Keeping up with Katie ...

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Kia Ora Koutou.

Katie Hopkins - Liaison Officer

Katie Hopkins - Liaison Officer

Happy New Year!  Can you believe it’s half way through February already!  The Liaison service re-opened on 13th January after a refreshing summer break.  Referrals were initially quiet but are starting to pick up the pace again.  This year we are running a Napier coffee group, this is a peer support group to be held on the first Wednesday of the month, at 10am.  Please contact me on 8786875 or 0272838896 if you are interested in attending.

I have now been a Liaison Officer with Brain Injury HB for 6 months.  In that time I have been working alongside Debbie in the liaison and whanau services, as well as taking the opportunity to network with other services in the community.  Being relatively new to this field I have also taken the opportunity to participate in learning opportunities.  I am grateful to Brain Injury HB for supporting me in my study towards a Level 4 qualification in Brain Injury Rehabilitation Support. 

The modules I have been working on include understanding the human brain, and service models and approaches to health and well-being.  I’m looking forward to getting involved in Awareness Week for the first time, as well as the Wheels on Windsor fundraiser, the upcoming workshop on Person Centered Practice and Engagement, and of course the Liaison Conference just to name a few!  It’s gearing up to be a busy year, I look forward to meeting more of our members and supporters in 2020.           

Why Volunteering Makes A Difference

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Hi, my name is Carolyn Macfarlane, a couple of years ago I went to a Black Barn concert that was a fundraising event for Brain Injury Association Hawke’s Bay. Unfortunately, poor ticket sales were not helped by the bad weather on the night and the fact my friend and I had been given complimentary tickets. Needless to say, the question on the night was if anyone could donate some time to help their marketing even it was for an hour a month so next time they can raise more money. Realising then that I couldn’t donate money at the time but could offer my time I thought it would be a great opportunity to give back to a worthwhile charity and in the long term save them money.

My first task was designing a new website for them to give them a more professional profile and enable them to receive donations from the site. I had a lot of satisfaction completing this project to go live.

I was really delighted when I was told they were being given a sponsorship car for 6 months and they had looked at the website which had helped them seal the deal.

Further to that, I have had the insight into how hard the people at Brain Injury Association Hawke’s Bay work to promote Brain Injury Awareness and just how many cases they are dealing with on a daily basis.

So I have learned that it’s a great feeling to help people in the community that wouldn’t otherwise have the assistance and it is an invaluable experience for me too and would encourage others to get involved too.