What does the CLAPA Community mean to you?
There’s a reason we use ‘CLAPA Community‘ in all our social media accounts, and why we use it to talk about all the people we interact with every year. To us, the people we support (and who support us in turn!) are far more than ‘members’ or ‘stakeholders’ of our charity, they ARE the charity!
“I finally had found what I had been looking for. I found what my daughter needed as we both needed to have the wonderful support of other parents who had cleft children, who had hands on experience of how to care for their children. To be able to share their stories and experiences has been phenomenal and this is when I decided to join CLAPA.”
CLAPA was started in 1979 not just as a partnership between parents and health professionals, but also as a way for parents to keep in touch and support each other. This idea of mutual support and bringing people together remains at the heart of what we do – after all, no matter what you’re going through, knowing that someone else understands is always invaluable.
Back then, keeping in touch was done with typewritten memos and photocopied newsletters that could only reach so far. Now, thanks to the advent of social media and digital content, growing our community is easier (and cheaper!) than ever. People can share their stories and photos, hopes and fears, questions and concerns, at any hour, and know that there are hundreds of people who have been through the same thing.
Our community is small, but it’s strong. Over the years we’ve been thrilled and very proud to see how the people in it have found the support they’ve needed and then gone on to support others in turn by setting up groups and training as volunteers or even just helping out someone in need in one of our Facebook groups.
For today’s Awareness Week challenge, we want to know what being in the CLAPA Community means to YOU. Is it a listening ear on the end of the phone or an uplifting comment on a Facebook group? Is it new friends or a new cause to support? Is it just knowing that there are so many people around the UK who can shares all the highs and lows of your cleft journey with you?
We’d love to know what you think! Use the #MyCleftStory hashtag to share on Facebook or Twitter.
If you’re not on social media or would rather post your story on our website, you can submit your story and photos to us directly. Have a look at our question list for parents or adults if you’re not sure where to start.
Find us on Social Media
#CleftAware
#MyCleftStory
#CleftStrong