The Supporter is a quarterly magazine providing a collection of stories from across the AnglicareSA community.
SUPPORTER
Summer 2016 Vol 26 #4
STRENGTHENING CULTURAL RELATIONSHIPS AGLORIOUS CATHEDRAL BANQUET
TREASURE HUNT THROUGH THE NORTH
T he festive season has arrived and many of us have turned our attention to celebrating the end of what has been a year of significant change in our local community and around the world. The birth of Christ remains a significant event in human history where God’s love came truly present in a human person. The celebration of the Christmas season where people come together and gifts are given and received, can be a rich time for many but for some can reinforce their relative poverty. At AnglicareSA we follow the way of Jesus as we seek to respond to the real and pressing needs of people through authentic encounters of care, community and justice. I was one of more than 1,000 community members who took part in a march in Adelaide as part of Walk Together 2016. The walk was an opportunity to celebrate our cultural diversity and stand up for a more welcoming Australian society. AnglicareSA proudly provides support to more than 1,000 people who have been accepted as refugees under the Federal Government’s Humanitarian Settlement Services program and this year we have supported refugees from war torn Syria. Recently we received national recognition for our Positive Interactive Engagement (PIE) program, which supports aged care residents with dementia. MESSAGE FROM THE CEO
The Australian Aged Care Quality Agency’s Better Practice Award, recognises outstanding examples of high quality aged care across residential and home/community care. The PIE program, developed and implemented at our Canterbury Close residential aged care facility in Elizabeth East, helps improve our customers’ quality of life in the facility by providing connection, stimulation, routine and positive triggers to reduce restlessness and agitation. It’s an excellent example of our staff identifying initiatives which support people in our care. The beautiful St Peter’s Cathedral provided a stunning location for our annual Cathedral Banquet in early October, with money raised from the night supporting our Emergency Assistance services. Almost 300 people attended on the night, helping us to raise more than $147,000. This was a great response to what’s become one of our must- attend annual events. Please enjoy reading about just some of the many activities and highlights from across our services over the past three months, which have all made a difference to lives of the people we support. I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your continued support of AnglicareSA throughout 2016 and I wish you all the best for a very safe, peaceful and enjoyable Christmas and New Year.
I WISH YOU ALL THE BEST FOR A VERY SAFE, PEACEFUL AND ENJOYABLE CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEAR.
Peter Sandeman Chief Executive Officer, AnglicareSA
page 2 — News about AnglicareSA, Summer 2016
OUR DIVERSITY CELEBRATING
M ore than 1,000 Adelaideans took to the streets in October to stand up for a fairer, more welcoming Australia. Walk Together 2016 - Welcome to Australia’s annual celebration of Australia’s diversity - saw people of all ages, backgrounds and ethnicities come together to call on our national leaders to fight for multiculturalism. Founded in 2010, Welcome to Australia is an Adelaide- based movement that in recent years has grown to become a national expression of the welcoming, fair and compassionate society that so many of us want to build. Although, as Welcome to Australia’s CEO, Mohammad Al-Khafaji mentioned during his address, this years’ iteration of the event saw the walk go global for the first time. “Today Walk Together is happening across 25 Australian cities and regional centres, and for the first time it’s happening internationally in Anchorage, Alaska,” said Al- Khafaji. “It’s a simple idea that was started here in Adelaide and one that’s gone international because people like you said that we want to change the conversation to something better.”
At AnglicareSA we’re proud supporters of Welcome to Australia and deeply committed to being part of the solution when it comes to looking after new arrivals to South Australia. AnglicareSA Chief Executive Officer The Reverend Peter Sandeman says AnglicareSA’s Refugee Housing Service helps to house and re-settle more than 1,000 newly-arrived humanitarian refugees into the state each year. “We provide new arrivals with food, orientation to their housing and help them get familiar with the local area,” the Rev’d Sandeman said. “Ultimately we help prepare new arrivals to live safely, integrate into the community and then transition out of AnglicareSA housing into the 'real world' of public or community housing or private rental homes.” The Adelaide event featured a host of other dignitaries including the South Australian Premier, Jay Weatherill; Leader of the South Australian Opposition, Steven Marshall; and even the Federal Shadow Minister for Citizenship and Multicultural Australia, Tony Burke.
The Supporter Summer 2016 — page 3
HIDDEN NORTHERN TREASURE
R unning from October 16 –22, Anti-Poverty Week encouraged all Australians to take part in activities that highlight issues of poverty and hardship both here and overseas. The week played host to all manner of events, from morning teas at Queensland’s Parliament House to nutritional seminars for Perth’s homeless. But one particularly creative SA event that really got us excited this year was the Northern Area Community & Youth Services’ (NACYS) annual Op Shop Hop. Designed to teach young people about the financial benefits of thrift shopping, NACYS op shop hop saw a group of keen bargain hunters visit six different stores across Adelaide’s northern suburbs in one jam-packed day.
Deb Rieger from NACYS used the Op Shop Hop to teach the young op shoppers about budgeting, and the value of second-hand shopping. “A budget isn’t just about paying the bills, it’s about planning for life,” said Deb. “You can give all the lectures about poverty that you want, but giving people actionable advice about living on a small income is more valuable. Op shops prove that even if you’re struggling to make ends meet, you don’t have to go without.” Anglicare SA has three op shops of its own dotted across Adelaide (North Adelaide, Adelaide and Salisbury), all of which have a great range of recycled clothes and household goods at affordable prices.
COFFEE SANDWICHES ANDACHAT
FINANCIAL SERVICES' SHOWTIME
I f you enjoy a hospitality environment and love to connect with older people, we’d love to talk to you. We are seeking volunteers to assist us in our Residential Aged Care facility cafes at Trott Park in the south and Elizabeth East in the north. You’ll be doing more than just making coffee and serving food! We want you to take time to chat and connect with our residents. You’ll acquire skills and experience in a hospitality environment and more than that… you’ll probably make great friends and enjoy yourself! If you love caring for older South Australians like we do and you are available to volunteer for a few hours each week, please contact Alycia Galbraith on 8305 9251 or alycia.galbraith@anglicaresa.com.au.
I f you went along to the Royal Adelaide Show this year, you might have come across some of the wonderful staff from AnglicareSA’s Community Financial Services team (such as Alana and Carolyn, pictured). The team had a stall in the Jubilee Pavilion where they answered questions from interested passers-by, gave out goodies such as colouring-in sets for kids, and proudly promoted services such as Financial Counselling, No Interest Loan Scheme (NILS) and Saver Plus. Saver Plus is a matched savings program that assists people on lower incomes to develop a saving habit, build assets and improve financial capability. Participants set a savings goal and receive support and education to help them achieve it. When they reach their goal, ANZ Bank matches their savings, dollar for dollar, up to $500. To find out more about Saver Plus and AnglicareSA’s other financial services call 1800 759 707.
page 4 — News about AnglicareSA, Summer 2016
NATIONALAWARD FORCARE & INNOVATION C anterbury Close, our aged care facility at Elizabeth East, has been awarded a national Better Practice Award by the Australian Aged Care Quality Agency (AACQA) for its Positive Interactive Engagement (PIE) program. These awards recognise programs that demonstrate best practice for other aged care service providers around Australia. PIE is a structured after hours activity program developed by Canterbury Close staff to provide connection, stimulation, routine and positive triggers for residents with dementia in the Memory Support Unit. It is based on Alzheimer’s Association research and Montessori principles and increases interaction and engagement and reduces unsettled behaviour in the evenings and at times of reduced activities.
Virginia Matthews, AACQA Acting State Director SA/ NT, presented Canterbury Close Manager Stephanie Brown and her team with the prestigious award at a special afternoon tea event to celebrate the win. Bruce Linn, AnglicareSA Board Chair, praised the team for their innovation, care and creativity. Congratulations to all those involved in the design and successful implementation of such a valuable and innovative program. AACQA is the independent body responsible for managing the accreditation and ongoing supervision of Commonwealth funded aged care homes.
A nglicareSA’s Intergenerational IT Connect Program aims to engage people, both young and old,through technology. The program focuses on building confidence and self-esteem in young people through the teaching of technology and interacting with older people, and in conjunction with this, increase older people’s confidence with the use of technology. AnglicareSA provides training and support for the young people on how to teach an older person technology skills which could include general computing skills, the world of social media – including Facebook and Skype, and how to effectively operate an iPad. Some older people use the program to get assistance with the use of their own devices. The program operates in a group setting, but provides
one-on-one teaching, and generally operates from either an aged care facility or community centre. In one particular group, AnglicareSA partnered with Wiltja Secondary College and the Aboriginal Elders Village where students visit the elders and are able to learn more about their country, story and family, as well as have a focus on teaching elders new technology skills. It’s a really positive experience for both generations and it’s been great to see some of the relationships formed between young and old.
The Supporter Summer 2016 — page 5
CATHEDRAL BANQUET M ore than 300 guests filled the glorious St Peter’s Cathedral on October 7 for the third annual AnglicareSA Cathedral Banquet. In the lead-up to the evening, more than 50 cathedral pews were removed to transform the venue into a majestic black tie gala event with guests being treated to the very best of South Australian food, premium wine and beverages. The night was opened by a Greeting to Spirit of Place performance by Karl Telfer and his daughters, and the Master of Ceremony was former professional cricketer Henry Olonga. There was plenty of entertainment and activities to keep guests entertained, with performances by comic sopranos DivaLicious, a silent auction of more than 50 items donated by generous sponsors, live auctions and a raffle. The highlight of the live auction was the purchase of eight packages to furnish eight houses for high risk single parent homeless families as part of AnglicareSA’s Turning Point Housing Pilot Project. Thanks to the tremendous generosity of the guests, the evening was extremely successful, raising more than $147,000. This money will go towards supporting AnglicareSA’s Emergency Assistance services, which include emergency food relief, financial assistance and counselling, housing advice, homelessness support, mental health services, children’s and youth services. Our Emergency Assistance services supported more than 7,000 households last financial year, which included almost 2,300 new customers and this number continues to rise. We would like to offer a heartfelt thank you to everyone who supported the evening and for their ongoing support of the work we do with the community. Anglicare also sincerely appreciated the support of the Cathedral Banquet’s principal sponsor, Telstra.
page 6 — News about AnglicareSA, Summer 2016
The Supporter Summer 2016 — page 7
SHARING SOME WARMTH
AGEING ACROSS CULTURES
T he Quickest Warmth Project, coordinated by The Reverend Prue O'Donovan, is an initiative that provides homemade quilts, curtains, clothing, toys and other donated items which are then distributed throughout the community to families, children and the most vulnerable. The project also responds to ‘calls for help’ from groups within the community and supports various programs within AnglicareSA. One such ‘call for help’ was from the volunteers at the Way Café at the Elizabeth Mission. They were in need of some bright new aprons so the Quickest Warmth team responded to the call by making and donating 24 aprons for the volunteers. Quickest Warmth is a proactive program with 80 to 100 supporters and contributors in South Australia.
I n October 2016, AnglicareSA held its second CALD (culturally and linguistically diverse) Leaders Forum to foster and strengthen relationships with South Australian CALD communities. AnglicareSA CEO Peter Sandeman opened the event and introduced its theme: What it means to age in Australia for CALD communities. The forum covered the impacts of aged care sector reform and the importance of understanding that ageing is different for everyone. CALD community leaders described the challenges of ageing for members of their communities and the impact of cultural heritage on the individual experience of growing older. Keynote speakers included Rosa Colanero (Multicultural Aged Care CEO) and Dr Glory Gatwiri (Associate Lecturer at Flinders University, standing in for Dr Lilian Mwanri). Forum coordinator and Manager of Cultural Services at AnglicareSA, Mary Awata, said her team planned to hold the CALD events at least twice yearly to encourage valuable information sharing, partnerships and relationship building between AnglicareSA and South Australia’s CALD communities.
CELEBRATING OURHEROES
F rom September 11 – 17 we celebrated South Australia’s Foster and Kinship Awareness Week. AnglicareSA is fortunate to have almost 400 incredible foster carers providing a stable home environment and a sense of belonging for more than 460 children who are unable to live with their birth families. Celebrations included a buffet dinner and a kids’ disco for our Southern foster care team, while the Northern
T he St Catherine’s Friendship Group is a parish partnership with AnglicareSA that provides community engagement through social programs. The group meets monthly and is open to anyone in the community. Recently the group was joined by year nine music students from Trinity College in Blakeview. The students performed several songs and spent time talking with the group’s elderly citizens. It was a great opportunity for sharing stories and the highlight was the way in which the young people interacted with the group.
foster care team enjoyed an evening with finger food and a rivetingmagician who entertained young and old. Foster carers and kinship carers are everyday heroes who open their homes to vulnerable children in our community, and we appreciate their support every day of the year. If you would like to know more about how you could be a hero to a child, call 8131 3456.
page 8 — News about AnglicareSA, Summer 2016
PEDAREANGELS EARN THEIR WINGS
A nglicare SA is proud to declare the students of Pedare Christian College its Lead Angels for 2017. Each year, we select an Anglican school to help us undertake our fundraising activities. This month, 2016 Lead Angel school, St Peters College, handed over their halos to Pedare Christian College in a special ceremony. Staged within the hallowed walls of the picturesque St Peters College junior school chapel, the handover ceremony saw the angels of Pedare earn their wings and the launch of our 2016 Christmas Appeal. H IPPY Elizabeth's 2016 graduation was held at Holy Cross Church on September 14 this year, with 23 children graduating from the program. The ceremony was an opportunity for HIPPY families to be acknowledged for their hard work and dedication to the program and provided an opportunity to share their experiences during a two year involvement with the HIPPY program. Also in September, the HIPPY Onkaparinga team held an event at the Quarry Park in Seaford to celebrate HIPPY Week in the south. Thirty-nine families in the southern suburbs are engaged in the HIPPY program and the 2017 HIPPY Onkaparinga program is almost full. Graduates from the HIPPY Onkaparinga program also celebrated their achievements at a graduation ceremony held in October at the Taikurrendi Children’s Centre in Christies Beach. HIPPY is the Home Interaction Program for Parents and Youngsters that supports parents in their role as their child’s first teacher. It provides kids with a structured, education-focused program that lays the foundation for success at school (www.hippyaustralia.bsl.org.au). The Brotherhood of St Laurence holds the licence to operate HIPPY in Australia. The Home Interaction Program for Parents and Youngsters (HIPPY) is funded by the Australian Government through the Department of Social Services.
The outgoing angels of 2016 from St Peters College, told us all about their amazing fundraising efforts and were personally congratulated by AnglicareSA Chief Executive Officer, The Reverend Peter Sandeman. “It’s a big responsibility, but it can be good fun; and the Saints students have shown you an example of how to have fun while doing good things for other people,” The Rev’d Sandeman said. "As an AnglicareSA angel your job is to share the joy of Christmas all throughout the year by showing kindness and generosity to all."
PROUD HIPPY GRADUATES
The Supporter Summer 2016 — page 9
O n Christmas Eve last year, a woman, Sharon* and her six year old daughter Ella* sought assistance from AnglicareSA’s Magdalene Centre. Sharon was distraught and had a black eye. She told staff of a fight she’d had with her ex-partner the night before and advised that he had destroyed all of the Christmas presents she had saved for and purchased for Ella. Sharon said she and her daughter had spent the previous night sleeping in her car because they did not feel safe at home. Ella told her mum that she believed it would all be OK because Santa would find her and deliver gifts no matter where they were. Magdalene Centre staff arranged for police to attend the house to determine if the ex-partner was still there and secured accommodation for Sharon and Ella over the four day Christmas break as they couldn’t return home. CHRISTMAS SUPPORT FOR FAMILIES INNEED
AnglicareSA also provided Sharon with information about accessing domestic violence support services to provide her with ongoing support. Staff also provided Sharon and Ella with food and replacement Christmas presents for Ella to open on Christmas morning. Sharon said she was overwhelmed by the support - especially when Centre volunteers snuck her out the back door of the Magdalene Centre so she could hide the presents in the boot of her car. “I thought I'd have to tell Ella the truth about Santa Claus and she's already had to grow up too fast,” Sharon said. “Thank you all so much.” Unfortunately, this isn’t a unique story. There are many people within our community who need similar support from AnglicareSA, especially at this time of year. With your generous support, we’re able to help make Christmas time a little easier for families who urgently need us. Thank you.
ELLA TOLD HER MUM THAT SHE BELIEVED IT WOULD ALL BE OK BECAUSE SANTA WOULD FIND HER AND DELIVER GIFTS NO MATTER WHERE THEY WERE.
* Names have been changed
page 10 — News about AnglicareSA, Summer 2016
MAKING CHRISTMAS SPECIAL
T he Festive Season is upon us and many are planning how to celebrate Christmas with family and friends. It’s a great time to reflect on the year that was, especially the highlights. Unfortunately for some in our community who are less fortunate, this time of year can be a period of stress, anxiety and sadness. Some go without the basics that we take for granted, such as gifts under the tree, a warm meal and a safe place to sleep. Our 2016 Christmas Appeal is raising much- needed funds to support our Emergency Assistance services. These services provide support to more than 7,000 people every year including emergency food relief, shelter, financial assistance and counselling, housing advice, homelessness support, mental health services, and children’s and youth services. On Christmas Eve last year, we offered this support to Ella* and her mother Sharon* who were escaping a family violence situation. When we met them, their Christmas plans had been destroyed; they didn’t have a safe place to sleep, there were no gifts, and it was unlikely they would be able to have a Christmas day meal. AnglicareSA was able to support Ella and her mother with shelter, gifts and a food hamper. The hamper contained goodies for Christmas day, including a traditional pudding. As part of our Christmas Appeal, we’re calling on your help to ensure families don’t go without this Christmas. This can be through the donation of a toy, food item or financial gift to AnglicareSA. Donations to our Appeal can be made online at anglicaresa.com.au or at our Emergency Assistance sites across Adelaide.
Our hampers have already been given a special Christmas touch, thanks to Kytons Bakery who is donating a 375g Traditional Christmas Pudding to a family in need with every purchase of a Kytons 700g Gourmet Christmas pudding. Puddings can be purchased from Kytons Bakery in Edwardstown; Tony & Marks at Newton, Glenunga and Torrensville Brickworks, and Adelaide Fresh in Morphett Vale and Prospect. Thank you for your support.
* Names have been changed
ANGLICARESA WAS ABLE TO SUPPORT ELLA AND HER MOTHER WITH SHELTER, GIFTS AND FOOD HAMPER.
The Supporter Summer 2016 — page 11
T hanks to your generous donations our Spring Appeal helped raise almost $50,000 for the Star Bear Program. The AnglicareSA Star Bear Camp assists bereaved children to understand more about death and the grieving process, while our new Star Bear Parent Program enables carers to share their stories and concerns, which helps them to normalise their grief and their children’s grief. Your support will enable us to continue helping people who have lost a loved one and also make the Star Bear Parent Program a regular part of the Star Bear Program. THANK YOU
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