Staff matters 147

Staff matters April 6, 2018 - Issue 147 Week 37

40 Years of Service at Afford

In This Issue 1 40 Years of Service at Afford

2 Staff Profile Celebrating Love at Ingleburn ADE Consistency Creates Success

3 Sensory Room Revival Easter Pizza Making at Prestons ADE At Afford, we love to celebrate the individual contributions of every person within the Afford community. So we were so pleased to hear about husband and wife team, David and Deborah Thompson, from Afford’s Ingleburn Australian Disability Enterprise (ADE), who recently received their 40 year service awards.

4 Canley Vale Staff Learn

With a combined service of 80 years at Afford, this is a significant achievement that should be congratulated!

Selfie Of the Week

David and Debbie are vision-impaired supported employees who are truly committed workers that get through a mountain of work at Afford’s Ingleburn ADE site.

Debbie is one of the most valuable employees at Ingleburn ADE with her fingers practically flying across her work tasks with diligence and consistency in output every day.

David is a Team Leader on the production floor and very pro-active in setting up job tasks and ensuring workflow for the vision-impaired team. David is also a member of the employee Work Health and Safety (WHS) committee and is well-respected by his peers.

From all at Afford, congratulations, David and Debbie for your outstanding achievement! We’re proud to have you as part of the Afford community and look forward to sharing future milestones with you.

Let your abilities soar www.afford.com.au

the Art of Signing

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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April 6, 2018 - Issue 147

Staff Profile

Celebrating Love at Ingleburn ADE Colin and Lee-Ann Newcombe are supported employees who work at Afford’s Ingleburn Australian Disability Enterprise (ADE).

Just like a fairy tale beginning, Colin and Lee-Ann met each other while working at the Ingleburn ADE and have been together for eight years.

Marica Calleja Lifestyle Assistant, Mt Druitt Lifestyle Centre Favourite Song: I have many favorite songs - my favorite bands or singers are U2, James Blunt and Ed Sheeran Favourite Movie: Empire of the Sun, Rain Man and Breakfast at Tiffany’s Favourite Hobbies: Going camping with my family and friends and going out with our boat Foods: Maltese food If you could be an animal what would you be: A Peacock What is your dream holiday destination: Europe and Canada to see the Northern Lights If you had the power what would you change about the world: There will be no hunger or war What is the nicest thing someone has ever done for you?

They made me feel welcomed and that I have self-worth.

If you had to teach something what would you teach: To be a good teacher, one has to be a good listener

let your abilities soar

Like a true romantic, every 13th of March, Colin purchases the most beautiful fresh flowers for Lee-Ann to celebrate their anniversary.

When asked about their 8th anniversary, Colin explains that “it was only LeeAnn who can cope with me and stay with me”. When Lee-Ann was asked the same question, she replied “he is good sometimes and not good sometimes.”

Colin and Lee-Ann are both valuable members of the Ingleburn ADE team.

Lee-Ann loves the variety of the manual production work she performs for the Colgate and Pax customers. Lee-Ann has also had opportunities to take part in short courses run by the Nepean Community College at the Ingleburn ADE during working hours.

Congratulations Colin and Lee-Ann!

Consistency Creates Success Just like a choir that delivers a mesmerising performance by singing from the same song sheet, a large organisation should have everyone working towards the one goal.

Afford is a multi-site service company that provides consistency of service by adhering to many procedures and policies at almost 100 operational sites by over 1,000 employees.

We have empowered each Afford site to operate as a unique small business - appealing to your own communities, communicating your unique service offerings, and delivering person-centred programs suitable for your individual clients.

But every site still has the guidance of a strict set of agreed systems which are designed by Afford people, for Afford people, to create an environment that stimulates change - the core to any successful organisation.

Our Policies & Procedures and IT systems are best in sector and this is evident in our continued growth over the past few years.

We showcase our ‘can do’ attitude and our motivated, fun and confident culture is what will drive our organisation forward.

So let’s all sing from the same song sheet and deliver our best performance.

P EM

OF

LOYER

CHOICE

www.afford.com.au

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April 6, 2018 - Issue 147

Sensory Room Revival

The Sensory Room at Afford Ashfield Lifestyle Centre has always been a source of comfort and entrainment for many of the Ashfield clients.

While the sensory room always provided something stimulating to enjoy, time took its toll on the room and furnishings, with sensory panels needing to be removed and lights faltering. The sensory room was looking a little tired and in need of its own TLC for a revamp and refresh.

Thanks to a generous grant from Ashfield Wests Leagues Club, a sensory room renovation was finally on the cards!

With the money from the grant, staff at Ashfield Lifestyle Centre we were able to purchase all new lights and activity panels for the sensory room, transforming it from a dark, lifeless room into a glorious sensory paradise!

Most notable is the new “Halo” fiber optic chandelier, which allows clients to have an up-close-and-personal sensory experience with the lights, instead of just watching them from afar.

This is especially true for wheelchair clients, who would rarely have the opportunity to get that close before. Now, they can completely immerse themselves in the soft flickering glow.

Thank you Ashfield Wests Leagues Club! Your generous funding has meant that the sensory room at Ashfield Lifestyle Centre has not just been restored, but recreated into a wonderful environment for the benefit of our clients.

Easter Pizza Making at Prestons ADE

When we talk about Easter, most people would think about chocolate eggs, but Afford Prestons Australian Disability Enterprise (ADE) supported employees thought of pizza! Staff arranged for Dino’s Mobile Pizza to come to the Prestons ADE to showcase the best ways to make pizzas.

There were toppings galore! Everything from pepperoni, cheese, pineapple, capsicum and more were included on the many pizzas made on the day. The smell of the pizzas cooking wafted across the site, making many people lick their lips with hunger. Once cooked, everyone sat down to share lunch together to celebrate Easter.

It was a great Easter celebration for all and a wonderful opportunity to learn about new cooking methods.

let your abilities soar

www.afford.com.au

Staff matters

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April 6, 2018 - Issue 147

Canley Vale Staff Learn The Art of Signing

Recently, an opportunity arose for six staff members from Canley Vale Lifestyle Centre to take part in a course to enhance their sign language skills.

The seven week course was held at Campbelltown Performing Arts Centre and facilitated by a wonderful teacher, Ilana.

Staff were placed outside their comfort zones right from the beginning with the very first rule - “No voice”.

At first, it was a challenge to communicate without speaking, but with perseverance and commitment, the team got there in the end.

The course began with learning basic introductions, such as signing “hello, how are you?” and learning that facial expression is also important when signing.

The team played fun games, including one where all were in a circle, signed to 10, then spelt B. U. Z. Z. The idea of the game was to go around the circle and if you signed incorrectly you would be out. With such amazing talent, a couple of the Afford staff won these games.

Throughout the course, participants also learned that with sign language, the grammar and the meaning can be expressed at the same time. For example, signs are combined with facial expressions to show different emotions and meaning.

The key to success is to practice, practice, practice! With family, at work and with work peers. For the Afford staff who participated, learning Auslan throughout the course made them want to learn more.

Well done Canley Vale team! Congratulations on developing this valuable work and life skill!

fl ieweek

Have a laugh

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The team from Condell Park Lifestyle Centre having fun at Buzz Night

Please send in your selfies or laughs

let your abilities soar www.afford.com.au