Society A NEWSLETTER FOR SUPPORTERS OF THE ST VINCENT DE PAUL SOCIETY IN VICTORIA
Christmas Appeal 2010 The St Vincent de Paul Society’s Christmas Appeal has received fantastic support from the public, reaching an income of $645,000 thus far. This is an increase of $53,000 on our last Christmas Appeal. The everyday difficulties faced by families portrayed in the appeal struck a chord with the public, who continued to support those in need despite the rising cost of living and the call to support the myriad of disaster appeals during the summer of 2011. Thank you to our donors – old and new – who continue to make the ■ Society’s work possible.
Help make tomorrow a better day.
Donate now 13 18 12. vinnies.org.au STV0127_MX_A_100x83.indd 1
MARCH 2011
The Society is there for the long haul after flooding across Victoria Current extremes in our weather are resulting in hardships being experienced by many Australians. While Queensland has been hardest hit with flooding of catastrophic proportions as well as Cyclone Yasi, Victoria has faced unprecedented flooding. In Victoria, over 75 towns have been impacted by the floods. Where the Society has a presence on the ground in affected areas, our volunteers have mobilised to assist those who are in need. In February we asked donors who had not yet donated to the Christmas Appeal to donate to the Victorian Flood Appeal 2011, in an attempt to keep up with the demand for our services. Despite the growing financial pressures we all face, we are so grateful for the generosity of people who have donated what they can. Vinnies Centres have also been inundated with donations and our volunteers continue to work tirelessly to help all impacted by this recent disaster. ■
11/11/10 10:01 AM
Christmas lunch at the Society’s homeless services On Christmas Day three hundred clients at our homeless services, Ozanam House and Ozanam Community Centre, enjoyed a Christmas spread of delicious roast meats with vegetables and gravy. Pudding and good cheer followed, with Father Christmas handing out gifts to people as they left. ■
Society President’s message Dear friends of the Society
Victorian state president Tony Tome
I trust that you all had a wonderful time over Christmas with family and friends. Our annual Christmas day lunch for more than 50 disadvantaged people was held at Gerald Ward House. A special thank you to all those volunteers who gave of their time to help prepare the meal and serve it. They brought a lot of joy and happiness to those in need. The new year has not started well for the many people affected by the widespread devastating floods that have occurred in Queensland, New South Wales, Tasmania and Victoria. Our emergency relief people in consultation with regional presidents are responding on a local level to requests as they come in. I thank all those who have generously given to our flood appeal. It is most heart warming to see the tremendous response to these catastrophes. The work of the Society would not be possible without the generosity of our donors and supporters. Unfortunately the demands made on our services mean
that we have to make more calls on their generosity than we would like. However the supportive responses we receive give us the encouragement to continue the Society’s great work to alleviate the suffering of the poor, the marginalised, the underprivileged, the homeless, the destitute, the unemployed, the lonely and any one who is in need of a friendly presence. Following the sad passing of the national president Syd Tutton, nominations for the election of the new national president closed on 31 January and there were five nominations. The election will take place at the next National Council meeting on 19 March. I wish all candidates well. With best wishes
Tony Tome State President
National president Syd Tutton 1937 – 2010 Syd Tutton, national president of the St Vincent de Paul Society in Australia and former Victorian state president, passed away in November. Syd was a member of the St Vincent de Paul Society for more than 40 years,
served as the Victorian state president from 2001 to 2006 and as national secretary from June 2006 before being elected as national president in March, 2008. Syd was also a member of the board of the St Vincent de Paul Society’s
National President Syd Tutton at Vinnies Budget Groceries
International Council General, based in Paris, and was highly respected and loved by Vincentians across the globe, representing Australia and making a significant contribution as a voice on social justice.
Syd Tutton 1933 – 2010
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Vinnies CEO Sleepout 2011 Vinnies CEO Sleepout 2011 will be held Thursday 16 June. After having raised $413,000 in Victoria and $2.91 million nationally for the Society’s homeless services, we hope to enjoy even more support for this national event this year. We urge you to rise to the challenge of homelessness and sleep out for awareness of this issue or to encourage your CEO to do so. The Melbourne event will again be held at Etihad Stadium and we urge all Victorian CEOs to embrace the challenge and sleep rough for a night. Go to www.ceosleepout.org.au to register. Sponsorship and partnership opportunities are available. For more information contact Claire Nettley ■ on 03 9895 5877.
Independent Living Units open at Red Cliffs Nine Independent Living Units were opened in December to cater for the elderly at risk of homelessness in the Red Cliffs area. Recognising the need in the local area, the Society launched a fundraising initiative for the units. Over $200,000 was donated to the Red Cliffs project, with the balance being covered by the Society. The units were designed so that residents can remain
independent. The design also facilitates opportunities to socialise for those who wish to do so. Tenants have a lifetime lease and pay a portion of their income in rent, set at a level which will not compromise their pension. At the time of the opening North Western Central Council Vice President, Mr Bob Pollock, said “We’re thrilled to celebrating the opening of the units. Waiting lists for housing in the area aren’t
getting shorter, so the demand for this project is certainly there. The units are secure and affordable, things that many of us take for granted.” To be eligible for one of the units, a person must be over the age of 55, on a Centrelink pension and have minimal assets. The units have five star energy rating which helps to reduce the costs to tenants, who will pay their own utility bills. ■
Bishop Connors, state president Tony Tome and chairman of VincentCare Victoria Peter Johnstone at the opening of the Red Cliffs Independent Living Units
Society Ozanam Enterprises celebrates opening of training room On Thursday 2 December, the day before International Day of People with Disabilities, a group gathered at Ozanam Enterprises in Mornington to celebrate the opening of their new training room. Ozanam Enterprises, a service of VincentCare Victoria, provides training and employment opportunities to people with disabilities. The company has been in operation for over 30 years and provides production, packaging and manufacturing services to businesses in southern Melbourne. Local MP Bruce Billson officially opened the training room at the function which was also attended by Senator Mitch Fifield, Shadow Minister for Disabilities, Carers and the Voluntary Sector. The building of the training room was made possible with a grant from the Gandel Charitable Trust as
well as investment from VincentCare Victoria itself. At the time of the opening, VincentCare Victoria CEO John Blewonski said “Prior to the development of the training room, we’ve been conducting all our vocational skill training in the canteen or a small office, neither of which are ideal. This new training room allows us to train our staff in a more appropriate and comfortable environment. Clients will be learning computer, independent living and employment skills in there, just to name a few.” “The service started in 1976 with only 10 clients but now we offer training and employment for 60 people with disabilities and have a total workforce of 90 people. The need for the training room reflects that growth, so it’s a proud day for us. Everyone’s really excited that the building is finished and ready to go.” ■
The newly opened Ozanam Enterprises training room in action
Employment services firm makes Christmas donation in Bendigo In November last year, Sureway Employment donated $3,000 to the Bendigo Conference for Christmas hampers for local families in
need. Sureway is a work experience agency which provides volunteer participants at the Bendigo Centre (the program was formerly known as
‘Work for the Dole’). They are great supporters of the St Vincent de Paul Society and we thank them for their generous donation.
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Society Good Guys dance to the tune of giving Known for their catchy advertising campaigns and low prices, The Good Guys in Maribyrnong recently invited the Mathew Talbot Footscray Soup Van to become a cause partner as part of their newly launched Local Giving Program. Proprietor Damien Clarke contacted the Society last year to offer assistance after the seeing van operate in his area. The Good Guys’ customers are offered a heart shaped token when they make a purchase and invited to place the token in a box of their choice for one of three nominated charities. At the end of each quarter The Good Guys will send in a donation to the Society that reflects the number
of tokens received and funds are put towards the van’s running costs. Brian Dalton, CEO of St Vincent de Paul Society Victoria said of the program “the token box initiative is a great way to really involve the community in supporting worthwhile projects like our Matthew Talbot Footscray Soup Van. Donations received from The Good Guys Maribyrnong will help us provide over 50,000 meals each year to homeless people in the Footscray, Maidstone, Newport and Williamstown areas.” For more information on how you can get involved with our soup vans please contact Caroline Stubbs, Soup Van Coordinator on 03 9895 5927. ■
Evening meals service VincentCare Victoria was recently granted US$100,000 to start up an evening meals program at Ozanam Community Centre. The fundraising department was invited to apply for
the grant last year through Give2Asia, a philanthropic organisation that supports charitable works across Australasia. The only evening meals service of its kind in Melbourne, the ‘More than Meals’ program will begin in May and offer additional assistance in the form of legal aid, drug & alcohol counselling, housing referrals and the use of laundry and shower facilities. It is expected that approximately 100 people per evening will benefit from the program and it is hoped that with additional corporate and philanthropic support, More than Meals can be expanded to two or more evenings per week. This is truly an exciting initiative that will make an enormous difference to homeless and marginalised people around Melbourne. Not only will they have their nutritional needs met, they will enjoy the opportunity to socialise, feel part of the wider community, engage in recreational activities and break up the long cold winter nights. For more information about this exciting program or on how to become involved either as a partner, donor or volunteer, please contact Claire Nettley, Major Donor Coordinator on 03 9895 5877. ■
Our wish list If you can help with any of these items or would like to hear about corporate sponsorship opportunities with the St Vincent de Paul Society, please call Claire Nettley on 03 9895 5877. The Society urgently needs funding for the following: • New soup van for the Footscray service • Movie & coffee vouchers for our mental health program
NEED STORAGE BOXES? Compu-stor is a wholly-owned Australian business that provides a complete range of record management services. Following an appearance at last year’s CEO Sleepout, CEO Jeremy Manford named St Vincent de Paul as a charity of choice for the organisation. As part of this support they are donating a percentage of every storage box sold. For more information on how to purchase their storage boxes or the organisation in general, please call 1300 559 778 or ■ go to www.compu-stor.com.au.
Society Jo Stanley gets the hottest looks from Vinnies Centres
Get the hottest look without spending a fortune
Jo Stanley of Fox FM’s breakfast show lent a hand to Vinnies Centres last year by starring in their Spring Racing commercial. The integrated campaign ‘Make Vinnies Your Spring Carnival Secret’ was a huge success and saw Jo wear a selection of outfits from vintage through to on-trend fashion, all chosen from Vinnies Centres around Melbourne. The Centres had been stockpiling throughout the year and rolled out some impressive window displays with an array of hats, dresses, shoes and suits. A combination of TV, press and radio advertising together with a public relations campaign provided great exposure for Vinnies Centres and Jo loved her outfits so much she even
Make Vinnies your Spring Carnival secret
purchased one of them after the shoot! A number of organisations contributed to the campaign’s huge success including outdoor advertising agency JCDecaux which donated the space for eye-catching Vinnies Centres posters that adorned some of the busiest train stations around Melbourne. The promotion highlighted that shoppers can get the hottest looks
To find your nearest centre visit vinnies.org.au
Much of the Society’s work is carried out through its voluntary members who visit people in their own homes and provide material assistance, support and friendship to people in need. The Society relies on the generosity of the public and the dedication of its volunteers to carry out its good works. St Vincent de Paul Society is the parent company of VincentCare Victoria and has representation on their board ■ of directors.
without spending a fortune and really put Vinnies Centres on the map for Spring Racing fashion.
This arm of the Society was established in 2003 to provide professional services in the complex areas of: aged care, homelessness, outreach services, domestic violence support, drug and alcohol rehabilitation, health services and supported-employment options. The majority of programs receive some government funding, however donations are always needed to provide services over and above the government funded level. VincentCare Victoria was previously known as St Vincent de Paul ■ Aged Care & Community Services.
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Vinnies Centres are the retail arm of the St Vincent de Paul Society and are the major source of income for the Society’s good works. Vinnies centres provide furniture, clothing and household goods to families in need. The remainder of donated goods are sold and the funds from sales are used to help fund the work of the Society. There are over 100 Vinnies Centres trading in Victoria. ■
Contact: 43 Prospect St, Box Hill, Victoria, 3128. Phone: (03) 9895 5800 Fax: (03) 9895 5850 E-mail: info@svdp-vic.org.au
For credit card donations visit www.vinnies.org.au or call 131812