Asbl SuperNils
Monthly Newsletter
Month: December 2024
Important news items
We are way too late ...
Sorry about that! Due to busyness, both private and with the organisation, we lost track of the newsletters a bit. Therefore, we now have a newsletter for October, November and December at the same time. It will be one with very much new information, because ... a lot has happened in the meantime within vzw SuperNils.
Happy reading!
Tax certificates - important information
We are currently undergoing a fiscal screening at non-profit organisation SuperNils, as a function of extending the possibility of issuing fiscal certificates. If everything goes positively (which we obviously hope), we will get a four-year extension (25-26-27-28).
We have had to correct a few things on the website, from this inspection. We are happy to submit these changes to you, so you can be sure to take them into account.
1° Via the payment buttons on our website, you can quickly and easily make a donation via the secure Mollie payment system. This donation is transferred in full to the NPO.
2° You can also simply donate to the NPO via your own bank (possibly via a standing order). If you donate more than 40 euros on an annual basis, you are entitled to a tax reduction of 45%. When making your payment, make sure to mention the word "GIFT" (even for standing orders).
3° To benefit from a tax certificate, a donation must NOT be the result of a fundraising event. The donor receives no consideration for his or her donation of any kind.
4° You can also support the NPO through sponsorship. We can then provide you with an invoice for accounting purposes. When sponsoring, we will also make the sponsor's logo visible on the website.
Year-end promotion comes to an end
Our end-of-year promotion had another very big success! More people than ever ordered one or more bottles of the delicious wine. We try to make all our deliveries before the start of the festivities so that everyone can enjoy a delicious glass of SuperNils wine at the banquet. We would therefore like to thank everyone who ordered very much for their support. The pennies will be co-invested in the development of the SuperNils folders, which we will tell more about in the projects section.
Those who still want to order wine should be quick! On Sunday 15 December 2024, the order buttons on the website will be closed and nothing more can be ordered. This gives us the chance to definitely still deliver before the holidays.
Our podcast
SuperNils, the legacy of Robert's son
A podcast, recorded in a professional studio, under the watchful eye of Valerie Van der Linden of pharmaceutical company Servier/project LEA.
You can listen to the podcast by clicking on the link below. Definitely do it, it's worth your time.
LINK: LEA Support-me: podcasts on coping with cancer
Project operation
Movement project
During the month of December, suitcases of additional materials were delivered to the partner hospitals. It was nice to see that the materials are also being used effectively, in one hospital through the physiotherapists, in another by the patients in their rooms. At the UZA, we also saw our posters and flyers put up, so that patients can effectively see that this project is available.
In the new hospitals, there is also interest in this movement project. We will try to submit it as a reprogramming project to the 2025 Life Grants. The aim is then also to provide the new hospitals with movement kits.
VR project "SuperNils Superverse"
This project is getting bigger and bigger, better and better, prettier and prettier! And this is thanks to the wonderful programming work of "Venar" and more specifically Youssef. Currently, the environment is completely finished and can be explored by patients wearing VR glasses. 360° films can be watched and a fun movement game can be played (beat the cancer cells). A beautiful "wisdom tower" was also erected in the forest, where very soon patients will be able to get answers to their questions, given by specialists in the field. Moreover, they can meet and talk to fellow sufferers. So they can exchange information, but also just connect, have a chat, get rid of loneliness.
This project may continue to grow over the next few years. We plan to integrate more and more films, offer more games and fill the tower with questions and answers. We are also buying more and more VR glasses so that we can donate at least 3-4 glasses to the hospitals in the future.
Dance project in collaboration with MOSA ballet school
In the month of November, we were informed that the social grant for the dance project with MOSA ballet school from Liège, was approved for a budget of almost 30 000 euros. The project consists of three different components. First, we will film dance classes, which patients can watch on their laptops or mobile phones. They can then join in with the dancers and MOSA teachers, who will provide the necessary explanations. And all from their bed or armchair. Just in the safe environment of the room or at home.
In the next step, we will incorporate dance classes and integrate them into the VR environment. At a certain location in the SuperNils Superverse, patients will then be welcomed by a teacher from MOSA and will be able to dance among the other dancers from MOSA. Just like real, yet again from that safe environment of the hospital room. The dance moves are always tailored to the capabilities and limitations of our patients.
In the final step of the project, MOSA teachers come to the hospital to work effectively with patients. Moving to music, together with other patients and under the tutor's guidance.
A SuperNils folder
Thanks to the support of VLEEMO and Chelsea Roelandt, we can have beautiful SuperNils folders developed (see examples below). The folder will contain 4 subdivisions:
- a cherishing section, in which patients can keep cards, photos, letters and drawings
- a section where they can keep information about their personal journey
- a section with information, specifically from the hospital where they are being nursed
- a section with general and useful information
They will receive this folder during their admission, along with FLAYA's AYA box. This way, we collaborate with an existing and reputable organisation, which is also better for our brand awareness.
Relax by learning
On our website, patients will find a number of lessons on various topics and themes, such as digital safety, sexuality, mobility, climate ... They are lesson series from VRT, which patients can work with completely independently. In this way, they relax and do not think about the disease for a while and ... very important ... they learn a lot!
The videos are the property of VRT. We simply linked to their website (with permission!).
LEGO gift sets
During the month of December, beautiful LEGO gift packs were distributed to children and AYAs with cancer at partner hospitals.
The packages were put together with the help of the staff of pharmaceutical company Servier. They also paid for the stickers and gift packaging. the LEGO materials themselves were fully sponsored by LEGO. We already received some great feedback from the hospitals, showing that patients were hugely satisfied with the initiative.
Collaboration with University of Antwerp students imminent
A nice collaboration with product development students, from the University of Antwerp, is planned. They want to develop an application for patients with cancer, to allow them to make social contacts, play sports together, have a chat, do something fun together, ... Asbl SuperNils could work with these people to strengthen each other's operation.
There are opportunities to integrate some of SuperNils' programmes into the students' new app (VR project, information section, linkedIn group, ...). For us this is definitely a WIN, as it allows us to get a wider reach and thus more exposure. This way, our projects will also be used more, which is the ultimate goal.
In the spotlight
Celebration Grants 2023 - Foundation Against Cancer
On Tuesday 10 December 2024, all individuals and organisations that received a grant from Foundation Against Cancer in 2023 were in the spotlight. We were received at the headquarters in Brussels, where we were presented with some great projects and research. Everything ended with a lunch and networking moment.
It was nice to feel that SuperNils is really well known by the organisation, even in the French-speaking part of the country. Our projects are also known and clearly liked. Robert Scheltjens was even interviewed about the VR project. The recording will be used in the socials of Foundation Against Cancer. So be sure to follow them!
Other target group
The non-profit organisation SuperNils, under positive impetus from KOTK, chose a modified target group. Children and adults with haematological cancer now becomes "children and AYAs with cancer". So we limit the target group a little in terms of age (max 35-40 years), but extend the disease profile to cancer in general. In this way, the target group will be more precisely defined and we will be able to cooperate with the reference hospitals for AYAs and the specialised children's cancer hospitals from Belgium. The hospitals we already support will remain in our portfolio, but focused on the new target group.
For hospitals, this new target group is a welcome adjustment, as there is not yet much to offer specifically for AYAs. SuperNils can certainly change this and enrich the offer.
New partner hospitals
From October-November 2024, two partner hospitals have been added to our database: ZAS Cadix, the large new hospital in Antwerp, and UZ Brussel in Jette. Most of our projects will also already be available in these hospitals from the start. Some others, such as the movement case, will be distributed later.
For our new projects, new hospitals are immediately included in the budgeting.
In 2025, contacts will be made with Saint-Luc and Jules Bordet in Brussels and the University Hospital of Liège. This will bring us to a total of 11 hospitals in our portfolio. We will then also reach all the reference hospitals for AYAs, recognised by the government and the specialised children's cancer hospitals in Belgium.
Help requested
New projects
Do you have any ideas for possible projects we could (have) developed for our children and AYAs with cancer?
Be sure to let us know via the contact form. Don't forget to note your phone, so we can discuss and further brainstorm together if necessary. TOGETHER we can do even more for these young patients!!!