Staff matters December 8, 2017 - Issue 132 Week 22
Merry International Day of People With Disability
In This Issue 1 Merry International Day
of People With Disability
2 Staff Profile Furry Friends Create A Sensation A Positive Massage For Staff
3 Merry International Day
of People With Disability Cont.
Last Friday, Afford staff held the Annual Client Christmas Party at the Penrith Panthers Marquee, which also included celebrations for International Day of People with Disability. The theme for this year’s International Day of People with Disability is “transformation towards a sustainable and resilient society for all”. The overarching principle of this theme is to ‘leave no one behind’ and empowers people with disability to be active contributors of society. Every year, Afford clients enjoy contributing towards the decoration of the Christmas Party and this year they excelled by creating amazing table decorations. This year’s winning centerpiece was created by the Mt Druitt Lifestyle Program. Our clients enjoyed a fun-filled day with a visit from Santa and Mrs. Claus, as well as fun activities including air brush tattoos, Zumba, mini golf and a disco! We also had the Flug tug race which was won by Minchinbury ADE and their amazing creation. A big congratulations to Rhiannon O’Brien, Cristina Alvarez, the Events Team and all staff in the organisation of the Afford Annual Christmas Party. It was a jolly Christmas celebration that many of our clients are sure to remember for years to come.
Let your abilities soar www.afford.com.au
4 Don’s Service With A Smile
Selfie Of the Week Have a Laugh
Reminder Don’t forget to send your/clients’ achievements, good news stories and photos to CELEBRATE@afford.com.au
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December 8, 2017 - Issue 132
Staff Profile
Furry Friends Create A Sensation It’s not every day that you get to meet some of Australia’s most iconic animals, but on 18 November, some lucky clients for the Mt Druitt Lifestyle Centre had the opportunity to get up close and personal with kangaroos and koalas. It was a glorious day in the sunshine and everyone enjoyed patting the animals and having a photo taken to remember the wonderful meeting.
Yvonne Droulias Team Leader Belmore LC
Favourite Song: Two Out Of Three Ain’t Bad. Favourite Movie: Titanic Favourite Hobbies: Listening to music, going to the Football and cooking. Favourite Foods: Pasta Marinara If you could be an animal what would you be: A dog What is your dream holiday destination: Greek Islands If you had the power what would you change about the world: To get rid of cancer. What is the nicest thing someone has ever done for you: Cooked me dinner. If you had to teach something what would you teach: Be kind to everyone and not judge people. Something no one knows about me: That I am scared of heights.
let your abilities soar
Afford staff are always looking for different ways to incorporate new life experiences into the daily activities and programs for clients who attend Afford Lifestyle Centres around Sydney. Creating the opportunity for clients to engage with kangaroos and koalas provides sensory stimulation with the various textures of the animal’s fur and the different smells and sounds they make. It also served as a great exercise in behaviour management where clients needed to remain calm while patting the animals.
A Positive Massage For Staff As an Employer of Choice, Afford introduced Health and Wellness Neck and Shoulder massages to all staff free of charge to reward the hard work staff do day by day. Our free staff massage program is proving to be a huge success, receiving a lot of positive feedback from sites who have experienced the service. Corporate Bodies, Professional Office and Event Massage provide a top quality service that consists of experienced, qualified and insured massage therapists giving employees a fully clothed neck and shoulder massage and to create the best experience possible. The massage includes a specially designed massage chair, headphones with relaxing music and an optional essential oil facial spritz to revitalise after the treatment. Staff have walked away feeling relaxed and stress free; ready to provide quality service for our clients. Many staff have stated: “The massage was amazing, I feel so relaxed! Thank you for arranging such a wonderful experience for my staff and myself”.
www.afford.com.au
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December 8, 2017 - Issue 132
Merry International Day of People With Disability Cont.
let your abilities soar
www.afford.com.au
Staff matters
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December 8, 2017 - Issue 132
OF
Don’s Service With A Smile
LOYER
CHOICE
At Afford, we like to recognise exceptional customer service and showcase the efforts of our amazing team members. Don Van Nguyen is a DES client at Liverpool and IT Support Officer based at Minchinbury Head Office. We are thrilled to report that due to amazing effort, Van has been awarded 3rd place for the Head Office Customer Service Award for October. Don began his employment on a temporary part time basis in June. As the demand for IT support increased, he progressed into working full-time hours. He did not hesitate and comfortably embraced the challenge of a full-time role and the demands required of him. He quickly learnt new skills and further enhanced his IT knowledge to deliver great service for Afford. During his role, Van has made great friends with his colleagues who have also supported him throughout the development and learning process. Van goes above and beyond his role every day to make sure that all IT issues are addressed immediately and resolved in a very timely manner, whether it is offsite or onsite at Minchinbury. He has no hesitation in jumping into his car and driving to various sites wherever his expertise is required and he is flexible, easy to get along with and extremely helpful. Everyone at Afford appreciates having Don on-hand to resolve IT issues quickly. He is always happy to help at any time of the day and always lets colleagues know of his whereabouts during the day. Don has a positive nature, is hard working, takes pride in his work and provides excellent customer service. Everyone at the Liverpool site and in the wider Afford community are very proud of Don’s achievements and wish him well in the future!
fl iweeek
Sef the
Have a laugh
o
In the Selfie Above: ADE Staff having a blast at the Client Christmas Party
let your abilities soar www.afford.com.au
Please send in your selfies or laughs