Get Involved

While I have spoken to a lot of people and a good number of foundations, I hadn't had the chance to speak to an animal welfare foundation and I'm thrilled to bring you my interview with the  Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, named of course for their famous founder, author Gerald Durrell. As a child, and now, I loved the books of Gerald Durrell, and I hope sharing this interview with you, I can in some way repay some of the joy he gave. My great thanks to Ceri Pritchett, one of the volunteers at the Durrell Foundation, for her time and effort in answering my questions all the way from Jersey, Channel Islands!

What is the Durrell Foundation all about?

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Jim Parsons is Wheelchair Jimmy and he needs your help!

Hey all! As most of you know I'm a big fan of the show The Big Bang Theory. I have a Google Alert on the name 'Jim Parsons', one of the stars of the show. One my Google Alert results included a link which read "Jim Parsons Looks to Raise $50,000 via Indiegogo to Take WheelchairJimmy and His Accessibility Travel Website to the Next Level of Success"

It intrigued me!

When I clicked it I realised that this WASN'T the Jim Parsons from Big Bang Theory. But it didn't matter because when I read about the cause I knew I wanted to chat to THIS Jim Parsons and see if I could bring a bit of exposure to what he is doing. 

There are probably two things you need to know before you read further. 


A) What is Wheelchair Jimmy? and  B) What do they need?

What is Wheelchair Jimmy?

Wheelchair Jimmy is a travel advisory website, database, and YouTube Channel to make disabled travel more fun, accessible convenient and hassle free.

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Amy Yasbeck (Problem Child) talks to us about The John Ritter Foundation For Aortic Health

Amy Yasbeck and Critter Ritter 

Click the picture to order your shirt and support
the foundation.

I remember the day well - standing in front of the TV in sad, shocked, silence as the announcer told us that John Ritter had passed away suddenly. A lot of celebs had passed away, but John Ritter's death was on the same level as that of Princess Diana - you just knew that we had lost somebody amazing. We still feel that loss today, but MORE than that - John Ritter still makes us laugh today. In my own family, we have spent most of this year laughing at Jack Tripper as we rediscovered Three's Companyand all his other work. Well - I rediscovered it, my children discovered it for the first time. And when, like me, and like my son, you struggle with issues such as depression and social anxiety and you suddenly find solace and peace in the work of someone who just makes you LAUGH, you want to give something back.

It's with this in mind that I contacted the John Ritter Foundation for Aortic Health. I wanted to know more about the heart defect which had taken John Ritter from us, but I also wanted to see if there was some way that I in South Africa could say thank you. I seem to remember hearing that John Ritter once said that he would like to find a cure for a disease, and the best way of saying thank you is by spreading word about aortic health.

I'm immensely grateful (and star struck!) to receive such wonderful information as has been provided to us by Amy Yasbeck - star of Problem Child, Wings, and many others, wife of John Ritter and founder of The John Ritter Foundation for Aortic Health.

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J9 Foundation for Motor Neuron Disease

I was so fortunate to be able to chat to Nathania from the Foundation who was happy to give me information. 

As most of you know, the J9 Foundation is Joost van der Westhuizen's foundation - well known and well loved South African rugby player who suffers from this condition. 

Knowing very little (read - nothing) about this condition, except that Joost has it, I got straight into it with my questions and it's an honour to be able to help spread the word, and you can help too. Please read, learn and share this around, specially so that members of the public can get involved in supporting the organisation. 

 What is motor neuron disease (which I expect you have been asked hundreds of times over)

Motor neurone disease (MND) is the name given to a group of related diseases in which there is progressive degeneration of the motor neurones in the brain and spinal cord. Motor neurones are the nerve cells that control muscles, and their degeneration therefore leads to weakness and wasting of the muscles.

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Pay It Forward

Everything, everybody, every post on this blog means something to me. And I like to give back what little I can when people give to me, in whatever way it is - whether it's helping me feel good, or in this case, helping my community when we were collecting for victims of a shack fire. The fire was big. More than 200 shacks went down, and more than 1000 people were affected. Our community (Ward 118 in Johannesburg) gave and gave. Surrounding communities gave and gave. And Pay It Forward came to the party in a massive way by sending us truckloads of goods from as far away as the Far East Rand!

I asked Greg some questions. 

What is Pay It Forward all about?

In a nutshell, one person helping another, and that person, when they are able, helping yet another.  In the hope that this will continue down the line, through a community, across the land, and beyond I am our borders. We NEED to Pay It Forward, to create a better World for all. 

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