Jumpflex in the Community: Trampolines and Children with Autism

Recently we had a customer reach out to us in regards to a Stuff.co.nz article she had come across.

Sarah Page, who runs the Kindness Collective charity read about the Pal Family and their struggle with finding suitable housing from housing new Zealand.

“Severely autistic Liep Pal keeps gravitating to the balcony of his parent's second-storey Housing New Zealand apartment, where he dangles precariously. The six-year-old is clinically hyperactive, doesn't speak and lacks a sense of danger; his family are worn out from wrestling him off the balcony, or taking him to hospital after he throws himself down the stairs. They are desperate to leave their second-storey HNZ apartment in Otahuhu, south Auckland and have been on the waiting list to move for more than two years” - Amanda Saxon, Stuff.co.nz

Sarah being the wonderful human that she is and having experienced how much a trampoline can make a difference with her own autistic son, organised a fundraising campaign to raise money for the Pal family to purchase a Jumpflex Trampoline.

 Trampolining and autism go hand in hand, the benefits of trampolining for kids with autism are amazing, sitting or bouncing on a trampoline can help to increase coordination by improving their bilateral motor skills and the repetitive movements are soothing.

We were touched by Sarah’s efforts and compassion and wanted to help. We offered to donate and personally assemble a Jumpflex Trampoline and suggested to give the raised funds directly to the Pal family.

A couple months later we were all excited to hear that Housing New Zealand had accepted to move the Pal family into a new single story house which had an ideal spot for a trampoline.

 The money Sarah raised for a trampoline was used on a new sturdy bed for Liep (one he couldn’t break by jumping on) and an Ipad which Liep was happily using while we sat chatting to Lillian and Gatluck Pal.

Gatluck and his family arrived in New Zealand as refugees from war torn Sudan and their experience with housing New Zealand since then has been a struggle but they were grateful for the help of the media coming from a country where speaking out is very dangerous.

Meeting the Pal family was a life changing experience for the Jumpflex team. Being able to give back to the community is something that is held very highly by the Jumpflex team, so when Sarah reached out we were extremely grateful to be able to help and humbled to have experienced such wonderful and compassionate people.

One person really can make a difference!