Wrapping up: the “TROUBLE’S HERE TO STAY” Fundraiser

Jenny_Thankyounote_1smallDear TROUBLE fans

A gigantic THANK YOU to everyone who donated so generously, passed on the mail, or even showed interest and spurred us on!

We have received monthly commitments for R 2 414,00 (ca. 160 €* – for 12 months!) Almost all of our sponsors from last year are continuing, and some new ones have joined the ranks. Admittedly, we’re a little short of our goal, which was to raise R 3 500,00 per month.

BUT the astounding one-off donations of R18 378 (1 209 €) far exceeded the R12 000 goal that we had set ourselves!

In total, we’ve raised R47 346 (3 117 €) for Jenny for 2018.

Again, hats off and thank you to everyone who was involved, also –  and especially – from Jenny.

In case you just did’t get around to contributing and actually wanted to – don’t worry!! It’s not too late!! Just write an e-mail to fundraisingfortrouble[at]gmail.com, and we’ll send you the banking details.

Any donation, at any time, no matter how small, will find it’s way to Jenny and will help.

Jenny needs only R 12 726 (838 €) more to cover all her foreseeable
expenses for  2018 – we are confident that this money will trickle in over the next few weeks and months.

2017 prize draw
Now, for those of you who are wondering about *the Prize Draw* that took place in Berlin (in a rather comfortable, homely setting, as seen above), here are the details of the winners, who have already been informed and in some cases have even received their prizes.

The 5 packets of home-baked cookies (Biscotti with almonds and aniseed – I would say they were very yummy, but I don’t want to blow my own trumpet…) went to:
Susanne
Marty
Monika
Cynthia
Ute

And our grand prize, the high-quality-super-comfortable-washable-with-anti-slip-knobs-at-the-bottom “Gästepantoffelset” (set of guest slippers) went to Anne!!!

Congratulations to all of our winners!

Till next time – thank you and stay out of TROUBLE!!

yvette
Friend, fan and fundraising co-ordinator.

2017 cookies

Update / Funding deadline extended by 3 days.

Dear TROUBLE fans

Firstly, we want to thank our generous sponsors, who have commited R 1000 ( about 60 Euros) a month for the coming year – a total of R 12 000. THANK YOU!! This is a wonderful start.

Unfortunately, that leaves us quite a bit short of our goal, which is R 3 500 in regular contributions and R  12 000 in one-offs.

Now, we know a lot of people have been busy with Christmas preparations and parties, and so we’ve decided to extend the fundraiser deadline until December 13th.

This gives you 3 more days to make a contribution!! Best to do so now!! If you still need the details, please write an e-mail to fundraisingfortrouble[at]gmail.com.

And by the way, for the people in Germany, here’s a picture of what is in the hat for the lucky draw…homemade cookies (though, of course, we’ll bake some fresh) and the grand prize: a set of high quality slippers for visitors. Get your name in the draw today!

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Letter of thanks from Jen to 2017 sponsors

NOVEMBER 2017

DEAR FRIENDS

YOU COMMITTED IN NOVEMBER 2016 TO SUPPORT ME FOR ONE YEAR SO THAT I COULD MOVE TO A NEW HOME – AND YOU HAVE KEPT YOUR PROMISE! WITH THIS LETTER, I WANT TO EXPRESS MY HEARTFELT THANKS AND APPRECIATION TO ALL OF YOU WHO HAVE KEPT ME FINANCIALLY ABLE TO LIVE HERE.

THANK YOU FOR BRINGING ME BACK TO CAPE TOWN – NEAR MY BROTHER & FRIENDS!

Jenny with her brother Mike on her birthday, Feb 2017

IT WAS CRUCIAL FOR ME TO BE CLOSE TO MY BROTHER IN APRIL. HE HAD ANOTHER 5 CANCEROUS GROWTHS CUT OUT OF HIS HEAD & NECK. IN AUGUST I HAD 4 GROWTHS ON MY NOSE, 3 MORE INSIDE MY NOSE, 2 ON MY CHEEK & 1 BELOW MY SHOULDER REMOVED. IT WAS WONDERFUL TO BE CLOSE TO MY BROTHER AND TO GIVE & RECEIVE SUPPORT FROM EACH OTHER.

I WON’T SAY MUCH ABOUT THE PREVIOUS HOME – SUFFICE TO SAY IT ALMOST BROKE ME – BUT MY NAME IS NOT “TROUBLE 01” FOR NOTHING!

THE OTHER HOME HAD 90-ODD RESIDENTS – THIS ONE HAS 40-ODD RESIDENTS. THERE’S A NURSING SISTER ON DUTY 24-HOURS – DAY & NIGHT, AND HIGHLY-TRAINED, COMPETENT CARERS. THERE ARE NO VISITING HOURS – PEOPLE ARE ENCOURAGED TO COME & GO FREELY.

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Watching the Geriatric Olympics

LET ME TRY TO GIVE YOU A GLIMPSE INTO MY LIFE: I SHARE A BEDROOM WITH AN ELDERLY LADY. FORMALLY AN OFFICE, THE COUNTER-TOP HAS MY COMPUTER, PRINTER, WHEELCHAIR CHARGER – AND I STILL HAVE SPACE. PHOTO’S ON THE WALL. HOME AWAY FROM HOME.

DURING MY YEAR HERE, I HAVE MET A LOT OF NEW PEOPLE AND MADE NEW FRIENDS. I’VE TAKEN PART IN A WHEEL CHAIR RACE – AND HAVE PRACTICED DANCING WITH MY WHEELCHAIR AND EVEN STANDING UP WHEN A MUSICIAN (WHO IS NOW MY FRIEND) CAME TO PLAY HERE.

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Me (on the right) dancing!! June 2017

I’D BE LYING IF I SAY FINANCES DON’T WORRY ME – OF COURSE THEY DO. AS WE ALL KNOW, EVERYTHING GETS MORE & MORE EXPENSIVE. I KNOW THERE WILL BE THE YEARLY INCREASE OF THE HOME IN JANUARY. BUT IT DOESN’T HELP TO PANIC – SOMETHING WILL HAPPEN TO KEEP ME HERE! IT BETTER – AS I’VE GOT NOWHERE ELSE TO GO!!!

BUT THERE’S ONE THING I REALLY WANT TO TELL YOU ALL: NEVER FEEL YOUR DONATION IS TOO SMALL – IT ALL ADDS UP. YES, MY BUDGET IS TIGHT, BUT EACH MONTH I SAVE WHAT I CAN & WHEN I HAVE ENOUGH I BUY NEW CLOTHING AND A LUXUARY COOL DRINK IN SUMMER & SOMETIMES EVEN AN ICE-CREAM!

ALL BAD FOR THE FIGURE!

WORDS CAN NEVER EXPRESS MY GRATTITUDE TO YOU ALL.

GOD BLESS YOU.

JENNY

(BETTER KNOWN AS “TROUBLE 01”

– AND PROUD OF IT!)

Ps. Click on the link below to watch me dance in my wheelchair. Abraham Darlow is singing – we’ve become good friends this year!

Jenny dancing wheelchair small

 

Picutes & winners from 2016 campaign

The winners of the 2016 “Here comes TROUBLE” lucky draw were informed by mail and have received their prizes.

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Here’s what was up for grabs:
Lots of cool reflector stuff to warn people around you in the dark: “Here comes TROUBLE!”

There were 49 names in the hat.

names in hat 2016

And here are the lucky winners:

Smiley – Anhänger:
1 Anne
2 Karo
3 Suzi
4 Monika
5 Rebecca

Reflector straps:
1 Valo
2 Monika
3 Anne

Magnet Reflector Light
1 Suzi
2 Annette

There was also a surprize prize for the most generous sponsor (who wants to remain annonymous) – she received a reclector vest with “Here comes TROUBLE!” printed on the back (modelled here by a young TROUBLE fan)

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All in all, we received pledges from Germany for 115 € every month for the last year (added to that were pledges for R850 a month from South Africa, so that we collected more than R2 500 in regular contributions. The rest of Jenny’s costs were covered by one-off donations.)

Thank you again to everyone who contributed!! This campaign played a great part in giving Jenny a spot in a wonderful home for 2017.

Of course, we want to enable her to stay there in 2018 as well…so keep your eyes peeled- info about the new “TROUBLE’s here to stay” campaign will follow very soon!

 

Und hier eine deutsche Zusammenfassung:

Die Gewinner der “Here comes TROUBLE” Reflektor Gewinnspiel 2016 wurden per Mail informiert und haben ihre Preise längst erhalten. Auf den Fotos oben sieht man die Preise und die 49 Namen im Hut – die Gewinner sind aufgelistet.

Und es gab einen Überraschungspreis für unsere großzügigste Spenderin (die aber, wie ich glaube, Anonym bleiben will). Sie bekam eine coole Reflektorveste mit “Here comes TROUBLE” Aufdruck.

Wir haben 115 Euro an monatliche Zusagen in Deutschland gesammelt mit dieser Aktion (und in Südafrika haben wir auch bereits Zusagen für R850 im Monat – insgesamt waren das monatlich mehr als R 2500.

Vielen Dank noch mal an ALLEN für die grosszügige Spenden! Diese Aktion hat maßgeblich dazu beigetragen, dass Jenny 2017 in dem ganz tollen Heim in Kapstadt wohnen konnte.

Natürlich wollen wir ermöglichen, dass sie auch 2018 dort wohnen  kann. Deswegen folgt die neue Kampagnie, „TROUBLE is here to stay“ sehr bald…

 

“Here comes TROUBLE” 2016!

The 2016 fundraising campaign WITH PRIZE-DRAW is kicking off in Berlin!

By 15 December 2016, we want to raise a total of 2 700 € (which would give Jenny an extra R 3 500 a month (currently about 225 Euro).

Of course we are very grateful for any one-off contributions people can make – however big or small. 

But we’re also hoping to find people who can commit to a small monthly contribution for one year (Dec 2016 – Nov 2017). 

We’re hoping to find:

In Britain/Germany/NZ/other countries where Jenny has friends and fans:

  • 10 people who can contribute 5 Euros a month
    (totaling 50 Euros)
  • 9 people who can contribute 10 Euros a month
    (totaling 90 Euros)

In South Africa:

  • 10 people who can contribute R 50 per month (totaling R500)
  • 9 people who can contribute R 100 a month (totaling R 900)

This would leave us with a little bit extra to cover transfer costs or currency fluctuation.

At the end of that period, we will contact you to check if you want to (and can) continue your support or not.

Please write to fundraisingfortrouble@gmail.com if you would like to make a contribution and let us know if you want to commit to a monthly one. We will send you the banking details by mail as we don’t want to publish them on the site (in order to avoid abuse). 

And finally: here’s the info on our special “Here comes TROUBLE” draw, which you can be included in if you make a contribution by 30 November 2016!

Here are the rules:

  • Anyone who contributes 10 Euros or more (by 30 November)  is automatically included in the draw. For every 10 Euro you contribute, your name will be put into the hat (so if you contribute 30 Euros, your name will go into the hat 3 times).
  • People who contribute 5 Euros a month will have their name put into the hat 6 times and those contributing 10 Euros a month will go into the hat 12 times!
  • Unfortunately, due to postage issues, we can only really include people living in Germany in this draw. If you live furtehr off but would like to be included, please write us a mail and we will try to make a plan.

And now: here are the 10 very cool reflector prizes that will keep 10 lucky sponsors visible and out of trouble in the dark days to come:

  • 5 round yellow smiley reflectors on a string (that can be attached to a bag, schoolbag, kitabag, dog collar etc. I guess you could also wear them as earrings or dangle them from your bike-handles). Each winner will receive one reflector. 
  • 3 pairs of high-quality reflector strap-on-bands for arms/legs Each winner will receive 1 pair.
  • 2 very cool round magnetic LED clip lights that can be attached to stuff (straps,  jacket-pockets etc.) These clips are very slick, latest design, new on the market. Think of the eye of a Minion (with a red LED Light in the front and a magnet in the back), and a thin yellow strap  which leads to another round magnet. Join the two magnets and voila! Your light is attached. The two lights will go to two separate winners.    

The draw will take place on 3 December. Winners will be notified and the results will be published here on the site.

GOOD LUCK!! And remember – in order to take part, you have to transfer by 30 November 2016.

Cute pics from 2015 fundraiser.

Hi everyone!

We’re just preparing the new fundraiser for TROUBLE which is to start soon. But before we do- we wanted to share some of the pics from the 2015 I LOVE TROUBLE fundraiser, which raised a total of R15 973!

THANK YOU AGAIN TO EVERYONE WHO CONTRIBUTED SO GENEROUSLY!!!

AND THANK YOU TO BLACK STAR (Cotton.de) FOR THE FAIR DEAL ON THESE LOVELY BODIES AND SHIRTS!

Here are the pics 🙂

 

 

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julian_loves_trouble

frederick_loves_trouble

 

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And here’s Jenny’s thank you note:

 

 

 

 

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3 October 2014: Fundraiser at local church

I did my first fundraiser today! It was  at the local church, which I used to go to with my parents. For weeks I’ve been making cards to sell and a pillowcase  for a raffle. (If you don’t know about my “spastic art – check it out!!)

 

Jen at work3 6.2.09.jpg

It was a very interesting experience. I didn’t raise quite as much money as I had hoped, but I certainly learned a lot and have ideas for the future.

So this was a good start.

Thank you very much to everyone who contributed!

Jenny

Hello and thank you for visiting my website!

My name is Jenny Symons, but I prefer to call myself “TROUBLE” (a nickname given to me by my parents). I have Cerebral Palsy – a disability resulting from lack of oxygen to the brain in early childhood. In my case, the umbilical cord was wrapped around my neck during a very long labour.

I have had this disABILITY all my life, and there is no “cure” – I have to live with it and make the most of my life. And I have! I’ve won over a hundred medals as a swimmer and field & track athlete, have broken numerous SA records, hold five international medals and have broken two world records.

I’ve worked as a public speaker, swum with dolphins, “run” the Argus, done a bungee jump – and whenever I could, I went to concerts & sports events, meeting various famous people like Sir Cliff Richard, John Denver, Air Supply, Bruce Millar, Jeremy Taylor, Kevin Curren, Johan Kriek and Christo van Rensburg, to name but a few. And in 1993 I started doing art.

My parents were told I wouldn’t reach 30. I am now 53.

As some of you might know, my parents were amazing people. My father was a Local Preacher at PMC for almost 50 years. My mother was involved with The Ladies Groups, my brother Michael & I went right through Sunday school & we were both Confirmed here. My parents raised me to do anything a “normal” kid would do and looked after me their whole lives. They refused to have me put in a Home. But unfortunately, they both died, my mom in 2008, my dad in 2012. I have sold the house and have rented a flat, but the inheritance I have been living off is shrinking fast.

You see, Cerebral Palsy is a very, very expensive handicap (check that on google or Wikipedia!) I need R61 500 just to survive one month. Under “financial info” you will see a list of my expenses and you will see that there are no luxuries included- the main expense is for medication and my carers.

I need 24 hour care. The problem is that my condition is so unusual, I will not get the care and medication I need in a state home.

I only have money to last me for a few more months – that is why my friends have started a fundraiser and I am selling cards that I print myself. In buying these cards, you ARE supporting me AND I REALLY, REALLY WANT TO THANK YOU FOR IT.

However, this is an ongoing struggle, and I would need to sell thousands of cards a month to keep going, which is unrealistic – even for me 🙂  So – if you find that you can part with a little more money to help me along, I would be very, very grateful indeed. All details under “financial info”.

If you can’t contribute financially but want to help – I would really appreciate that too! Please look under “How can I help?”.

Thank you! And, God bless!!