Courage to Shine™ – Tours

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Courage to Shine™ – Tour I – Australia – June 2010

In June of 2010, Courage to Shine Team of Thomas Exler and Misty Blue Foster, traveled to Sydney, Australia to be guest presenters at the 2010 BEECHAC International Conference.   It was held at the Coogee Bay Hotel in Coogee Bay, Sydney, NSW, Australia from 2010 BEECHAC International Conference
Tuesday June 8 – Monday June 14 2010 (Official Conference dates Friday June 11 – Sunday June 13 2010).

In addition to the conference we were honor to be taken out on a the Kayle a racing yacht and start of the 2010 SBS TV-Series, disable Body Sailor, and have was given the opportunity to climb the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

After the conference ended in Sydney, we flew to Brisbane, and met with a family in Toowoomba, Queensland, before returning to the USA.

To See Video of Courage to Shine Tour I to Australia, follow the following link to facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=402361601265&l=8421496595361294249

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Courage to Shine™ – Tour II – England & Iceland – April/May 2011

News Release: Courage to Shine™ Team to attend a Breakaway- Visits event from April 28 – May 2, 2011 in the United Kingdom

In 2011, The Courage to Shine™ International Team traveled to England and Iceland.

In England the team attended Breakaway-Visits is a registered charity in England and Wales, and is the United Kingdom’s only residential weekend activity breaks designed for young people aged 4-18 with bowel and/or bladder diversions/dysfunctions, and their families.

The Courage to Shine™ Team members gave motivational presentations based on their own experiences, and participated with all the activities, as well as interacted with the families who attending the Breakaway-Visits 2011 May Breakaway Weekend.

The Courage to Shine™ International Team included the following team members.

• Thomas Exler, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA, President of Association for the Bladder Exstrophy Community (ABC) www.bladderexstrophy.com and Founder and Chairman of Courage to Shine™ www.courage-to-shine.org
• Misty Blue Foster LVN, San Mateo, California, USA,  2009 Ina Brudnick Award Recipient, (USA) West Regional  www.greatcomebacks.com/us/stories/Foster_Misty-Blue.shtml
• Robert Heitker, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA, Youth Rally Committee, Inc  Board Member  & volunteer counselor www.rally4youth.org
• Margaret Lloyd, England, UK, Founder of The Association for the Bladder Exstrophy Community – United Kingdom (ABC-UK)
• Jimmy Simons, Boulder, Colorado, USA, and is now living in London, England, UK, long time Youth Rally Committee Inc., volunteer counselor  www.rally4youth.org

Three team members of Thomas Exler, Misty Blue Foster and Robert Heitker, traveled on to Iceland during their travel home to the USA.

In Iceland they attended a local Ostomy support group meeting, as well and went Icelandic horseback riding with a local pediatric nurse and amazing patient herself, and the next day Thomas Exler and Misty Blue Foster went to climb a glacier and two waterfalls with a local mountaineer who recently survived colon cancer.

Pictures from Iceland view at this link: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150167092621266.301850.635916265&type=3

Link to video of Courage to Shine Tour II – England – Breakaway: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10150185432171266&l=6726218777903319719

Iceland

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Courage to Shine™ – Tour III – Spain – November 2012

News Release: Courage to Shine™ Team to Attend ASEXVE Medical Conference in Avila, Spain from November 23 –25, 2012

In 2012, Thomas Exler and Mist Blue Foster were invited to attend and to speak at the ASEXVE (Asociación española de Extrofia Vesical, Cloacal y Epispadias) Medical Conference in Alvia, Spain from Friday, November 23 – Sunday November 25 2012.

Courage to Shine™ Team gave motivational presentations based on their own experiences living with bladder and cloacal exstrophy, and will be participate in workshops during the conference, as well as interact on a personal level with many of the families who attended the ASEXVE Medical Conference.

ASEXVE (Asociación española de Extrofia Vesical, Cloacal y Epispadias) Medical Conference in Alvia, Spain – Programa encuentro medico Asexve 2012

Entire Program: Programaencuentro médico Asexve 2012

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Courage to Shine™ – Tour IV – United States – July/August 2014

 News Release: Courage To Shine™ – Tour IV – USA – June 24 – August 10 2014

Kristeen Lupton from Scotland, UK was invited to the two exstrophy campouts, ABC Great Lakes Chapter Campout in Bristal, IN and the B.E.S.T. Campout in South Lake Tahoe,  CA.

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If you are interested in joining us and being apart of a future Courage to Shine™ Team please e-mail us at contact@courage-to-shine.org