Southern View: May 27, 2021

SOUTHERN VIEW Latest Canterbury news at starnews.co.nz
Thursday May 27 2021 7
Dreams realised in spite of disability
NOT EVEN a disability could
get in Charlotte Holt’s way
when it comes to fulfilling her
dreams.
The 18-year-old Villa Maria
College student has earned a
$10,000 scholarship towards
fees to study law and arts at
Canterbury University.
Charlotte was diagnosed with
mild to moderate hypotonic
cerebral palsy at six-monthsold.
A lack of tone in the
muscles makes everyday movements
difficult and exhausting.
She said her strong sense of
social justice and empathy for
others was attributed to her
time at the Champion Centre as
a young child.
“Perhaps from my time at the
Champion Centre and my love
of public speaking, I gravitated
towards studying social justice
and law at university,” she said.
“It’s an opportunity to give
back.”
Based in Burwood, the
Champion Centre is a nonprofit
organisation providing
early intervention for babies
and children born prematurely,
or with disabilities.
Because Charlotte was
continuously surrounded by
children who also had a disability,
she was not treated any
differently.
Her mother Jane said she
was a very relaxed, but “floppy”
baby.
“We never put a label on
Charlotte’s condition,” she said.
Holt initially attended Milestones
Centre for three months
before she started at the Champion
Centre at nine-monthsold,
mainly with her mother.
They would go in once a week
and then eventually fortnightly
until she was nearly two at the
end of 2004.
“While at the Champion
Centre, Charlotte became very
able with her fine motor skills.
As well as sessions at the centre,
we took her swimming a lot,”
Jane said.
“The staff that work there are
incredible, very dedicated and
amazing. Early intervention is
so important, it’s your lifeline.”
Charlotte’s nanas often came
to the sessions as well.
“My mother often found
it quite emotional when she
visited the centre, seeing what
all these amazing children were
achieving,” said Charlotte’s
father Chris.
“Charlotte definitely developed
her personality and talent
from the Champion Centre, she
received a lot of attention. She
has become very independent.”
Growing up, Charlotte
danced, sang and played sport.
She then joined her two older
sisters at Villa Maria, where
she became an esteemed public
speaker and achieved her grade
7 trinity speech and drama
exam.
Last year, Charlotte applied
for a tertiary scholarship
through her father’s work at the
Lyttelton Port Company that
was available for children of
employees to apply for.
Through a selection process,
she was awarded the scholarship
which will be used towards
university fees over the next
two years.
SUCCESS: Charlotte Holt
has earned a $10,000
scholarship that will go
towards fees to study law
and arts at Canterbury
University.
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