December 2011 21/12/2011
 
And how we laughed!

On Monday, four warm and generous Sydneysiders joined me in grabbing a very short window of opportunity - 20 or so minutes of respite from the rain - to laugh. And laugh we did.

I decided to hold a Laughter Yoga session on my birthday in support of the Humour Foundations' Clown Doctors. They do an amazing job cheering up some of our youngest and oldest hospital patients when they're at their most vulnerable. Taking the mickey out of something scary and potentially invasive makes it seem all the more do-able.

They already visit over 100,000 patients a year across the country but really want to be able to head to the hospitals seven days a week. Are you able to help them? 

By making a donation, you can help the Clown Doctors visit even more children in hospital more often and bring them the gift of laughter during stressful and scary moments.

Visit www.gofundraise.com.au/pages/JollyJude and bring joy and relief to thousands of sick children. What a great Christmas present - to yourself or someone you care about!

And to Camilla, Joy, Frances and Matt, thanks for braving the storm... literally! Ho ho ha ha ha! Thanks also to the Chinese tourists and young girl who joined in for a bit too.

Wishing you all a safe, peaceful and fun Festive Season filled with laughter and love. 

Thank you so much for your support over the past year and beyond.

Best,
Judith
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December 2011 13/12/2011
 
Let's laugh together!

On 19 December it's my birthday and, since I had to miss my original December challenge - the Mud Run - owing to ill health, I thought 'what better way to make it up and celebrate at the same time than to laugh?'!

Years ago I attended a workshop by Dr Kataria, a medical doctor and the founder of Laughter Yoga, and learned all about the benefits of laughter. It's amazing how much of a boost a good laugh can give your body!

And no-one knows this better than the Clown Doctors from The Humour Foundation who visit children with serious illnesses and give them some light, comic relief. 

According to their website, Clown Doctors address the psychosocial needs of the child in hospital in a unique way. By parodying the hospital routine, the Clown Doctors help children feel less traumatised by medical procedures. Oversized medical equipment, 'red-nose' transplants, 'cat' scans, humour checks and funny bone examinations are all part of the fun. By exaggerating intimidating jargon and procedures, fear and anxiety are reduced.

How marvellous! 

I'm sure if you have ever had a seriously ill child in hospital, you'd know how much a visit by one of the Clown Doctors might have made.

Here's how you can help: donate here, or come along to my 30-minute free Laughter Yoga session in Hyde Park on Monday at 1.15pm (meeting at the Archibald Fountain - opposite St Mary's Cathedral) and make a donation there. Or donate here *and* come and laugh! OR donate here, come and laugh AND make a donation there *grin*

It'd be fantastic to get a large, raucous, giggling, guffawing crowd together.

And don't worry, it isn't yoga in the traditional sense - the yogic component is the breathwork of laughing. There will be no bendy movements... unless you feel so compelled!

Feel free to invite others :)

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November 2010 30/11/2010
 
When worlds collide

Every now and again a magical thing happens - my personal and professional interests align and I can literally live what I market. Don't get me wrong, I'm always engaged with Cantor Direct's clients' products and services, but this is somehow... different.

I'm so excited because it's happened again.

Now I normally wouldn't bring up business and work in this blog but... this client is about so much more than business and work. SheSuccess is about social change and gender equality and community. So, you see how it fits in with my beliefs and practices?

This new initiative will launch with a star-studded conference at the Sydney Opera House on 1-2 April, 2011 - a platform to discuss issues affecting women on a global scale, and make a commitment to change these issues as a collective.

While the program may seem heavily celebrity and media-focused, the initiatives are very much grassroots. In addition to ongoing projects that will arise from the conference, SheSuccess will be donating 2,100 water pumps to communities in third world countries through WaterAid Australia (that's one for every conference delegate) giving around 126,000 people clean water to drink. It will also be building a school for 200 children in Africa.

If you're interested in finding out more, or attending the SheSuccess conference, visit www.shesuccessconference.com. There's an 'earlybird' discount available on most tickets until this Sunday evening, and, if you're serious about attending and joining me in becoming part of this new movement for change, I can arrange a further 10% discount (on all tickets) for you. When you book, just use the promo code 'CANTOR'.

But please, please don't feel obliged at all; if this isn't on the cards, I hope just hearing about how others are making a difference is inspiring to you.

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March 2010 11/03/2010
 
Making the most of our "muchness"

Last Thursday night, a number of people fell down the rabbit hole into the 3D, fantastical world of Alice in Wonderland a la Tim Burton in support of mental health charity, SANE Australia. And we did so in style - or not, as the case may be!

We had an Alice. We had two Mad Hatters. We had two White Rabbits. We had a March Hare. We had a King of Hearts. We had a Queen of Hearts and a Red Queen. We had a Cheshire Cat. It was quite the motley crew, really.

We were also lucky enough to have the support of quite a few companies who helped us in a number of ways.
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Local costume hire store Fancy Shmancy showed SANE Australia significant financial support, and provided us with volunteers to help sell raffle tickets on the night. They also provided us with unbelievable eye candy with their magnificent costumes (which took out Second and Third places for 'Best Dressed'). www.fancyshmancy.com.au
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Not only did face painting artists Face Focus come along to paint the faces of some of the guests on the night, they also kindly donated a unique raffle prize - a children's party photo shoot (RRP $150)! www.facefocus.com.au
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Vodafone Foundation, corporate supporters of SANE Australia, donated an LG Chocolate phone for raffle (RRP $499), and also helped to select the 'Best Dressed' prizes.
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Edifier donated a Luna 5 encore iF500 for raffle. It's an elegant all-in-one audio system offering uncompromised audio quality. As an iPod, iPhone or MP3 docking station, or when operated in FM radio mode, the simplicity of use, design and audio quality of the Luna 5 encore iF500 makes for an outstanding visual and audio experience. RRP $499. www.edifier-international.com
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Funky hair studio Stevie English Hair donated not one but two hair make-overs (RRP $130) for raffle including an O&M treatment, cut, style and and blowdry. www.stevieenglish.com.au
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Australian Brandenburg Orchestra donated a raffle prize of two A-Reserve tickets (RRP $220) to either their upcoming 'Baroque Tapas' concert on 17 March or their second Concert Series in May, Palazzo Baroque, featuring world-renowned violinist Federico Guglielmo. www.brandenburg.com.au
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Organic chocolatiers Coccolo Chocolates donated 1.4kg of chocaholic bliss - guilt free!(RRP $80). www.cocolo.com.au
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The Victoria Room supplied us with the 'Best Dressed' prize of High Tea for two at their Mad Hatter's Tea Party on Easter Sunday (RRP $76). To secure your own seat to this chocolate extravaganza, call (02) 9357 4488.
www.thevictoriaroom.com
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Shashen donated a pair of beautiful pear-shaped drop earrings in semi-precious stones (choice of Carnelian, Clear or Onyx) and sterling silver wire
(RRP $145). www.shashenjewels.com
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And last, but by no means least, CP Communications wrote and distributed a media release that secured SANE Australia print media coverage valued at $90,095 in the Sydney Morning Herald (Planner), Sun-Herald, Sunday Telegraph and the Wentworth Courier. The event was also promoted on www.timeoutsydney.com.au, www.filmink.com.au, www.mediasearch.com.au, www.myweekend.net.au and www.dailyaddict.com.au. Exposure like this for a small, independent charity like SANE is absolutely priceless! www.cpcommunications.com.au
A BIG thank you to all of them as well as Virtual Advertising for the online invitation and on-site banner, and Disney for providing the runner-up prizes for 'Best Dressed'.

The fundraising page is still active so feel free to add your valuable contribution to it -SANE needs all the money it can get to keep its Helpline open. www.everydayhero.com.au/judith_cantor_0.

And for the long-awaited photos by our talented photographer Katrucia, click here!
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February 2010 17/02/2010
 
Curiouser and curiouser...

What has Judith been up to of late? 

Well, on top of preparing for the Little Black Dress Run this Saturday and pulling a team together and training for Kayak 4 Kids in March, I've been arranging a colourful fundraising event in support of national mental health charity SANE.

Thursday 4 March is a date you won't want to forget - or be late for. It's a very important date. It's the Australian Opening Night of Tim Burton's long-awaited feature film Alice in Wonderland and I've secured exclusive use of Gold Class at Event Cinema in Bondi Junction for a 3D screening!

It's a strictly dress-up affair and Dennis and his team from Face Focus have kindly donated their time (and face paints) to come along and transform everyone into Lewis Carroll's fantastical characters.

Fancy Shmancy Boutique Fancy Dress Hire are supporters too so be sure to visit their store for all your costume hire needs (91 Oxford Street, Bondi Junction - 9387 1330).

Tickets are available through www.whiterabbit.eventbrite.com and include a drink on arrival and canapes.

Remember to bring a few extra notes with you on the night though  - there will be a raffle with prizes from Edifier, Stevie English Hair, Cocolo Chocolates and more.

Thanks to CP Communications for their help in promoting the event to the media, and Virtual Advertising for the great invitation.

I look forward to seeing you incognito!
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