Who you are helping this year....

Jayden Van Asten, brother Matt, mum Tyler, TBM champion supporter Mark Visser and TBM's Glenn Corbet.

There are a lot of young people we really want to help but how much we can give is completely determined by the number of teams we get registered as that is our principal form of income. We have made a number of commitments already including assisting with the purchase of a 2nd hand wheelchair vehicle for local mum Tyler Van Asten and her teenage son Jayden who suffers from Muscular Dystrophy. This will allow them to get out of the house on their own and improve the quality of life for Jayden enormously.

We are also looking at funding the purchase of a standing frame for paralyzed kids that gets them upright again. This is a wonderful device that not only changes body position, but changes attitudes and lifts spirits. It would be shared by the local special schools and made available to families during holidays as part of a home rehabilitation program.

We have told the Australian Downs Syndrome Swimming Team that if there are any Sunshine Coast members that need our support this year, that we will be there for them as part of our ongoing commitment. We love these kids and the effort they put in for Australia is unbelievable.

We will continue to help our good friend and past beneficiary Jose Morales with fuel and detailing for the wheelchair vehicle we helped purchased in 2006.

There are also a number of requests for wheel chairs and walkers that we would really like to fulfill, so the more successful the event, the more people we can help.

Money from last year's event went to...

16-year-old Rett Syndrome sufferer Kimberly Norton and her mum Debbie with The Board Meeting’s Glenn Corbet, who is wearing the charity’s trademark bow-tie rash shirt.

The Board Meeting's 2008 event exceeded our expectations and we have been able to get off to a flying start for 2009.

The first beneficiary for 2009 has been 16-year-old Kimberly Norton. She has stage four Rett Syndrome and has endured the loss of skills, the loss of language, has seizures, and severe scoliosis means she has steel rods from her neck to her hips. The Board Meeting donated a special $3500 toileting chair specially made in Holland to the family.

Once again we have helped the family of 2006 beneficiary Jose Morales with a special $1500 aqua safe wheelchair. Jose is pictured here with Sunshine Coast Pro Junior (and Kelly Slater-slayer!) Julian Wilson and Jose's mum Sue. Jose suffered a massive heart attack leaving him with severe brain damage.

The charity also delivered an $800 specialised bike for Caloundra’s Caitlin Jeffries who suffers mentally and physically from Mowatt Wilson Syndrome.

Emma Johnson with her new wheelchair.

We also helped with the purchase of a new $1500 electric wheelchair for disabled Nambour girl Emma Johnson. Emma who suffers with Cerebral Palsy was ecstatic with the new chair which gives her more freedom at school and the ability to go on family walks and enjoy the outdoors for the first time.

The Board Meeting also purchased a total of 12 bikes over the last 12 months to be used by students with disabilities from Currimundi State School and Currimundi Special School. They are used on the Currimundi Special school road safety track and local council coastal bikeways as part of road safety and gross motor development programs on a daily basis by upwards of 60 different kids. Tom Moore, Connor Tompson and Mitchel Watherston were part of the assembly team. Of special interest is that Tom was one of our beneficiaries back in 2007 after he suffered severe burns. Great to see you are well Tom.

To keep doing more great work we need your help! Check out how you can help here >>

2008 beneficiaries

GOING FOR GOLD: Ty Belnap, Clinton Stanley and Jana Clancy.

This year's main beneficiaries are three Sunshine Coast members of the Australian Downs Syndrome Swim Team heading to Portugal for the World Championships in Albufeira, Portugal from 27th November - 4th December 2008.

These swimmers are Ty Belnap, Clinton Stanley and Jana Clancy, all great young Aussies prepared to go hard for their country.

So far this year we have also helped several local families with disabled kids.

To give you an idea of how your help can change people's lives, we'll give you just one of these stories.

Burnside's Newport family, Peta, Adam and Phoenix.

We recently delivered a $5000 electric hospital bed to a three-year-old Burnside boy with Migrating Seizure Disorder which is very serious disorder and is untreatable. He has no head control, cannot sit upright and has spasticity in all limbs. His Mum cares for him full time and her back is very painful from the constant lifting. We are also organising a Motorway pass to help with their car maintenance and fuel expenses as he has many trips to Brisbane to see specialists and requires frequent hospitalisation for chest infections.

2007 beneficiaries

In 2007 the event will support a number of very worthy young Sunshine Coast kids including 9-year-old Grace Fordham who suffers with Rett Syndrome, a rare and serious neurological disorder. Grace is unable to walk and is finding it difficult to sit by herself and even hold her head up. The Boardmeeting event will contribute to the purchase of a special manual wheelchair with unique postural modifications that will allow Grace to sit comfortably and interact with the world around her.

Our second beneficiaries are young Caloundra kids Sean & Caitlin Jeffries who suffer mentally and physically from Mowatt Wilson Syndrome. We aim to purchase a pair of special McLaren push strollers to allow their parents to take them out more easily.

Our third beneficiary for this year will be 10-year-old burns victim Tom Moore who was in desperate need of a special saddle chair for school to make long periods of sitting more comfortable. Because of his immediate need the Boardmeeting, in association with long-time supporter North Surveys, have bought this chair for Tom now to ensure he can enjoy his time at school in comfort.

Once again we will also be helping the family of 2006 beneficiary Jose Morales with financial assistance for the running the wheelchair vehicle we helped buy last year.

This year we also helped the Disabled Surfer’s Association with a donation to two special chairs that enable carers to move surfers down to the water without complication. The chairs worth around $3500 each will be used for all events and training and will surely make the lives of the brave young aussies so much better.

Mike Belnap from the Board Meeting, with Grace Fordham, who is going to get a new wheelchair thanks to the generosity of the charitable surfers.

Nancy Belnap from the Board Meeting Corporate Surf Event, with Caitlin and Sean Jeffries who are getting new specialty strollers thanks to the generosity of the charitable surfers.

Board Meeting surfer David Copley from North Surveys, presents the new saddle chair to young Tom Moore.

2006 beneficiaries

In 2006 we helped severely handicapped teenager, Jose Morales whose family was in desperate need of a wheelchair transport vehicle. Jose was a great young athlete who was struck down with a massive heart attack causing irreparable brain damage, which left him totally dependent on his family and carers.

Funds from The Board Meeting Corporate Surf Event assisted Jose’s mum, Sue Merrotsy to purchase a vehicle. Jose’s life is improving daily with his increased involvement within the community thanks to being more mobile.

We also provided funds for new playground equipment for the Talara Primary College’s Special Education Developmental Centre at Currimundi. The equipment will be purposely designed for the schools unique young students who will benefit from the increased physical and mental interaction.

The Boardmeeting also helped Jose’s family by detailing the new vehicle and supplying fuel.

Event organizer Josh Griffiths with Jose, his mum Sue and the kids from Talara Primary Special Education Developmental Centre.

Jose & new vechicle

2005 beneficiaries

In 2005 The Board Meeting raised funds to help send local Down Syndrome Swimming team members Ty Belnap, Clinton Stanley and Jana Clancy to Limerick in Ireland for the world swimming championships. Australia has some of the fastest Down Syndrome swimmers in the world and our local team members Ty, Clinton and Jana came back with many medals and a few new world records.

Ty, Jana and Clinton with surf legends Bob Cooper & Hayden Kenny

2004 beneficiaries

In our first year supported local swimmers Ty Belnap, Clinton Stanley and Jana Clancy to attend the World Down Syndrome Swimming Championships in South Africa as part of the 20 member National squad. These great young Australians pushed themselves way beyond their disabilities to make us all so proud returning with a swag of medals. Our support made a real difference, not only by helping meet thier costs but also by lifting the swimmer’s morales.