National Volunteer Week

TSWA Management May 21, 2019

National Volunteer Week #NVW2019 is an annual celebration to acknowledge the generous contribution of our nation’s volunteers. This years theme is ‘Making a World of Difference’.

Tiny Sparks is entirely volunteer run. Without our volunteers generously giving thousands of hours each year we would simply cease to exist. Every week our volunteers who live not just in Perth, but all over Western Australia, put in countless hours managing our operations, packing and delivering Care Packages, answering enquires, coordinating community events, attending Coffee Mornings, running our online Support Groups, knitting, sewing, fundraising and more!

We are so grateful they choose to support Tiny Sparks, they really do ‘make the world of difference’!

Care Packages for Bunbury

TSWA Management March 30, 2019

Some babies are admitted to Neonatal Units for several hours and some for many months. This has considerable impact on parents, siblings, extended family and staff, a true ripple effect.

Each baby is unique, each stay is unique but for most it is totally unexpected. Being separated from your baby isn’t what was planned. The babies admitted to Bunbury Regional Hospital Neonatal Unit generally stay 1 to 7 days. Their parents may be feeling overwhelmed and isolated during that time.

We are pleased to announce expansion of our Care Package Program to Bunbury Regional Hospital 🎉 With thanks to volunteer delivery driver Sharni, each month BRH Neonatal Unit will receive 30 ‘Special Care Packs’ for distribution to babies admitted to their unit.

We are very conscious of expanding our programs in a sustainable way. It is thanks to the generosity of the community that we can continue to grow, and support more WA families each year.

Program Expansion

TSWA Management January 14, 2019

In 2018 we were so very fortunate to be beneficiaries of the amazing Army Art Exhibition. We are pleased to announce that funds received from Army Art are directly funding 48 additional placements in Developmental Playgroup in 2019! This will double our program to a total of 96 placements for the year!

Army Art are also entirely volunteer run and each year make a significant contribution to the WA community. We are so grateful to their committee and volunteers who work tirelessly to put together the annual exhibition.

Each term 24 placements will be offered in Developmental Playgroup, in two streams split as follows:

Group 1 - Babies aged 6 months up to reaching the milestone of walking (12 placements)

Group 2 - Toddlers who are walking up to age 3 years (12 placements)

Each group will run on opposite fortnights during school terms, on Tuesday mornings from 10am - 11:30am at Ability Centre, Coolbinia. Each session will be facilitated by an experienced Play Leader and attended by suitably qualified and experienced Physiotherapist, Occupational Therapist and Speech Pathologist on a rotational basis.

This program is suitable for any baby/toddler who was admitted to a neonatal unit at birth. Both children born prematurely and those born full term but sick are welcome to enrol. Enrolment is on a first come first served basis and will open on January 16.

More information about Developmental Playgroup can be found on our website here.

Army Art cheque presentation with their Ambassador Senator Linda Reynolds, Committee and volunteers.

Celebrating our 5th Birthday with some of our Term 4 2018 families.

Developmental Playgroup on the move

TSWA Management August 17, 2018

You ask and we listened! We are pleased to announce the relocation of Developmental Playgroup which will now be held at Ability Centre in Coolbinia. A more central location with easy access from all areas of the city!

Our friends at Ability Centre can't wait to get started in Term 4 and look forward to meeting the 12 children and their carers who will be participating.

More information about Developmental Playgroup can be found on our dedicated information page here or you can go right ahead with an enrolment through our shop here.

Please remember that placement in this program is limited to 12 and is on a first come, first served basis. Know someone who would benefit from this program? Please go right ahead and let them know all about it.

WORKSHOP ~ Issues facing 0-5 year olds born with respiratory distress

TSWA Management June 15, 2014

We are excited to be launching our workshop series for 2014. Workshops will be held monthly on various topics that we think will interest our community. As always we are open to suggestions so if you think of something you would like to find out more about please let us know.

Our first workshop is entitled 'Issues facing 0-5 year olds born with respiratory distress' and the speaker is Dr Veena Judge a very experienced and well respected paediatric respiratory and sleep physician.

The workshop will be held in Subiaco on Wednesday July 30 at 7pm. To register for this workshop please visit the registration page. Registration is strictly limited to 20 participants to ensure an intimate atmosphere.

For all future workshops members and volunteers will receive a 2 day booking priority window. You may wish to apply for membership here, or volunteering here. A second priority booking window of 5 days will then be given to pre-registered applicants. You can pre-register here. After those periods have elapsed registration will be open to the general public.

Tiny Sparks WA is Western Australia's premier charity for
high-risk pregnancies and babies born sick or premature.

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World Hearing Day We can’t emphasise the importance of newborn hearing screening enough! The earlier you are aware of hearing loss, the more success early intervention is. A staggering 5% of the world population require intervention for hearing loss.

This past week we were contacted by a family with a heartbreaking story. We can’t share their story with you, but they did pose a question we can share. ‘What would it take to ensure every family admitted to NICU receives a Care Package in WA each year?’ Each year around 4,500 babies are admitted to a Neonatal Unit in WA. To fund a Care Package for each of these families we need to raise $180,000! We started this program back in 2014 and were delivering just 10 packages a month. The program has grown and grown and we are now delivering just over 100 packages per month but we need to see that number more than triple, so no family goes without! Please help us, help more WA families by making a tax deductible donation. https://www.justgiving.com/tinysparkswainc

Shout out to little Lewi (ex 27 weeker, now in year 2) Lewi was told 7 month's ago that he was going blind in his left eye - which has been an ongoing issue from birth. After 7 months of eye patching for 2 hours a day, his eye sight is now 'perfect'. So for the next 3 months at least, he is eye patch free. They do not expect his sight to change again. It’s been a hard 7 month's, with lots of tears, arguments, questions but he has done the hard work and it has paid off. Lewi wanted to share his story so he can inspire any other Tiny Sparks that may be going through a similar journey. (And their mums and dads too) Dont give up he says "it will be worth it in the end" Love Lewi x

Many organisations we partner with have been impacted this morning. It is unclear what the longer term outlook is at this stage. If you wish to stay connected with them please look at their websites. You can find ours here: https://www.tinysparkswa.org.au

Our volunteers deliver around 100 Care Packages each month! Providing essential items to families in Neonatal Units and supporting women admitted for long term hospital bedrest to prolong their pregnancy.

DEVELOPMENTAL PLAYGROUP - ENROLMENT OPEN Many of our tiny sparks have incredibly challenging starts to life. The interventions they receive to save their lives can have life long consequences, but just who will be impacted, and how these consequences may unfold is largely unknown. Our Developmental Playgroup seeks to provide early support from suitably trained developmental experts in the fields of physiotherapy, speech therapy and occupational therapy to provide advice and guidance to families in a play based setting. Enrolments for Term 1 are now OPEN! Enrolment is open to any child in WA aged 6m actual age to 3 years of age who was admitted to a Neonatal Unit after birth. Neonatal Unit admission can be for any reason including but not limited to premature birth, sick full term, or surgical requirements. The cost of this program is heavily subsidised by our fundraising efforts and generous donors. Enrolment can be completed via our website: https://www.tinysparkswa.org.au/shop/dpgt420new-6fwty

From all of us to all of you wishing you a wonderful Christmas and New Year. Stay safe, make some memories and enjoy each others company 🎅🏻🎄💜

For many years we have run our annual Christmas Quilt Drive and in spite of COVIDs attempts to derail everything in 2020, humanity prevailed! Many sewing groups ran with this project including the remarkable Get Scrubbed Group and our own Crafty Creators. Since the delivery cut off we have been busy sorting, packing, posting and delivering to 26 hospitals around the state. Our final delivery was made this morning to Bunbury Regional Hospital. Along with the Christmas quilts, stockings and cards, hospitals also received ‘Baby’s 1st Christmas 2020’ ornaments thanks to the ongoing generous support of local family run business, @footeandflame . This year we distributed a staggering 544 gifts for Christmas in maternity, Neonatal and Special Care Nursery beds all over WA! Huge thanks to volunteers Christine H, Elke, Zach and Xavier for generously giving their time to assist with collation and deliveries. To our drop off points Margaret, Jenny, Liesl, Briana, Sandra and Christine L thank you for opening your homes for drop offs. Melinda thank you for hosting the stocking sew along and answering lots of questions. To everyone who coordinated family, friends or an organised sewing group we thank you! Thanks to you, Christmas in hospital this year will be a special time for so many. Thank you all for helping to make this possible 🙌🏻💜🎄

The Interact Club at Willetton Senior High School voted to support Tiny Sparks WA with the funds made from a fundraiser, Spring Cool Down, where they sold drinks, ice creams, and icy poles to students. Interact is a youth branch of Rotary International and comprises of students between the ages of 12-18 who participate in regular fundraising and community service activities for both local and international charities. Last year, they were able to donate over $10,000 to various incredible organisations. Club Secretary Angela says, ‘We recognise your organisation's invaluable efforts in improving the wellbeing of mothers enduring high-risk pregnancies and children born sick or premature who require neonatal unit care. You have all helped positively impact many lives, and we admire and respect your hard work.’ Funds donated by the Interact Club will support our Care Package program. The students were asked to provide a message of support to the recipients. Their cards will read, ‘This care package has been sponsored by the Interact Club of Willetton Senior High School. We hope this supports you and your family during these difficult circumstances.’ Thank you Interact Willetton 🙌🏻💜 We are so grateful for your generous contribution! 📸 Picture supplied by Willetton Senior High School

International Volunteer Day 🙌🏻💜 “Volunteering is at the very core of being a human. No one has made it through life without someone else’s help.” - Heather French Henry As a 100% volunteer run organisation we truly value every single person who contributes their time to further our mission, to improve the health and wellbeing of Western Australian families enduring high-risk pregnancy, infants requiring neonatal unit care and the associated childhood impacts; including the communities supporting them. Thank you all 💐🙌🏻💜

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Tiny Sparks WA

RT @drbretty: 4 realz #neotwitter, this takes like 3 minutes to complete👇 Help prioritize the most important questions to answer… https://t.co/mhMp4Scs9E
Dec 15, 2022, 7:42 PM
Tiny Sparks WA

RT @CREStillbirth: Are you passionate about improving antenatal care in Australia? We need your help! @CREStillbirth is conducting a… https://t.co/7Kgl9pjHVu
Dec 8, 2022, 8:11 AM
Tiny Sparks WA

RT @DrColeFletch: "You'll get better at it if you do it over and over". A powerful message from Ylva Therström Blomqvist at today's… https://t.co/qiJsbj4TQJ
Dec 8, 2022, 8:11 AM

Tiny Sparks WA is Western Australia's premier charity for
high-risk pregnancies and babies born sick or premature.

National Volunteer Week

Care Packages for Bunbury

Program Expansion

Developmental Playgroup on the move

WORKSHOP ~ Issues facing 0-5 year olds born with respiratory distress

Tiny Sparks WA is Western Australia's premier charity for
high-risk pregnancies and babies born sick or premature.

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Tiny Sparks WA is Western Australia's premier charity for high-risk pregnancies and babies born sick or premature.

Tiny Sparks WA is Western Australia's premier charity forhigh-risk pregnancies and babies born sick or premature.

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Tiny Sparks WA is Western Australia's premier charity for high-risk pregnancies and babies born sick or premature.

Tiny Sparks WA is Western Australia's premier charity for
high-risk pregnancies and babies born sick or premature.