Heartfelt Visit by top executives from AAMT, Australia and NHPC, Canada

Tricia Hughes CEO Australia Association of Massage Therapists.
Colleen MacDougall Executive Manager Natural Health Practitioner of Canada
Honorable guests at TMC school

Visit the children and the members at Special People Foundation Chiang Dao Disabled Center. During the opening of the Children Rehabilitation Room in April 2009

Treatment for special children at Chiang Dao Center by Department of Physical Therapy Chiang Mai University Medical Department lead the team of 7 members by Assoc. Prof. Korakot Hensangvilai during April 2009. The visit encourage the parents of the special children to accept the support from SPF to enroll their children for further help.

Helping special children is a tedious task. What give everyone involve the courage to work with them is the love and dedication of the parents …
See and feel the look of this grandmother to her grandchild – then you will do whatever possible to help them.

Jan Chaithavuthi was a Plenary speaker and a workshop instructor at the Natural Health Practitioners of Canada (NHPC) Annual National Conference during October 2-5, 2008 in Alberta, Canada. NHPC donated to Special People Foundation by giving 300 Earth Bags to all conference participants. Plus additional donation of CA $1,500.

Donation presentation to Special People Foundation  (Formally Yogananda Foundation) at NHPC 2008 Conference with the aim to complete the Community Special Children Development Room at Chiang Dao Special People Center.

Leisa Bellmore NHPC 2008 President, Jan Chaithavuthi SPF President, Paul Buffel NHPC new President, Colleen MacDougall NHPC Executive Director

Australian Association of Massage Therapists (AAMT) kindly donated 400 Earth Bags to give to their members at the AAMT conference 2008. Plus the donation of the additional 400 Earth Bags.

Tricia Hughes AAMT CEO, Colleen MacDougall NHPC Executive Director, Jan Chaithavuthi SPF President, Paula Nutting AAMT President at NHPC 2008 Conference, Canada.

Sue Gregory from Healthy Outlook Personal & Corporate Wellness offered all sell proceeds from her educational CD at the NHPC conference to Special People foundation for CA $850.

Special People Foundation is grateful for the kindness of the fund raising organized by our friends from Australia: AKTIF Styles and AAMT for the amount of AU $ 5,000. The donation was dedicated to the building of the Community Rehabilitation Room for the special adults at Chiang Dao Special People Center.

Kanchanoo Muangsiri Vice President SPF,  Jan Chaithavuthi SPF President, Tricia Hughes AAMT CEO, Paula Nutting AAMT President at AAMT 2007 Conference, Australia.

Kanchanoo Muangsiri Vice President SPF, Karen Nichol AAMT Director and Aktif Styles Owner,  Jan Chaithavuthi SPF President at the AAMT Gala Dinner.

Community Rehabilitation Room: Chiang Dao Special People Center

Massage service by interns from Thai Massage School of Chiang Mai 

The outcome is so fast. The group is very happy to meet and feel the combined vibration during the meeting and the massage service. Receiving massage results in improve health and wellness for the members. Some members, like Lha who is blind from birth, had never have contact to any one outside the family, surrender to the hands with love from massage. No matter young or old, ill or well, they could enjoy the massage from the hearts.

Rehab tools and equipments:

Yogananda Foundation utilizes the donation fund to provide exercise rehabilitation tools and equipments to better the physical and living conditions for the disabled persons at the center and at homes.

The exercise walking rails, the waling cane, the seated toilet.

Review therapeutic massage activity to the mothers:

Thai Massage by Disabled People:

The class composed of 4 disabled students and 14 family members of the disabled people at the center. Sixteen of them are able to complete the intensive program within 3 weeks. All 4 of the disabled students graduated with great result.

Several of them are able to earn income and the rest are waiting for the center to complete the renovation and set up the massage service area for the public.

Proceeds from the Earth Bag activity supported by Yogananda Foundation for the Wang Nua Disabled Center given to the disabled members and the center from April 2007 – October 2007 was 591,159 Baht without at administrative cost charged to the project. Yogananda Foundation received donation from the public for the center 40,500 Baht. Total fund given to the center was 631,659 Baht. In addition to was the expenses to support the activities at the center during this period was 166,902 Baht. Combined funds to the center was 798,561 Baht.

Children here like to learn while they can:
Kanchanoo, vice president of Yogananda Foundation, tutor 2 children
during the break time.

The battery tricycle, manual hand push tricycle, wheelchair pusher

Aumnoy can now go to the market and come to the center on her own.

Pranee can go to sell food at the fresh market with less strain when go up the hill using this battery power and combination of manual tricycle. She also help transporting members nearby to come to the center.

Patong volunteer to paddle this wheelchair pusher for the members.

Maetee received the adapted motorized tricycle. He lost both legs last year. A father of 3 children. Now he has the mean to go out and perform work and also help the disabled members.

The members received their earning from participated in painting the earth bag. This money can help improve their living.