Soulful Soon Rings In A New Year!

Soulful Encounters has shown itself to be very flexible...dating site to community site and now Soulful Encounters is working the phones to bring help to those who need it..
We are a great support group for the disabled..And, so we will ring in the New Year with a fresh start..Soulful is becoming a disabled community and dating site by the disabled...How unique is that...This fresh new site for the disabled is just that...unique..It is like My Space and Facebook rolled into one but only for the disabled..Come see us...Join Up and create a little space of your very own with guestbooks, blogs and you now have the ability to invite friends to your little space.
We are forever improving and gaining popularity. Don't be left behind. Get on board and enjoy the benefits.

Here is My News Release for Soulful's Second Time Around

NEWS RELEASE

WEB SITE PROVIDES ONLINE COMMUNITY FOR THE DISABLED

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE NOVEMBER 20, 2007
In only one year, SoulfulEncounters.com has evolved from a Web-based dating connection into a life-asserting online community. With chat rooms, personal profiles, and photo albums, it is best described as a cross between My Space, Face Book, and a dating site…but with a twist. It is niched for those who are physically or medically disabled – and there is nothing else like it online.

Louise Maxwell, the site’s founder and administrator, has been instrumental in drastically changing the lives of its members. With close to 2400 members before its current restructure, including lawyers, pastors, psychologists, and other professionals, the site has become a support system for the disabled by the disabled – and a support for parents of disabled children.

SoulfulEncounters.com is quickly building a reputation for providing a new outlook or purpose in life as members become extended family – and many have developed friendships and romance that otherwise would not have been possible. “Louise made me feel worthy and confident…not trapped and sad,” said one member. “I have never felt so good about myself in my entire life.”

Online membership ranges from age 21 to 87 with most between 40 and 55. Maxwell takes the time to discover each person’s strengths and brings it out through chat room conversations to help build self-esteem. And she is extremely protective of her online community. Spammers and scammers are quickly identified and eliminated to protect the vulnerable members.

Maxwell worked more than twenty years in medical offices surrounded by the very ill and disabled – and she was in her comfort zone. After becoming disabled herself in her late thirties due to numerous back surgeries following a car accident, she discovered that she continually had to prove she was smart and capable. Being housebound for nearly ten years, she felt isolated…and understands the needs of the disabled community first hand. “Just because you’re physically handicapped doesn’t mean that your heart and soul are. We’re empowering people to be who they want to be,” said Maxwell.

At SoulfulEncounters.com the type of disability doesn’t matter – the important thing is that everyone is regarded as an individual with unique talents and aspirations. Maxwell recognizes this in each member and strives to make everyone feel good about themselves.

“Members form a unique community in which they feel safe, accepted, and appreciated regardless of their country of origin,” said Maxwell, “because in the hearts of the disabled, no border exists.”

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CONTACT: Louise Maxwell.. soulfulencounters@rogers.com www.soulfulencounters.com

PREPARED BY: Susan Regier, Vantage One Writing susan@vantageone.ca

Second Time Around Baby!

Second time around for Soulful Encounters. But, how sweet it is! Have you missed me?
Well, I decided to update Soulful Encounters and give it a fresh new cover. Why? Soulful has gone from stage one to stage two and there could possibly be a stage three.
Soulful Encounters is no longer just an exclusive dating site..It is now a disability community free for anyone who is medically disabled or differently abled..It is a community with dating as an option as well. Now more persons, whether disabled themselves or if they have family member who is disabled, could join and we will give you support. We are flying now! We have become one of the first disabled sites for members to have "A Space" of their own..and what marvellous spaces. We can spent as much time as you would like...fixing it just how you like it...Put themes up and then take them down and start over. Why just this morning I had my tea in Kevinoi69's parlour. And, what a nice parlour it is...so cozy and warm..and Santa is there to greet you! Even Santa loves Soulful Encounters..He is probably getting disabled himself having to carry such a heavy bag and then squeezing himself down that tight chimney.
Keep tuned now because we are on a roll again...
See you soon...

My Angels Have Become Crazy Soulful Kids

I call Soulful Encounters' disabled members "my angels" but tonight GG said that my angels were more like "crazy soulful kids". Her words and not mine!! Well I guess GG is right --we are becoming more like a family every day on SoulfulEncounters.com....a place for disabled dating and much more. We cry together, we laugh, we pout and most of all we are there for each other..We care about each other and want to give a helping hand...These are my kids...the little angels.
Like I said before, they are very giving. There is Charles who is bright,intuitive, giving, thoughtful and generous with his time...He is appointed Soulful's Technical Support Angel.
My vision is starting to take place...When the house of SoulfulEncounters gets too busy and has a lot of kiddies...I would like to have only disabled singles working for this house of joy. So, GG calls the kiddies here Crazy Soulful Kids but I think of them as Skillful Soulful kids.
Come on over and meet my other kids...I have a lot of sweet angels living here in the house of www.Soulfulencounters.com . It brings to mind what one of my angels said when she was interviewed for SoulfulEncounters..."Just because the car is dented does not mean that it won't get you to where you want to go". Words from flutters...You see what I mean--we are real people who want to have fun. We want to be recognized as valuable citizens, because we are! We ought to be changing the name of SoulfulEncounters to House of Grand Talent!!

A Special Valentine For SoulfulEncounters

February is a special time for us to show love to the people we care about.
Igor Packer is sharing this Valentine Poem with SoulfulEncounters members. He is sending the message out to take the chance...Come join SoulfulEncounters if you are medically disabled or differently abled. You never know when a circumstance is about to come to you. Love could be a click away!!!

Taking a chance.

I took a chance,
The circumstance just came around.
I waited long,
My pretty blond, has just been found.
I asked her out
To a café, for a cup of tea,
Connected with her right away,
She was so pretty.
And now, evenings are so long,
But never lonely,
Cause, I have you, and you have me,
And life is lovely.

February 17, 2007

© By Igor Packer.

Soulful Encounters Goes "Radio"!!!!

SoulfulEncounters.com is getting a lot of publicity and the disabled are worthy of this. We have come a long way baby but "miles to go before we sleep". We now made it to a radio station with host Shauna Rae CJBK AM. Thank you Shauna! We need everyone's help to overcome our isolation. Shauna thought that Soulful Encounters for the medically disabled and differently abled was a great undertaking and for a worthy cause. Soulful gives its members an opportunity to connect with others who have disabilities and helps to remove the isolation that hinders them to find someone to love...someone to love them back. I have found that the disabled have their own class and that is First Class. We thank everyone who tries to help us so that our voice could be heard. The disabled do not have a handicapped heart! Yes, there are extra challenges but having someone by their side helps to normalize their every day living.
If anyone out there would like to do a human interest story about Soulful Encounters and its disabled members we would appreciate it greatly.
I wonder what is next for Soulful...join us for the next episode.

A SPECIAL VALENTINE FOR THE DISABLED!

February is the month for love and a Valentine is offered to the disabled members of SoulfulEncounters.com. Ben Benedict, of The Londoner, was instrumental in getting Soulful Encounters more members to my site for the medically and physically challenged. By featuring my website,SoulfulEncounters.com, he expresses that there is another place to look for love...on SoulfulEncounters. Ben talks about giving Valentine's Day a new perspective..He gives the disabled a chance to voice their desires through myself and through a few Soulful Encounters members whom he interviewed. Ben realizes that the Soulful Encounters website gives hope to the disabled. There are challenges but the outcome could fill the heart with renewed dreams, hope and energy...The heart, after all ,is not handicapped. One Soulful Encounters member is quick to admit that they too(the physically and medically challenged) are proud sexual beings and not asexual as some are led to believe..
So, we thank Ben for doing an awesome in depth feature in the Londoner about the struggles of the disabled. I consider this to be a great valentine to the disabled community. We have been pushed into the background for too long and we are longing to come forward. Little by little, with interviews such as this our voice is heard.
Come embrace our disability community and share with us the hopes and dreams that love could be a click away!

Wonders Never Cease And Neither Do Problems!

Building the space for www.SoulfulEncounters.com has had many happy times and many bumps along the way. But once these are overcome I am sure that we will triumph and be the best site as an online dating community for the medically disabled and differently abled. We had the forum up and available for posting but lately there has been a few snags along the way that need to be ironed out. This is disappointing since we waited a long time for the message boards but I am confident that it is just what I said a snag--a little bump that needs straightening out. www.SoulfulEncounters.com has also tried three different chat rooms and did not approve of any..Now we are about to embark in another. Soulful Encounters members are so excited about chatting with each other that they wish to continue to use an inferior one for the time being. It is amazing that in the chat room you are quickly able to get the feel of this disabled dating community. Members, who are mostly housebound, enjoy it immensely because it is a great way to reach out and get human contact. So let us wait with anticipation for a better chat room and a wonderful physically and medically disabled group to share it with.

Check in and see what is happening next!

FEBRUARY IS MONTH OF LOVE

February is the month of love and the month of hope. Soulfulencounters stands for hope and love! Come join our community with the hopes of finding your true love.
Soulfulencounters is for the medically disabled and differently abled.

HOPE IS A THING WITH FEATHERS
BY Emily Dickinson

Hope is a thing with feathers
That perches in the soul
And sings a tune without words
And never stops at all.

And sweetest, in the gale, is heard
And sore must be the storm
That could abash the little bird
That keeps so many warm.

I've heard it in the chilliest land
And on the strangest sea
Yet, never, in extremity
It ask a crumb of me.

How true these words are of Ms. Dickinson...
Hope is a thing with feathers that perches in the soul..
Everyone needs to hang on to the hope that tomorrow will bring something new, something fresh, something warm.. We are all born to love and be loved!
Come join SoulfulEncounters.com with the hope that love could be a click away!!

Jumped Onto A Roller Coaster!

It really has been awhile but you know the story "and miles to go before I sleep".
This is how it has been for a few weeks. Children sick, husband following their lead and emails to get out to SoulfulEncounters.com's special members. Also on the agenda is making personal calls to them and personalized help if they have difficulty. People ask me why I created Soulful Encounters for the medically disabled and differently abled. The real reason is that I feel totally comfortable in their presence. They are truly giving, thoughtful and loving. There is always someone who wants to help www.soulfulencounters.com in some way.
The message boards are up so we can go in and be a real family...disabled helping the disabled. This should get interesting over the course of months. The chat is up but my programmer who is co-operative and wanting this feature to work at it's best is working on getting us one that will run smoother. He wants us all to be able to make use of these features and to enjoy ourselves while we are logged onto Soulful Encounters. He got us to try a few and I invited some disabled members to log on and to give my feedback. Just stepping back and seeing how well and how quickly they connect to each other warms my heart. They talk about all issues just like abled bodied persons. And, yes, they talk about their disabilies as well....Politics and the weather as well...yachity yach...don't turn back now Louise.
Tune in and see what happens next....February should be a good month. After all it is for lovers!!!!

Poetry To Fill My Soul With Lasting Bliss!

SoulfulEncounters has members from diverse background and talent. Apart from their disability, the medically disabled and differently abled have the same emotions and sensibilities as people the world over. Among the disabled, there are many great and talented persons. I feel blessed to meet some of the most talented people on my disabled dating website. Igor Packer is a poet of exceptional talent who I met on Soulful Encounters. He has unique talent to share and I am proud that he is a member of SoulfulEncounters.com.
Soulful Encounters, a disabled dating community features some of his poetry on our message boards. Come, Join Us! It is FREE! You get to meet others like yourself....beautiful soulful persons.

Boy Meets Girl

Boy meets girl, boy likes girl,
Relationship sparks.
He takes her to the mall,
Sea shore and the park.
They walk under the stars,
Talking, holding hands.
They talk Venus and Mars,
Being lifetime friends.
They see their whole lives
Planned out ahead,
Plan to stay side by side,
Till there time’s end.
And today, there is
Writing on the wall.
“We remember the day,
When a boy met a girl.”

January 1, 2007

© By Igor Packer

Music To My Ears

When one hears music amidst a bit of chaos...you are surely blessed!! The music man came playing and his music resounded from my ears right to the centre of my heart...
The Music Man was Soulful Encounters first disabled member, and; already because of this, he was very special to me. Shortly after he joined,I received a kind email from him saying that he was willing to hand out flyers for Soulful Encounters. His emails were articulate showing me that he is quick and very intelligent....friendly and kind. Speaking with him indicates to me that he is a very normal young man with hopes and desires and dreams. Sure he has a disability but sometimes the disability lies more with how abled bodied persons perceive us. They become more disabled than us!! This sweet young man offered me some of his savings to help with new features for Soulful Encounters. I was so shaken by his email that tears came to my eyes. He really cares about my site for the medically disabled and differently abled! Of course, I would not take advantage of his generosity but one cannot deny that I am blessed. I have been hearing music ever since!!

Around the World In 60 Days!!!

Here we are well into 2007! What kind of mixture will this year bring? Already, I feel both blessed and frustrated. Soulful Encounters is in slow motion and taking a slow boat around the world is much faster than finishing up a disabled dating website. The message boards are almost done and I have heard that phrase far too many times and so have Soulful Encounters members. And, of course week after week goes by and we are still no competition for a slow boat ride. We have gone around China several times now. If it is not up soon I will call it a day and start afresh!!! The slow boat around the world is far faster than getting these boards up. It is more than 5 months and you heard about the phrase ,"around the world in 60 days". And, what happened to my chat room. I am patient to a point and even cool, calm and collective. Louise will say, "I have had enough". The members of Soulful Encounters deserve better. If anyone out there has any ideas for me---I am ready to listen....
Thank goodness I have my friends at Soulful Encounters to uplift me.