Hi, YOU ARE INVITED TO BE MAD... to make a difference for Alex, an autistic boy, who needs Baymax, an assistant dog! Do you care and want to BE MAD with us?
CONVERSATION WITH: Christine Lewis and Rebecca George 2nd November 2015
A MAD Women (Christine Lewis founder of www.fb.com/bemadrightnow) and A Mum. About A Boy and A Dog.
Christine Lewis believes she is on the planet to BE MAD,that is,TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE to women and community. She has previously reached out to Missy Higgins, Tim Costello, Clare Bowditch who all think it’s great to BE MAD too. Christine recently crossed paths with a mother,Rebecca George who is desperate to unite her 8 year old autistic son who has epilepsy with a dog who can provide safety and independence.Together they are on a quest to BE MAD for Alex and they dare you to BE MAD too.Media, community, business – do you have what it takes to join the MAD quest?
Read the interview below to find out what this MADness is all about… If you have a connection to Media, Melbourne Herald Sun, TV News or anyone who would like to share this story with their audience please TAKE ACTION... spread the word and let us know that you want to BE MAD too....
Christine presented these following questions to Rebecca to gain a better understanding of this MAD situation…
Q: What’s Your Family Snapshot, of the George Family?
· Married with 2 kids. Living in Cranbourne East,
Q: What’s The Problem?
· There is no government funding and support for those who choose to use therapy aid dogs like Baymax.
· There is a fundraiser event in less than 10 days and only a handful of tickets have been sold
· Action, donation, attendance, media support need to help a family to raise $10,000+
· Time is running out, there is no funding and a beautiful boy Alex needs Baymax the dog for his independence
Q: Where & When is the Event?
· The Spaghetti Tree, 59 Bourke St, Melbourne
· Friday 13th November @ 6.30pm
· Cost: $50
Q: What do you need?
· $10,000 to invest in Baymax, a dog who will be trained to assist Alex, my son with Autism
· To sell tickets to the fundraising dinner so it is filled with compassionate people who want to support my quest
· Donation of prizes to use as auction/raffle prizes. Any help is appreciated; we have small $20 items and huge $800 items that have already been donated. No contribution is too big or too small.
· Attend the event, the event can only be successful if people are there to bid on items, so far only a handful tickets have been sold.
· Can’t make the event? Why not donate the cost of a cup of coffee instead? $5 isn’t much to some, but if everyone did it, we’d reach our goal in a heartbeat.
Q: Share three words to describe your 8 year old son Alex
• Happy! Even on his worst day, he will usually tell you he is 'awesome' or he has had an 'awesome' day.
• Determined! He's has a fighting spirit ; always puts in 110%; and always gives it all he's got.
• Intelligent! Even with his deficits, he can read any book you put in front of him, including encyclopaedias and he's been teaching himself electronics on YouTube. He can draw series and parallel circuits and I've caught him watching university lectures on electronics. How many 8 year olds do you know can do that?
Q: Why was the dog chosen as an aid and how can it help Alex.
· Although we have tried lots of therapy, the dog will give my son the most important thing, independence. Baymax will give Alex independence and the ability to play with his peers. Due to the nature of his seizures, Alex cannot be trusted in the 'big kids' play ground where his classmates play as it is not constantly monitored.
· It is hoped that Baymax will be trained enough to not allow Alex to walk past the school gates without a special command which he could only say if he is fully conscious. We want the dog to grow with Alex and perhaps even learn bus routes when he's old enough for high school.
Q: Tell us about Baymax, the dog.
· Baymax is a dog, and language to describe his occupation are “medical aid/companion”, “therapy aid/companion” and “assistance companion”. His services will go well beyond any ordinary pet.
· Dogs like Baymax are as medically relevant to children like Alex as guide dogs are to the blind.
· Baymax is a 4 month old Black Labrador. He has lots of puppy energy and doesn’t like being left along.
· Why a Labrador? They're smart and they're widely accepted as assistance dogs.
· Disney fans or parents of young children will know that Baymax is a healthcare Robot from Disney's movie Big Hero 6.
Q: How does Alex feel when he is with the dog?
· A connection is growing between my son and the dog.
· At this early stage they are still forming a bond. Baymax has only been in our house 2 months and Alex takes a long time to form relationships. That being said, there have been a few sweet moments where you can see how connected they are.
Q: Describe your WISH LIST of auction prizes or business donations
· 'Getaway' items. People love the excuse to go away, so why not do it and help at the same time?
· Secondly, maybe an experience of some kind, like hot air ballooning, v8 racecar hot laps, swim with the seals anything like that.
· Thirdly maybe tickets to an event/festival or tour I don't think we're exactly going to get Taylor Swift tickets here but maybe a wine and cheese tour.
· A farm to table produce tour or something similar. People tend to enjoy good wine/cheese/food especially if we can marry it up with some accommodation if it's a bit far away, I can see people going for it.
Q: What has been the best thing and most challenging thing about the Alex Fundraiser
The generosity and community support for sure. Those who have chosen to be involved have been very generous. These days in particular I think it's very hard to feel like there is a genuine community spirit that cares anymore. Big business doesn't tend to be very interested in the little guys so for instance when the local big corporation store manager offered to donate a brand new IPad air, I walked out of the store close to tears because I felt that someone really stuck out a limb for us.
Q: What has been the most challenging thing about the Alex Fundraiser
Trying to get people to understand that we are just a small family needing big help. We're not some massive organisation with a fundraising team and endless resources backing us. We have no corporate sponsorships or deals; I just decided I needed to make a really big run at doing something to hopefully get a big result.
Q: Why did you choose the Spaghetti Tree as your fundraising dinner venue?
There were some personal factors and some practical factors involved in this decision. Practically speaking, it’s central and accessible to a large number of people. It’s in the city, near a train or tram station, The Spaghetti Tree is a 2 min walk from Parliament Station.
The personal aspect behind that choice is that the manager of the restaurant is an old university friend of mine. We haven't even spoken or seen each other for at least 10 years and I had no guarantee he still even worked there. But when I was starting to look at venues I thought I'd try this place first because I feel it's easier to work with someone I had some personal connection to. It just so happened that yes, he still works there and remembers me, so I guess a bonus has been renewing an old friendship while planning this. He has been a massive support in advocating for us and has bought one of his wine suppliers on board to provide free sparkling wine for the event.
· Do you have an Autism network that you want to be acknowledged?
We are going to have a guest speaker from The I Can Network, who have been generous enough to give us a massive discount, so definitely a big shout out to them. Unfortunately organisations such as Amaze (Autism Victoria) are too under resourced to help.
Q: Is there any other comments you want to share?
Buy a ticket, lol!! In all seriousness, I really just want people to come along and have some fun. So many people go out on the town on a Fridaynight for dinner/drinks etc. so why not do it in a way that can help someone? You could pick up a massive auction bargain or even if you get tipsy and bid double the item value, I think that's part of the fun.
THE STORY written by A MUM http://companion4alex.com/
DONATION PAGE:
DINNER , DONATION & AUCTION PAGE: http://companion4alex.com/
BE MAD COMMUNITY FACEBOOK PAGE: http://fb.com/bemadrightnow
INTERVIEW & MEDIA CONTACT: A MAD Woman: Christine Lewis 0438 379 450 info@65main.com
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