“Running through the jungle,
the wind in my face and the sound of my feet;
Animals and children tell a truth and never lie;
Compassion in the jungle,
Compassion in your head!”
These are the lyrics of one of my favourite tracks by Savage Garden – The Animal Song – whereby it compares the somewhat superficial hustle and bustle of life, to the more simple way of living.
The vibrations within me change instantly whenever I hear this song, leaving me with a somewhat carefree spirit, full of happiness and gratitude.
Through media and publicity, the awareness of Inspire Foundation is strong. Yet, recently, I had an urge to visit the complex and see with my own eyes what the actual function of the centre is.
And the experience was truly touching.
The Eden Foundation and Ir-Razzett tal-Ħbiberija joined forces and are helping over a 1,000 children and adults with learning and physical disabilities.
Holistic service is provided by a dedicated team of highly-professional staff and volunteers, to individuals with special needs.
Adult therapy programmes are also available, where the main objective is for them to lead a more independent lifestyle and integrate better with society.
I was greeted with warmth. Paula Dou-manov – Senior Manager, Disability Services – gave me a short tour of the main centre.
Our first stage was through the STAR Programme which offers services to young children with physical impairments.
Tutors, here, work closely with a team of physiotherapists, occupational and speech language therapists and pathologists assigned to each child.
PACES (Parent and Client Educational Services) is another intensive programme. It gives individual service to people with learning difficulties.
Charlene Borg, Parents Relations Manager, guides parents by providing them with various programmes available and suitable for the child’s needs, as well as connecting them with one another to share experiences.
I was impressed with the passion, warmth and dedication of the staff I met, as well as the simplicity of the decor in each therapy room – no clutter, yet again warm and homely.
The foundation offers various other services, such as creative therapies and leisure education, like horse riding, wheelchair dancing and a Sport Academy, to mention but a few.
The funds required to provide the best possible service for free, or a minimal fee, are enormous. So, Inspire Foundation depends highly on voluntary contributions.
Inspire will be the official charity for the Malta Marathon next month.
Most of the participants will be running or walking for charity next month and raise funds through sponsorships from family, friends and colleagues.
As a sign of gratitude, Inspire will give a runners’ pack with numerous benefits and freebies to all those who shall contribute to their noble cause.
Besides, Inspire will also offer a series of incentives for training in the comfort of their fitness centre.
So, take the plunge and run for Inspire.
One may obtain more details by phoning 21-890000 or e-mail anna.vella@inspire.org.mt.
Applications flow
Applications for the full marathon are now closed as the limit of 400 applications were all taken up.
Registrations for both the Half Marathon and Walkathon are still available from the marathon website.
However, places are limited and applications will close as and when the each event is full.
Meanwhile, in order to reduce the traffic disturbance that the marathon steers up on Sunday morning, the organisers decided that the Walkathon will start 30 minutes earlier next month – 8.30 a.m. instead of 9 a.m.