TheMarch 2016

A NEWSLETTER FROM THE ST VINCENT DE PAUL SOCIETY (WA) Inc.

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:• New Home• Bushfire Response• Homework Centre Activities • Cherie’s Story• And much more …

HELPING TO REBUILD LIVES

CHERIE’S STORY

Cherie has had to overcome many challenges in her life but thanks to the support of the St Vincent de Paul Society, she was able to finally realise her long-held goal to transition into independent living. But happier still, this meant that Cherie, who is deaf, was able to finally receive a Lions Hearing Dog.

“It was love at first sight,” said Cherie of receiving Sheldon her own personal hearing dog. For the last few years, Vinnies has been helping Cherie transition from shared accommodation to independent living, a necessary requirement for receiving a hearing dog. Having her companion ‘Sheldon’ (Lions Hearing Dog number 534) has made a world of difference for Cherie.

Cherie’s support worker at the St Vincent de Paul Society, Geraldine, said she had been working closely with Cherie for many years to help her achieve her goal of a full and independent life.

“We are all so pleased for Cherie. She has overcome many challenges to get to this point and we are so pleased to see her in such a happy place,” Geraldine said.

The dogs are trained to react to normal household sounds such as a telephone ringing, smoke alarms, doorbells, babies crying and the list goes on. The dog will go to the source of the sound and then return to its owner and make physical contact. It will continue to do this until the owner follows it to the sound source. Many of these dogs have saved the lives of their owners through their actions.

Cherie’s confidence has continued to grow since having Sheldon, and she is more comfortable going out knowing she has her companion by her side.

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Welcome to the first edition of the Spirit newsletter for 2016. The recent devastating bushfire in our South West had an enormous impact on the WA community, which was evidenced by the outpouring of good will from across the State. It was heartening to see that at times of hardship people turned to Vinnies as a means to help, recognising us as an important avenue for the distribution of practical support.

Our staff and volunteers worked with exceptional dedication in difficult conditions to deliver on the ground aid to people who had lost so much. Our volunteers, young and old, rolled up their sleeves to sort through the overwhelming amount of in-kind donations that were delivered to our local Vinnies shops.

As well as material aid, our volunteers provided a listening ear and words of comfort for people who were struggling to deal with their trauma and loss. I feel privileged to be part of an organisation, full of people who truly care and are committed to helping people in times of hardship. We are committed to providing ongoing support to people who suffered loss due to the bushfires.

Thank you to all our donors and supporters for your assistance at the time of the bushfires. Also thank you to those who generously contributed to our Christmas Appeal, which was a resounding success and enabled us to bring Christmas joy to many in the community. It is only with your assistance that we are able to continue to provide our programs and services that transform the lives of people and help to rebuild communities.

I hope you find this newsletter interesting and informative. I wish you all the best for the coming year.

Bob Burns State President St Vincent de Paul Society (WA) Inc.

FROM THE STATE PRESIDENT

The Spirit is produced by the Media & Communications Coordinator.

All correspondence can be sent to:

St Vincent de Paul Society WA, PO Box 473 Belmont, WA 6984

Email: media@svdpwa.org.au

SOUTH WEST BUSHFIRE RESPONSE

“As well as providing an injection of funds to families and individuals impacted by the bushfires, we were able to help by providing assistance with clothing, food, medical scripts, utility bills, fuel vouchers, emotional support, and more.”

Vinnies also took the unprecedented step of setting up a Bushfire Support Centre in Harvey, allowing people affected by the bushfires to come and collect goods at no cost.

“Recovering from a disaster like this takes time and from the beginning Vinnies committed to support people for as long as there was a need, no matter how long it takes,” Mr Fitzpatrick said.

“I’m incredibly proud of the way our team responded to this disaster and the challenges that arose as a result. It’s at times like this that you see the true Vinnies spirit shine through.”

It has been said that the January Bushfires in the South West have been the worst bushfire disaster Western Australia has experienced in 50 years. The fire claimed two lives and left the town of Yarloop devastated with over 140 properties destroyed.

Although not Government funded to be first responders in this disaster, the St Vincent de Paul Society found itself at the front line with communities immediately turning to us. Vinnies conferences and retail shops quickly came to the aid of the local communities, initially supporting the relief efforts on the ground in Australind, Pinjarra and Waroona, and then in Harvey.

St Vincent de Paul Society CEO, Mark Fitzpatrick said the community response was overwhelming- testament to the incredible Aussie spirit during times of hardship.

“We were immediately inundated with material donations from people coming from all over the State to drop off in-kind goods at our Vinnies shops in Pinjarra and Waroona,” Mr Fitzpatrick said.

“We then had a delivery that came from Kununurra which was the equivalent of 10 Vinnies truckloads of donations in itself. We also put a call out to all our members and volunteers to ask for people to assist with the sorting and packing of goods at these sites. Extra volunteers were sought to help provide emergency relief assistance for the people who had been affected by the bushfires. Our members, volunteers and staff were quick to support their colleagues in the South West.”

Although Vinnies did not launch an official appeal, we recognised a need to set up an avenue online for financial donations specifically to the bushfire relief. Beyond Bank Australia also approached us to provide financial aid, generously donating $25,000. The St Vincent de Paul Society added to this generous gesture making a total of $75,000 available in direct financial support to people affected by the bushfires.

“Additionally there are numerous other organisations who have supported our bushfire relief efforts and we are incredibly grateful to them all,” Mr Fitzpatrick said.

The entire town of Yarloop is razed by fire. (Photo courtesy ABC news)

Incident Control Centre in Waroona. Vinnies staff and volunteers sort through donations.

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The St Vincent de Paul Society in WA is seeing more and more people falling into poverty and with an ever increasing demand for its services, it has recognised a need to undergo some major changes moving forward.

St Vincent de Paul Society CEO, Mark Fitzpatrick said that in 2014 alone the Society delivered material assistance to 38,243 people in WA, and provided $8.35 million in direct support to people in the WA community.

“Over the past five years, Vinnies has contributed $81.5 million to help people in the community who are doing it tough, and over that period there has been a 17% increase.

“Alarmingly, we forecast that demand for our services will increase by an incredible 50% in the next decade,” Mr Fitzpatrick said.

“It is with this in mind, that the Society is in the process of preparing to build and relocate to a new site in Canning Vale that will include the Ozanam House administration office (currently located in Belmont), its Depot (currently located in Osborne Park) and a new on site Vinnies shop.

“Our 25 year old Osborne Park Depot, which is our main service delivery facility, is also reaching capacity which will limit the amount of people we can assist if we don’t move to a larger facility,” Mr Fitzpatrick said.

“Obviously a project of this size is not undertaken lightly and we have done extensive research, planning and due diligence to reach a decision to build in Canning Vale.”

“Importantly, a key part of this project will assist us to expand services that help address causes of disadvantage for people we serve in the community,” Mr Fitzpatrick said.

To ensure that this project does not have an impact on the Society’s current financial situation, its operations and service delivery, a Capital Campaign is underway. This Campaign will target specific areas to raise funds specifically for the Society’s new home.

As part of the Capital Campaign, the Society has engaged Justin Langer and his wife Sue as patrons and has established a well-connected committee of high profile business people. The committee is co-chaired by Brierty’s Managing Director, Peter

McBain and General Manager Commercial, Troy Buswell, who is also former Treasurer and Transport Minister for the State of Western Australia.

A $5.7 million grant from Lotterywest has also been a welcome boost towards raising the required funds and further grant applications are being explored.

Prior to works starting, a Turning of the Soil ceremony was held on the new site. At this stage, work on the new home is expected to be completed early 2017.

For more information on the Capital Campaign visit http://buildingforchange.org.au/.

“ WE ARE AWARE AT JUST HOW BLESSED OUR FAMILY IS AND WERE HONOURED WHEN VINNIES APPROACHED US TO SUPPORT THEIR CAMPAIGN. OUR FAMILY HAS HAD A LONG HISTORY WITH VINNIES. OUR GRANDFATHER HAS HELPED THROUGH THEIR LOCAL VOLUNTEER GROUP AT ST JOSEPH’S CHURCH SUBIACO FOR OVER 50 YEARS AND FOR THE PAST THREE YEARS SUE HAS BEEN A REGULAR VOLUNTEER WITH THE ANNUAL STREET APPEAL.

JUSTIN & SUE LANGER

VINNIES MOVING TO KEEP UP WITH DEMAND

“

An artist’s impression of the new home. West View. An artist’s impression of the new, larger Depot area. The Osborne Park Depot is at capacity.

An artist’s impression of the new home. East View.

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NEW SHOPS

The St Vincent de Paul Society’s 2015 Christmas Appeal was officially launched by Her Excellency the Honourable Kerry Sanderson AO, Governor of Western Australia on Thursday 26 November in the beautiful gardens of Government House.

The Appeal is a reminder that Christmas is a challenging time for many in our community who are struggling with being able to access the basics like food, clothing and a safe place to sleep.

With the economic downturn, CEO of the St Vincent de Paul Society WA, Mark Fitzpatrick said that the Society has received an increase in calls from people asking for support and emergency assistance and it is expected that this will continue to rise in 2016.

During the months of November and December alone, the Society received around 200 calls a day from people in need.

Long serving volunteer and guest speaker Jill Mather provided an insight into the reality faced by many.

“When a person calls on the Society for help, there are a range of emotions – despair, shame, fear, all of which are particularly evident around Christmas when families who have little or nothing, are pressured from all sides to provide expensive gifts for their children if they want

LETTER FROM A GRATEFUL FATHER

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to be seen as ‘good parents’.This combined with day to day living expenses add to the emotional and financial pressures at this time of the year.”

Her Excellency added “I know the WA community is a generous one and by supporting the Christmas Appeal we can provide financial assistance, clothing, food hampers and gifts to people experiencing hardship at this time.”

As one of the State’s longest serving not for profit organisations, the Society relies on the community to enable us to continue our work and provide hope and assistance to approximately 38,000 people each year.

Other notable attendees at the launch included the Honourable Tony Simpson MLA on behalf of the Premier Colin Barnett, the Honourable Stephen Dawson MLC, Councillor Janet Davidson representing Lord Mayor Lisa Scaffidi.

As an important initiative for the Society, the Appeal would not be possible without the continuous support and kindness from Crown Perth, IGA and the State Government who have once again generously donated financially and materially.

Crown and its staff has again been a great supporter of the Christmas Appeal both financially and with in-kind donations.

Since moving with my disabled wife and children for reasons I won’t divulge just here, Vinnies has opened their doors to us. In the beginning we could not afford the time or expense of bringing all our belongings with us, fortunately we managed to furnish our home almost exclusively with items from Vinnies.

Over time we have worked hard to save and replace some items and we are pleased that some positive headway has been made. We live in a mobility home, we are non-smokers and practically non-drinkers, and the day to day expenses of life keeps us in

check with each step. We have never been able to escape the demanding grind that takes us from week to week.

We were on our own this year for Christmas with no plans to allocate funds from our budget for any gifts. A welcome surprise appeared on our doorstep in the way of a hamper. When the volunteer had gone, we simply looked at each other and cried as we accepted this generosity. Vinnies sat with us at the dining table on Christmas day. Thank you for being there and understanding, whilst never judging.

Just had a call from a lady very profuse in her thanks and praise for her wonderful Christmas hamper and gifts for her little girl.

She said she had just come home from hospital – having been very sick over the weekend – and found this beautiful hamper waiting at her front door.

She said it was so amazing to find this beautiful surprise waiting for her and said to thank everyone so very much for their care and kindness.

Together with 67 corporate and community groups, 63 schools and the wider WA community, thank you. Your efforts have helped to give many Western Australians a happier Christmas and New Year.

We would also like to acknowledge the hard work and selflessness of our volunteers and staff who collectively distributed hundreds of food hampers and gifts to families and individuals who would otherwise wake up to nothing on Christmas morning.

In November 2015, Vinnies expanded with the opening of two new shops in Joondalup and Kenwick. The Joondalup shop is located at Unit 2, 209 Winton Road and the Kenwick shop is at Unit 10, 1808 Albany Highway.

The Bunbury Depot relocated to a bigger and brighter building just down the road from its previous location, now situated at 1-2, 30 Denning Road. Please be sure to stop by and support these Vinnies shops.

Our shops are regularly in need of wonderful people to volunteer. If you’re interested in volunteering, even if it is only a few hours a week, please email retailvolunteer@svdpwa.org.au or call 08 9475 5400.

To help fill our shops, we are always looking for donations of good quality items. These items can be dropped off at any of our shops or at the Osborne Park Depot. To find a shop close to you, please visit www.vinnies.org.au/shops.

PHONE CALL RECEIVED BY ST VINCENT DE PAUL SOCIETY

BRING NEW OPPORTUNITIES

St Keiran Catholic Primary School was one of many wonderful schools getting involved and collecting for the Christmas Appeal.

RESTORING HOPE AT CHRISTMAS

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“I’ve been volunteering with Homework Centre for almost 10 years and find it such a fulfilling experience. The kids are amazing and always brighten up my day!”

– Isabella, EY volunteer.

“I look forward to every volunteering session at Vinnies as I always leave having learned something new from the

kids. It’s great to see how mentors from all walks of life can positively impact a child’s day, and most importantly it’s fun!”

– Wes, EY volunteer.

“It’s a lovely place. They take care of everyone who is there and I hope they continue in the future.”

– Liam aged 11.

“Volunteering at Vinnies was so invigorating, enriching and satisfying. It helped me give back to the community,

even if it was in the smallest way possible. I hope to continue being associated with Vinnies in the future. This was perhaps the most exhilarating experience of 2015!”

– Ananya, EY volunteer.

UPCOMING EVENTS

CEO SLEEPOUT

SCHOOLING CHILDREN FOR A

BRIGHTER FUTURE

Now in its 13th year, the Vinnies Homework Centre provides valuable future opportunities for young people experiencing hardship. The Centre assists students from years 3-6 who are struggling with their schooling.

Through a partnership with EY (Ernst & Young), the program empowers students by providing additional support they may not otherwise receive, helping to make education an enjoyable part of their lives.

After school each Wednesday during the school term, EY staff join students from local Belmont primary schools to complete their allocated homework whilst also participating in fun enrichment activities.

Jarrad Stewart, St Vincent de Paul Society State Youth Manager, said the Homework Centre provides a nutritious afternoon tea, one-on-one tuition and assistance with homework, and the opportunity to join in with fun activities such as arts and crafts, science experiments, cooking and team games that aim to develop life skills.

“Last year we re-introduced incursions as part of the program, which has been an exciting and popular event for the children giving them the opportunity to get involved in ‘hands on’ learning,” Jarrad said.

Incursions have included a visit from Scitech to explore the science of flying and the WA Birds of Prey Centre, which gave the students an opportunity to see eagles and other wildlife up close and personal.

“The program not only improves the children’s school work, but also improves their self-esteem, fosters interpersonal skills, and encourages their development as community members.”

“Over each term, and even week to week, we see these students become more confident in their abilities, as well as improve in their social skills.”

“We are able to help them to develop basic skills which will be so valuable in their future,” Jarrad said.

On any given night almost 10,000 Western Australians are experiencing homelessness.

Back for its 7th year in 2016, the Vinnies CEO Sleepout will be held on Thursday 23 June. We encourage business leaders to participate in this event aimed at raising awareness of homelessness in Australia along with generating funds for Vinnies homeless services.

To register or make a donation visit www.ceosleepout.org.au.

STREET APPEAL

Our annual Street Appeal will be held on Friday 9 September.

Come join us and shake a tin. Volunteers are always needed and are key to the success of this event. We encourage work places and schools to get involved.

To register and find out more information, please email events@svdpwa.org.au.