Children with Disability, Current Projects:
Children with Disability NZ Our mission is to make New Zealand the most disabled child friendly region in the world!
Current Projects
Let's Work Together!
Our Aim Is To Make Everyone Feel Included:
Children with Disability New Zealand is the charity. Our current fundraising target of $10,000 from November 26–22 is for an accessible seesaw for Raumanga Park in Whangarei. Our charity was formed following a meeting between three people looking for a missing wheelchair swing. Kylee Ostermann, Charlie Bonner Germain, and Glen McMillan teamed up. Kylee has a disabled son, Alex. Alex just loved that swing, and now it was gone. We made inquiries and found the swing in council storage. We were offered the swing, but this proved impractical.
Plans changed Our charity developed a plan, which we put to council, for a new playground to be developed in Waipu, Northland. This playground is being funded by both the community and the council. After many meetings and much discussion between our charity and Whangarei Council, an agreement was made that the Council would fund the cost of a new wheelchair swing if our charity could raise $10,000 towards the cost. We are there; it is late March 2022; we can now contribute our $10,000; we have reached our goal; the wheelchair swing is due for installation early in March 2023.
We Want To Achieve For Our Kids
Our First Goal and Successful Achievement Was The Wheelchair Swing in Waipu:
Our Journey and How We Got There:
We would like to share some of our accomplishments. Our charity, Children with Disability, came about because of a missing wheelchair swing and the two ladies looking for the swing contacting a Northland disability advocate seeking help to find the missing swing. Kylee and Charlie met Glen at Glen's home office. The three people clicked; Charlie was very passionate. Kylee had a disabled child that loved that swing, and Glen was able to help locate the missing swing. We had a long meeting and discussed the lack of facilities for disabled children.
50 years ago, Glen was a disabled child. Kylee's child is now 9, so what has changed in the 50 years since Glen was a disabled child and 2022, when Alex Kylee's child will be 10? The short answer is: not much. Glen McMillan, our charity's CEO, is a long-time disability advocate who is very proactive at getting things done. Charlotte Germain is a woman with passion. She cares for both her mom and serves as a caregiver for Kylee’s son Alex, all while looking after her young child and husband, who has deteriorating eyesight through sickness. Kylee Ostermann is Alex’s mother. Alex was the motivation driving all three of us. Alex has multiple disabilities. The charity, Children with Disability, was Charlie’s idea, and the plan was to try to get the council to reinstall the old wheelchair swing. We became a registered charity on May 26, 2021.
Our vision is simple. Our understanding of the needs of the disabled is comprehensive; we did not want to be an extension of another charity, so many are following the same well-worn track. Real change is hard to make happen. Our focus is children. Glen McMillan Our CEO became disabled at age 10. Kylee’s son Alex is almost ten; there is a fifty-plus year difference in age between Glen and Alex. So, if we were to look at how much progress has been made in catering for disabled children in the last 50 years in terms of inclusion, sadly many areas have seen little change. Our first focus was the wheelchair swing; we had located it, but the cost of reinstalling the old swing was not economical. All aspects of play need attention, including shade areas in playgrounds.
Our current projects & fundraising projects
Our Current Project Is To Fundraise For An Inclusive Seesaw:
Our Goal & How We Are Going To Get There:
Glen started building the charity's infrastructure while Kylee and Charlie attended meetings with Whangarei Council. An agreement between our charity and Whangarei Council was completed, and a location was decided upon for which we would fundraise and partially fund a wheelchair swing for Waipu Park in Northland. Fundraising had already started; we had a goal of raising $10,000, and we have reached this goal.
Accomplishment no. 1: raise $10,000 towards a wheelchair swing. Done! Accomplishment no. 2: We also got Whangarei City Council to agree to several accessible play items being installed at the new Pohe Island playground in Whangarei. We have submitted requests for wheelchair accessible playground equipment at more than 12 playgrounds around New Zealand, which are in the planning stage.
We lobby endlessly for better access—more curb cuts, accessible parking—and the list goes on. We have succeeded in getting more than twenty new curb cuts or other accessibility-related changes.
We need support with funding but also person power volunteers. The fact that we are dealing with disabled children and COVID is such a big risk has prevented any mass events, so we have focused on playgrounds or places to go safely and getting councils and the government to better understand and cater for disabled children’s needs.
Donate Now
We Have A Few Ways You Can Donate To Children With Disability New Zealand:
#One
Use the PayPal button select the credit card option.
#Two
Use the PayPal button directly to pay by PayPal.
#Three
By Direct Credit into our ASB.
account - 12 3099 0121964 00
#Four
Scan Here
