WOW! You can read about Soulful Encounters!!

Soulful Encounters is full of surprises and seems to be in the news of late..The press release was carried..Louise Maxwell knows the problems the disabled have in starting new relationships. So she's helping them on her website.
ENTERPRISE: Giving disabled a chance to find someone
Christopher Clark
Sun Media
January 7, 2008
Though she is married, Louise Maxwell is quite upfront about the fact an Internet dating service changed her life.

CHRISTOPHER CLARK


A CLICK AWAY: Louise Maxwell's website, SoulfulEncounters.com, has evolved from a dating service to a community. (MIKE HENSEN photographer/Sun Media)
The service is SoulfulEncounters.com, and she is the founder. Although it began as a dating service, its users quickly transformed it into a community of individuals looking to form friendships in cyberspace.

Maxwell, 61, was never interested in creating a dating service for twentysomethings looking to hook up with each other. Her service is dedicated to people with physical or medical disabilities, people she knows from experience can have trouble making friendships and finding like-minded people with whom they can share time and attention.

"I worked in medical offices for 20 years and I saw a lot of people with physical disabilities," Maxwell says. "Attitudes have changed since then, but I saw a lot of people being ignored. If someone is in a wheelchair, it's common for them to be talked over and ignored."

Maxwell was already sympathetic to the situation of many disabled, and then she ran into a series of health challenges that left her unable to leave her home for years at a time.

An auto accident in Saudi Arabia in 1982 triggered a lifelong battle for mobility, an experience that has included five major back surgeries and episodes of chronic pain she has learned to manage, but not avoid.

Her husband, Brian, is visually impaired and cannot drive.

"Every day I get up and I don't know what I will be able to do that day. I make plans, but I never know what I can do until the moment arrives," she says.

In an effort to keep herself busy and learn something new, she started dabbling with the Internet two years ago. She wanted to do something focused on disabled people, and her initial foray was a dating service.

"That was how it started, but it expanded into something more very quickly," she says. "Many disabled are so lonely, so I found that a lot of people were spending time in the chat room on my site. They were talking to each other, regardless of their location or disability.

"It became a social setting, a community."

After launching the site in May 2006, Maxwell rejigged it and switched Internet providers last fall. Since then, it has been growing every week. Friends recommend the site to each other, and many people have turned to Maxwell for advice and help. She dives in and helps whenever she can.

Recently, she helped an epileptic in the U.S. find free medical care, then helped him apply for Medicaid.

In the same spirit, she has given some loyal website visitors tasks that help keep the site operating. It makes them feel good and helps Maxwell handle the daily load of keeping her site running smoothly.

She hopes to sell some advertising to defray her costs or turn a small profit this year. That's far down her list of hopes for the project, but it would ensure the site's continued viability -- and that's at the top of her wish list.

-- -- --

LOUISE MAXWELL

www.SoulfulEncounters.com (see link).

nline and then some. Yippee!!

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.”

-30-

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.