Staff Matters November 29, 2019 Issue 233 Week 22
CARING ABOUT OUR STAFF IDPWD – EMPOWERING LEADERS ACROSS AFFORD Next Tuesday on the 3rd of December, we celebrate International Day of People with Disability (IDPwD)! It is a day dedicated to the celebration of the achievements of people living with disabilities across the globe. This year’s theme for International Day of People with Disability for 2019 is: 'Promoting the participation of persons with disabilities and their leadership'.
In This Issue 1
IDPwD – Empowering Leaders Across Afford Joke Afford Trivia
2
At Afford we pride ourselves on offering people of all abilities the opportunity to upskill and take on leadership roles. This year we have seen an amazing transformation in our Australian Disability Enterprises (ADEs) with a huge focus on our Supported Employees and empowering them to do things they never thought possible.
Festive Christmas Card Competiton Callout Reminder
One of the ways we encourage this is through a Leadership Program, which was introduced across our ADEs. Employees are offered opportunities to learn new skills and progress into leadership roles at their site. Our ADE Leadership Program is important, as it gives everyone the chance to develop their skills for greater job satisfaction and work progression. The eight-week Afford Leadership Program is run in partnership with Nepean Community College. It covers a range of topics including, working effectively with others, developing strategies to respond to routine workplace issues, interacting with others in the workplace and learning to become a role model for peers.
3
Afford Go Wild At The New Sydney Zoo
4
More Money Just A Simple Phone Call Away! Handyman Timetable Selfies Of The Week Upcoming Events Afford Trivia Answer
Lourdes has been with Afford for many years and has participated in the Leadership Program. Through various Afford directed opportunities, Lourdes has been able to realise her dream of working in a leadership role in the Minchinbury ADE. She has completed the Employment Work Skills Program developed by TAFE NSW and Afford and has renewed her skills in the Afford Leadership program. Today, Lourdes is a valued Team Leader at our Minchinbury ADE, who serves as a mentor for her team. She offers her team encouragement and support throughout the production process. She is committed to delivering jobs on time, providing a positive and productive environment to get the best out of her team. Lourdes is a shining example of the valuable contribution people of all abilities make to the Australian workforce. We are proud to champion choice, respect, and inclusion for Australians living with a disability. Our supports, services and wholeof-life approach to supports, aims to empower every individual to achieve their goals with Afford!
AFFORD TRIVIA
How many new sites did we open last year?
www.afford.com.au
Staff Matters
STAFF PROFILE NAME: Stacey Teer POSITION: Lifestyle Assistant LOCATION: Beenleigh Hub, QLD FAVOURITE MUSIC/SONG? This Love – Pantera FAVOURITE MOVIE? Dirty Dancing FAVOURITE HOBBIES? Music FAVOURITE FOODS? Pork chops IF YOU COULD BE AN ANIMAL, WHAT WOULD YOU BE? A cat or dog WHAT IS YOUR DREAM HOLIDAY DESTINATION? Anywhere but here IF YOU HAD THE POWER, WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE ABOUT THE WORLD? Eliminate hate IF YOU HAD TO TEACH SOMETHING, WHAT WOULD YOU TEACH? How to treat each other as equals SOMETHING NO ONE KNOWS ABOUT ME? My secrets
November 29, 2019 Issue 233
FESTIVE CHRISTMAS CARD COMPETITON CALLOUT It’s that time of year again, where Afford love to spread the Christmas cheer! Christmas cards are a great way to get into the Christmas spirit and a great way to encourage our clients to get creative and share their Christmas themed art! We love encouraging our sites to get into the holiday spirit and every year we run a Christmas card competition for sites to create their own designs. Get into the Christmas spirit and encourage your clients to design a Christmas card to enter our annual competition. The winning design will be printed onto the front of this year’s Christmas cards, that are sent out to Afford Supporters, clients, families and carers. What a great way to showcase the beautiful artwork from our talented clients. We have already started receiving entries, so get crafty now before you miss out! The competition closes on Monday the 2nd of December. To submit your cards, you can scan the designs and email marketing@afford.com.au or send them by post/drop them in person to our National Head Office in Minchinbury: Attn to Marketing: 3-7 Marieanne Place, Minchinbury NSW 2770 If you would like to order Christmas cards for your sites, please place your orders before the 3rd of December at the latest by emailing: marketing@afford.com.au.
Reminder! A general reminder for NSW Staff: • Make sure that you have sent in your RSVP before the 4th of December to cristina.alvarez@afford.com.au for the Annual NSW Afford Christmas party! It is the season to be jolly!
www.afford.com.au
November 29, 2019 Issue 233
Staff Matters AFFORD GO WILD AT THE NEW SYDNEY ZOO For the first time in 100 years, Western Sydney has a major new zoo — and 50 lucky Afford clients and staff got to attend an early VIP open day last Saturday. Staff and clients were wowed as they entered the Bungarribee Zoo, which was like walking into an African safari experience. With most of the 2,000 animals already on display, attendees were all treated to a wild animal display, with courageous lions, cheetahs, African painted dogs, fearless hyenas, spider monkeys, tigers, zebras, 11 chimpanzees and 13 baboons (almost every Lion King star), as well as Aussie wombats, echidnas, dingos, emus, koalas, Tasmanian devils and kangaroos. The zoo is an inclusive experience for all of our clients, with wheelchairfriendly raised boardwalks, built for all to check out all the animals. Some of our lucky residents also got to have a hands-on experience with some of the local insects from the reptile habitat, holding them in their hands. The animal surprises didn’t stop there either, with the zoo also home to the country's largest reptile and nocturnal house — with 60 different species, including the world's most venomous snakes, ghost bats and giant grasshoppers — and an aquarium with fish and penguins.
As most zoos do, Sydney Zoo have a focus on conservation, participating in education and breeding programs for endangered animals. As part of the education program, we were treated to a Bungarribee Dreaming experience, learning about local Aboriginal history and having our faces painted with traditional paint. No doubt the favourite furry stars of the day were the meerkats, who were located right next to the restaurant and were able to play peekaboo through the glass with the staff and clients as they ate their lunch. After a long day of walking and animal adventures, everyone had an amazing day and headed home dreaming about their next wild adventure to the Sydney Zoo! We may even find ourselves having a meeting or two at the zoo!
www.afford.com.au
November 29, 2019 Issue 233
Staff Matters MORE MONEY JUST A SIMPLE PHONE CALL AWAY! Are you utilising the services of AccessPay to maximise your money? All it takes is a simple phone call to Accesspay to find out how to save $1,000s. Did you know that you can use up to $15,900 per year of your pre-tax income to pay for expenses you already have? These can include: Rent or mortgage payments Household utilities such as gas, electricity and water Car expenses including petrol and registration Health insurance premiums As an Employer of Choice benefit, AccessPay allows employees to maximise your take home pay. We have recently started offering opportunities for phone appointments directly with AccessPay to get this setup. Are you interested in saving money? Take the steps to maximise your pay today! To make an appointment visit: http://bit.ly/AffordAccessPay or contact Maureen.brown@afford.com.au
Handyman Timetable
Meet Our Handyman Tahier
Our Handy Man, Tahier, will be at the following sites this week: - 2nd December: Minchinbury - 3rd December: Mount Druitt, St Marys & Bluebird - 4th December: Marrickville & Ashfield - 5th December: Belmore & Bexley - 6th December: Condell Park, Lurnea & St Andrews
SELFIES OF THE WEEK
UPCOMING EVENTS DATE:
EVENT:
3 December 5 & 6 December 13 December istina, Emma, Selfie Above: Cr Jodie, getting & Archie, Steve o! Zo ey dn Sy at wild
Pawsome Se lfie Above: LSA, Alexa Jamisonto nd with and a ra Herman, making fr wn croc at Sym iends bio!
1-31 December
International Day of People with Disability (IDPwD) NSW Client Services & Accomm Christmas Parties ADE & SLES Christmas Party Decembeard
Afford Trivia Answer: 28 new sites, WOW!
www.afford.com.au