CARER CONNECTIONS Edition 4
GALA BALL A DREAMY WONDERLAND More than 800 Afford clients, their families and carers, staff and VIPs jumped down the rabbit hole for this year’s Afford in Wonderland themed Gala Ball at Penrith. Held at Penrith Panthers Marquee, the Afford in Wonderland Gala Ball transported attendees into a world of whimsy and magic with decorative features such as a full sized White Rabbit, oversized pocket watch, pink flamingos, mushrooms and more. The Gala Ball has been a highly anticipated and well attended event for the past three years now and still remains the only event of its kind in the disability sector that is staged purely as an opportunity for people with disability to celebrate in style, with family, carers and friends. Thanks to Afford’s Project Princess initiative, attendees were dressed in stunning formal wear and gowns generously donated by the community and general public and really looked the part as they walked down the red carpet. Some guests wow-ed the crowds by arriving in fancy cars! We loved that some attendees threw themselves right into the theme by dressing as Alice in Wonderland, The Queen of Hearts, the Mad Hatter, Tweedledee and Tweedledum and more! There were some amazing performances on the night, a duet by Warren and Ricky Nifo from The Voice, as well as an Alice in Wonderland dance performance by You Can Dance dance school.
Clients danced the night away and loved taking photos with our Facebook frame and in front of the many decorative Alice in Wonderland features and the flower wall. Big thanks to the dedicated staff that coordinated this wonderful event, as well as the many Afford supporters, including major sponsors NAB and Livingstone, who made this Gala Ball possible. Thank you to all attendees, including our Afford Board members, staff and, of course, our wonderful clients. The icing on the Alice in Wonderland cake was a sensational finale to a memorable evening in Wonderland!
“Success means doing the best we can with what we have. Success is the doing, not the getting; in the trying, not the triumph. Success is a personal standard, reaching for the highest that is in us, becoming all that we can be.”
—Zig Ziglar For more information please call 1300 233 673 or email info@afford.com.au
CARER CONNECTIONS Edition 4
CARERS CORNER
CHERRYWOOD SPRING FETE!
DON’T MISS THE CHERRYWOOD SPRING FETE THIS WEEKEND! Come along and enjoy in the fun at our Cherrywood Super site, meet our fluffy and furry friends at the Cherrywood Friendship farm recently featured on Channel 10. Be a tiger or batman at our face painting station and enjoy a hot sizzling sausage while browsing the markets!
UPCOMING EVENTS: Afford is dedicated to helping Carers stay happy and healthy. We will keep you informed about upcoming health & wellbeing programs or events that aim to help Carers see the bright side of life!
3rd November 10am - 3pm 844 - 876 The Northern Road Llandilo Contact: Cristina 0404206007
GREEN GYM FOR CARERS
Green Gym is a free outdoor program for Carers hosted by Conservation Volunteers Australia. Programs are currently available in Newcastle, Northern Rivers Sydney and Western Sydney.
ARTFUL COMMUNITY DAYS
Check out -
New and past participants, friends and families are all welcome to attend.
https://conservationvolunteers.com.au/ green-gym/
Come along for a taste of Artful. Meet new friends, learn about our programs and participate in a hands-on art-making activity. This free event is held at the end of each seasonal program to celebrate and exhibit the work made by current Artful participants.
UPCOMING ARTFUL COMMUNITY DAYS Thursday 6 December 2018, 11am – 12.30pm
MELBOURNE DISABILITY EXPO The Melbourne Disability Expo is set to be the biggest Disability Expo on the 2018 calendar. MELBOURNE EXHIBITION CENTRE Friday 16th & Saturday 17th Nov, 2018 9am - 3pm
Monday 18 March 2019, 11am – 12.30pm Tuesday 11 June 2019, 11am – 12.30pm September 2019: TBC December 2019: TBC To enroll in an upcoming 6-week program, or to find out more about attending an Artful Community Day, contact Michelle Heldon, MCA Art & Dementia Program Coordinator at michelle.heldon@mca.com.au
For more information please call 1300 233 673 or email info@afford.com.au
CARER CONNECTIONS Edition 4
THE SPOOKY SPIRIT Happy Halloween! We dare you not to be seriously spooked by the awesome dress ups we saw from our sites this week! Halloween was on the 31st of October and is traditionally a holiday celebrated in America, but has become more and more popular in Australia. Our clients love dressing up and any excuse for a Disco party is well received. Sites from accross Sydney got into the Spooky Spirit celebrating with disco parties, arts and crafts activities, sausage sizzles and of course eating plenty of treats! “Everyone enjoyed dressing up, they all got involved and got into the spirirt!” - Anoinette Imbruglia, Oran Park Team Leader. Lurnea Lifestyle Centre was scarily awesome by also including their client of the month, staff member of the month and birthdays for the month awards. This is something they hold every month and each person receives a certificate. “This is a big day for everyone and a great opportunity for all clients and staff to catch up. We partied, dressed up & watched a spooky movie!” - Tracy Lamont, Lurnea Acting Senior Lifestyle Assistant.
ALLIED HEALTH SHORT WAIT LISTS Need Allied Health Services? We gaurantee short wait list times! Call 1300 233 673
Psychologists Speech Pathologists Occupational Therapists
A reminder to all our readers we are always available to talk if you find any of these services interesting, or if you have a good idea on how we can improve services. Contact the Afford Team for any further information through: info@afford.com.au or 1300 233 673
For more information please call 1300 233 673 or email info@afford.com.au
CARER CONNECTIONS Edition 4
NATIONAL CARERS WEEK National Carers Week was held on from Sunday the 14th of October to Saturday the 20th of October as a way of recognising the outstanding contribution unpaid carers make to our community. It is a celebration to acknowledge the wonderful support our carers give and this year’s theme was ‘Why We Care’. Stories were told all accross Australia including stories from Olympic Champion Ambassadors Cate & Bronte Campbell who told the story about their brother Hamish who has cerebal palsy. Carers NSW offered supports through Grant opportunities to provide funds to Afford for each region to support the families to attend carers events. The aim of these events is to encourage families to socialise with eachother, provide feedback on our services and enjoy the day. Guildford Lifestyle Centre held a carers lunch at their site provided by Carers NSW Grants, where families were invited to attend a scrumptious lunch. “We should do this more often!” - Gautam Karki Guildford Team Leader.
AFFORD FEATURED ON STUDIO 10! On Monday morning, Afford’s Animal Therapy Program was featured on Channel 10’s Studio 10 program which is broadcast across Australia! Interest in Afford’s Animal Therapy Program was secured through PR efforts, and a crew visited Cherrywood Friendship Farm earlier this year to film the segment. It’s great to see Afford being recognised for providing quality and engaging services for people in the community. The Animal Therapy Program was also featured on Weekend Today earlier this year. In partnership with Bushbred, Afford runs the Animal Therapy Program at Cherrywood Friendship Farm where our clients get to enjoy the company of a variety of animal friends, while learning some valuable life skills.
For more information please call 1300 233 673 or email info@afford.com.au