Have you ever met someone you never thought you could meet in real life, and would only watch on an episode of Oprah, 60 Minutes or 20/20?
Well... Today, I met with a lady of that quality... A lady I thought I might only get a chance to see on Oprah or in a news paper... Let alone meeting her in person, and sitting on the same table for two hours. Whats more thrilling is that she actually came there to discuss my future!
OK, maybe not many of you people know her... Her name is Dr. Patricia Champion, the founder of Champion Centre. Its the largest Early Intervention service provider in New Zealand where children who are at risk of developing learning disabilities or who struggle with delayed learning are regularly seen by a multidisciplinary team of professionals.
http://www.championcentre.org.nz/phppages/mission.php
“Every child is a unique individual with individual needs. I believe in all children having the right to develop their potential, whatever that might be.”
Some 25 years ago, Dr Patricia Champion initiated her work with children with Down syndrome. Over the years, with a dedicated team of staff, this grew to become the unique Centre it now is. Beginning with just 7 children in its first year, the Centre has grown steadily, expanded its services, and attracted more and more dedicated, highly qualified personnel. Over the years it has helped more than one thousand children.
So... she came in our class today, which is really a very small class with only 5 students, and is held one of the churches because of the damage that has affected many buildings around the campus... so she came in, and introduced her self as "Patricia". She sat down with us, and started chatting like any regular person would. We didn't know who she was until our tutor, Prof. Kathleen Liberty who is also a leading icon in the field of Early Intervention in NZ, asked "Patricia" to introduce her self to us, and tell us about her background. And honest to God, it was a jaw opener!
This lady has really truely made a change in her life.... she is not like one of those brats we so alot around who claim to want to make a change in the world, and later would go ask her daddy for some money to buy a new handbag when she has got a hundred of them! No no no... Not only she played part in why people in Christchurch don't end anymore getting locked-up for the rest of their lives in a cell at what was called a "Mental Centre" in Templeton just because they were born with some kind of disability... But also she introduced the most hollistic approach in dealing with children with disabilities to provide them and their families with the information and support they need to reduce the impact of the disability, and to facilitate the inclusion of the child in the society and mainstream education system.
She told me about how is going to attach me to attend sessions at the Centre which provides services to children from 0-5 from different backgrounds and forms of disabilities. I will also be attached to services provided at the hospital to children from 0-12, with or without disability, who have medical problems. In both cases, I will be watching their team work in the presence of a dietetian/nutritionist.
I am really excited to have met Dr. Champion, and I hope things work out in the best direction... Because I am finally in a place where I can see not just the interventions and services provided, but also results... real results... and they seem to be wonderful.
Regards,
Burair
Seems like an influential person. Make sure to learn as much as possible from these figures.
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