DOCUMENT

Welcome to 2024 and our first issue of In Touch magazine for the year! I hope that you managed to take a break and have come back refreshed, relaxed, and recharged for the year ahead. As I write this, I am on my way to the South Island for a road trip around beautiful Te Waipounamu visiting our members, attending coffee groups and catching up with our team down there. I am really looking forward to connecting with you all. It’s a rewarding and heart-warming job to facilitate the panel of the Bradley Jenkin Memorial Fund where we can assist members with grants to help them overcome such challenges – such as Roedeen on page 20 . In order to assist as many members as possible with funding, we have made some changes to the application process which you can read about on page 5 . January and February have been busy months for the team as we begin working on plans for 2024 including a new Strategic Plan, and celebrating our 65th Anniversary this year! On International Rare Disease Day – 29 February, we will be working with other Associations to kick off Rare Disorders FROM THE DESK Trevor Jenkin National Executive Chairperson Heading into a big year as we celebrate turning 65! Kōrero with Trevor awareness month – calling on Aotearoa to Glow up and Show up for Rare to show support for the 6% of the population living with a rare disorder. Keep an eye out on our Facebook page for further updates and information on how you can support us. Like many charitable organisations, the times ahead will be challenging. Changes to the health and disability sectors, coupled with the inflationary economic climate means we must navigate a careful path forward. But we are not deterred. We are committed to providing quality community-based services to those living with a neuromuscular condition who trust us to be a part of their support network. Hope you enjoy this issue of In Touch . To speak to us about leaving a gift in your will, please email info@mda.org.nz We have been helping Kiwi families for more than 60 years and by making a bequest, you are ensuring the sustainability of our organisation so that we can continue to be there for generations to come. Your good will benefits families Any bequest, no matter what size, will directly help those living with muscle wasting neuromuscular conditions, and enable us to continue our work within your community.