heroes of our economy, punching above their weight in terms of growth they provide to employment and to local communities across Australia.

For 20 years the Telstra Australian Business Awards have recognised the vital contribution of this sector to the national economy by publicly celebrating their achievements.

The 2012 Awards are open for nominations and entries and I am seeking support to encourage participation from deserving small and medium businesses from Bonner.

The awards help businesses to grow their world- their profile, their networks and their knowledge. Each entrant receives a free individual business health check, a 70-page individual report on their business that can help them identify growth opportunities and business improvements.

There are other benefits too from entering Australia’s most prestigious national business awards program including public accolades and a share in $500, 000 in cash and prizes. For many businesses, it’s a rare opportunity to reflect on their achievements and where they’re going. Many businesses have grown and prospered after being named Awards finalists and winners.

To see the five Awards categories and for more information on nominations or entries, please visit the Telstra Business Awards website – www.telstrabusinessawards.com/

I would like to invite the community to save their stamps for a good cause and help assist Girl Guides in Queensland. Girl Guides recycle used stamps, on selling them to dealers to fund the Lone Girl Guide Program.

Please collect any stamps that come to your offices on rates payments etc. Please cut/tear the stamp from the corner of the envelope leaving approx. 5mm margin around the stamp. Stamps can then be either posted to “Lone Guide Used Stamps, c/- Girl Guide Support Centre, P.O. Box 739, Fortitude Valley, 4006” or dropped in either at Girl Guide Support Centre, 17 Gould Road, Herston, or at the nearest Guide Hut clearly marked “Please deliver to Girl Guide Support Centre for Lone Guides”.

Lone Girl Guides are those who are unable to participate in Guiding through attendance at a local Girl Guide Unit meeting, instead they enjoy the fun and friendship of Guiding by correspondence. In a girl-centred environment such as Girl Guides, girls have the freedom and support they need to reach their full potential. Girl Guide programs are specifically designed to build self-esteem and confidence, encouraging girls to be decision-makers and leaders.

For more information about Girl Guides, please visit the Girl Guides website. Your support is greatly appreciated.

Applications for the 2012 YMCA Queensland Youth Parliament are now open to allow 15-25 year olds in Queensland a chance to be proactive on important issues to them. Applications close on Friday February 24.

The YMCA Queensland Youth Parliament is an apolitical state-wide program that gives young people the opportunity to speak out about what youth really care about and let Parliament know that young people can make a difference. One young person is selected to represent each electorate in Queensland and to report the issues in their community.

Next, Youth Members from across the state gather in Brisbane in April and September to discuss issues important to Youth in the Legislative Assembly Chamber of Queensland Parliament House.

The YMCA is looking for enthusiastic, passionate and committed young people from all kinds of backgrounds to stand up for their communities and to find out what being a politician is like. Participants receive training and support to help them stand up and make a difference so no experience is necessary.
Nominations can be submitted online. More information and nomination forms can be found at www.ymcaqyp.org

Come down on 11 February 2012 between the hours of 3pm and 7pm, for a community Party in the Park. This is a great opportunity to spend some time with family and friends and to connect with your local community.

What better way to kick off 2012 than with a free sausage sizzle, entertainment and jumping castles for the kids, in one of Brisbane’s premier parks, Beryl Roberts Park, Barham St Coopers Plains.

Click here for a copy of the invitation and I look forward to see you there on the day!   

The Leukaemia Foundation’s World’s Greatest Shave will be held from 15-17 March 2012 to raise finds for patients and their families living with leukaemia, lymphomas, myeloma and related blood disorders.

Once again tens of thousands of Queenslanders are expected to shave or colour their hair to raise funds and show their support for the people the Foundation helps every day. Since 1999 the World’s Greatest Shave has developed as the Leukaemia Foundation’s biggest single annual fundraising event.

It enables the Foundation to continue delivering our range of services to patients, including free accommodation in Brisbane or Townsville for those needing to leave their homes ion regional and rural Queensland to be close to major treatment centres.

In 2010/2011 the Foundation provided more than 41,000 nights of accommodation to patients and their families, as well as information and advise, disease-specific workshops, free patient transport, and financial assistance where necessary.

In 2012 the Foundation hopes to raise $4 million in Queensland through the World’s Greatest Shave. I would like to encourage the community to get involved and be a part of this worthy cause. You can support the event by:

• Visiting the worldsgreatestshave.com website to see how you might participate in the event; 
• Encouraging your friends and colleagues to register and participate by shaving or colouring their hair; or 
• Encouraging donations to brave shavers and colourers via the World’s Greatest Shave Website.