Givlife Bulletin March 2012

Do politics and charity exist together as partners in society – or are they totally independent of one another? I have been pondering this for the past week or so – AND it is NOT because of the shenanigans in Canberra over the past week – where we saw no hint of ‘charity’ being shown toward fellow-man!

No – it’s because I had the privilege of lunching at Parliament House (Western Australia) ten days ago. Lisa Rossi and I were invited to lunch by Bill Johnston, MLA, Member for Cannington to discuss the ways in which Givlife hopes to contribute to the betterment of the local community. I wanted to understand a lot more about the needs of the local community in Cannington and hear from someone who represents the people and seeks to understand their needs.

It was a very worthwhile day – Lisa, who is passionate about putting hope and purpose into the lives of children, explained to Bill her plans for Givlife to run 2 or 3 big fiesta days, for local kids to have fun with their families. The events will be directed at those who miss out on the more costly events like the Royal Show because parents and/or carers can’t afford it or are not available to take them. She had an engaged listener in Bill and he made some very helpful suggestions on how to make it work and who to partner with in the local community. I was excited (on the inside of course!!) because Bill validated the need and actively provided support for the work Lisa was proposing!

Bill also gave us insight into other areas of need in the Cannington area, highlighted in a recent survey he undertook of the local residents. Assistance to improve the quality of life for seniors and pensioners was high on the list. This confirmed the plans we have for our Seniors Week event and to continue the monthly lunches we hold on a Tuesday for the culturally isolated elder citizens. We decided that the multi-cultural seniors in Cannington and the young leaders who volunteer at Givlife would benefit by experiencing first-hand, the operations of parliament and Bill agreed to host these groups, at different times, to show them parliament in action.

During that lunch, I became more and more convinced that politics without charity results in the demise of a healthy community. Therefore, the answer to my wonderings this week is that politics and charity should partner and work together in the things they do. They should not be independent of one another. Thanks Bill, for helping me to see that – and doing it in such a gracious setting, amidst the chamber bells ringing in the stately parliamentary dining room while we enjoyed first-rate food and service.

In closing, I read this statement recently – “That man, despite being the product of seemingly blind causes, is not blind, that being made in the image of God he is more than an accidental collocation of atoms, that being free he can rise above his fears and with the help of God create oases of justice and compassion in the wilderness of space and time.” The quote came from Jonathan Sacks, Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of Great Britain and the Commonwealth.  He is a profound thinker and he has encapsulated what we want Givlife to be in Cannington – an oasis of justice and compassion in the wilderness of space and time and [Carousel Shopping Centre].

Until next time, take care or yourself

Margaret

PS.  Lisa and me on the steps of Parliament of Western Australia, 22nd February 2012

 Photo courtesy of Ashley, the Government Horticulturist who kindly agreed to be our cameraman

For more information on Bill Johnston MLA email cannington@mp.wa.gov.au or go to http://www.parliament.wa.gov.au/parliament%5Cmemblist.nsf/AllDocs/E819640D78607820C82574D00020D3BB?opendocument

For more information on Jonathan Sacks go to http://www.chiefrabbi.org/ 

Return to Givlife website  

 

The Bulletin January 2012

Happy New Year for 2012 to all the faithful Givlife supporters. Did you know that we are entering our 4th year!

The year has started with plenty of encouragement for us  –through unsolicited donations, expressions of gratitude and fundraising activities to help push forward with our work.

It is truly wonderful when someone feels compelled or prompted to give financially – especially when they choose Givlife as the recipient! I can’t tell you how much it encourages those of us on the Board because it reminds us that others see value in what we do, too – we don’t feel so alone in our work.  So – thank you to our first regular donor (you know who you are) for choosing to give to charity through Givlife Inc.

I also received a thank you card from a parent of one of the young people who attended the Reflective Music Program last year. This mother was expressing her thanks for the encouragement it gave her girls and the boost to them to continue developing their musical abilities.  Once again – we on the Board were equally as encouraged on receiving this card, to know that our work is appreciated by the recipients and makes a difference in their lives.

And – ‘people giving of their time’ to help us fundraise is also one of those things that show us we aren’t in this alone. So thank you to the ELEVEN FAITHFUL FRIENDS of Givlife who volunteered to help at the SAUSAGE SIZZLE fundraiser at Bunnings Cannington  on 31st December and 1st January. We sold $1,760 worth of sausages, rolls and drinks, which raised  $1,060 to go toward the “Young Mums” program that Givlife supports.

Givlife New Year's Day Sausage Sizzle

There are some people who are exceptional and I want to recognise Wendy O’Dowd as one of these –  what a woman Wendy is.  She turned up before 8am on the Saturday of the Sausage Sizzle and saved the day by showing us how to organise the team and work in a streamlined way so that we weren’t tripping over one another and our rolls stayed fresh and delicious.  Clearly, there is a right way to go about ‘sizzles’ and Wendy showed us the way.  There are two other exceptional people who deserve a ‘gong’ for their efforts. Ashleigh Campbell, my very special friend, who worked both Saturday and Sunday on the stand. Ashleigh not only prepared food, sold drinks, and set-up on Sunday at 7.45am for us (that is New Year’s Day!) she also ran around getting fresh bread rolls and drinks at the ‘right price’.  And a special thank you to Terry my amazing husband who cooked sausages all day Sunday without a break and without a word of complaint! He is a special person. Thanks for helping us on the stall also goes to Rina, Adam, Sarah, Esme (& Sienna), Patricia and Barry; and Carl for running around to get more rolls on Sunday and thank you to fellow board members Cathy and Eva for their help.

As my friend Jan Tayler, wise woman that she is says –  ‘welfare work isn’t just about the people who receive; it is about getting people to work together and the relationships it builds’. It is true – you do get a warm feeling inside when you are doing something selfless alongside someone else.  There will be many opportunities to do this in 2012 – I will make sure you know about them.

Enjoy the summer

Margaret

Christmas 2011 edition

Hi Givlifers

 It is only NINE DAYS til Christmas  – Wow!! Where did the year go to??

 Well – here’s a quick update on the past few weeks…

 There was plenty of action last Saturday (10^th December) at the ‘Sidewalk Sale’ fundraiser we held.

The grass verge and footpath outside Hope City Church was laden with all sorts of things – new clothes, old clothes, funky clothes, stylish shoes, practical shoes, children’s clothes, baby things, tons of fluffy toys and other toys; dinner sets, clocks, glasses, kitchen things, gifts, jewellery, baby Bunsen burners, you-name-it–we-had-it!! We gave away loads of things to those who really needed it – and made $655 in sales/donations. The most valuable part of the day was seeing parent’s and carers choose bagfuls of Christmas present -  teddies and toys and clothing – for their children and grandchildren and being able to say “It’s yours for free”.

 Thank you to Carousel Shopping Centre Management – Mac and Nicole for all the lost property donations and new clothes given. Thank you to all these people who gave up inordinate amounts of time to help set-up, sell and clear away on the day.

Cristina, Kira, Cassandra, Maureen N, Terry A, Angie R, Tony G, Lucy G, Eva Z, Patricia M, Wendy A, Wendy O, Judy S, Barry M, Sook C and Austin C.

 Thanks also to all those who donated items and made it possible to help others.

 Thanks to the Kat and the Reflect Youth team for combining their car wash with us and their innovative promotion which brought in lots more customers for us.

     Overflow

 Our Seniors Week event this year was ‘spontaneous’. The trip to Penguin Island was cancelled at the last minute because Perth was hit by the most violent storm in years and Penguin Island was out of bounds! So – with everyone packed on the bus, we headed for the hills and the Chocolate Factory (yum) and Whiteman Park with the tram tootling everyone around.  Our youthful volunteers Kira, Cristina and Teresa made the day for everyone. Thanks again to you guys.

 Christmas time is a fantastic time of the year don’t you think? We have plenty of opportunities to show some brotherly love to others and sing carols.

 Have a great Christmas everyone. God Bless you all for being part of our life giving work.

 With love and thanks

Margaret Armitage
GivlifeInc
givlife@gmail.com

The Bulletin October 2011

Hi Givlifers

I have been intrigued by some overwhelmingly large statistics in the past few weeks.

For instance – did you know that this year, the federal government, provided $16 million in funding to help train and assist over 200,400 volunteers across more than 4,600 organisations throughout Australia?

AND GUESS WHAT? Givlife was one of the recipients, receiving $3,500
to upskill our volunteers in First Aid Training and buy a few essential pieces of equipment used by volunteers. That’s ‘good news’, thanks to the Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and IndigenousAffairs for their support.

The next BIG statistic that has impressed me comes from CHOGM, the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting that is being held in Perth this week. There are 53 leaders
from the 54 countries in the Commonwealth, in Perth at the moment making decisions for over 2.1 billion people! That is a large number of people. In fact it is a lot more than the population of China who’s population is only 1.4 billion!

But the most amazing thing of all that I learnt this week, is that two years ago, one  woman had an idea and it culminated in over 430,000 people around the
world taking part in praying for the leaders of CHOGM, meeting this week in
Perth, to have unity in resolving the issues they individually bring to CHOGM.
Read more about this here http://commonwealthprayer.org/.

It is encouragement for those of us involved in Givlife because our efforts are
small today and yet they can ripple out and have an impact in future lives.

I regularly visit an amazing young woman in hospital. She has experienced more
sadness, grief and trauma in just over 20 years of life than most of us do in
65 years and yet this young woman has a firm grip on life and a desire to
contribute to what we do at Givlife – she is someone I count as a friend and I
know I can count on her to help in whatever way she can. Our relationship
started from one small idea – we sewed curtains together one day because she
wanted to help. She took a single step, following through on a desire she had,
to help and it has grown into something everlasting.

So – thank you to all the individuals who have supported, contributed, volunteered
over the first four years of Givlife’s existence. I know you are helping to build something that will one day have touched 1,000’s of lives. When we held our 3^rd AGM on the 26^th
September, celebrating our 4^th year of operation we could see some of the results of that in the Annual Report for 2011. It is on the website and worth reading because it tells you what has been happening, who we have been able to help over the past year and some of our plans for the coming year.

And we can celebrate that the federal government support us with a Volunteers’ Grant; the state government, Department of Communities support  our Senior’s Week event so that we can 40 or so seniors to Penguin Island for a day-trip; local businesses like Bunnings Cannington support us by donating vouchers and providing support for our Sausage Sizzle fundraisers.

And we can celebrate that people are coming to us with exciting initiatives to reach out and provide support for the distressed and disenfranchised and I can’t wait to see some of those happening soon. More on that next time.

For now, take care and thank you

Margaret Armitage
GivlifeInc
givlife@gmail.com

The Bulletin August 2011

Hi Givlifers  

It is now the end of winter in the southern hemisphere and the seasons are a changing, with spring on the way. At Givlife, we have been chasing away the winter chill with hustle and bustle and lots going-on during the cooler months.

It’s amazing how much a little sausage can do when it’s cooked. Remember the Easter Saturday Sausage Sizzle when we raised over $1000 selling hot sausages & onions in rolls! That money is being used to support a Youth Camp at Nanga Bush Camp for 30 young people the first weekend in September. The camp will give high school kids the opportunity to go canoeing, play some crazy games and have fun round the campfire. Every high schooler should have the chance to do this and thanks to the Givlife helpers who put in the effort to cook on Easter Saturday we are helping make it possible.

There is something about preparing food for others, don’t you think. Like the monthly Italian Lunch (Martedi Pranzo )we are hosting for the isolated and ageing “Australian- Italians’’ in the local community. It has been running for 3 months now giving those who rarely have a chance to socialise in their mother-tongue the pleasure of doing just that. And in the Italian culture, there is no better way of socialising than to talk while you share good food prepared for you by someone who cares.

Through this program, we had the pleasure of having Charlie Fazio, originally from Fabrizia and then Torino in Italy, entertain us with tales of finding his way through the Australian culture and language as a new arrival, 40 plus years ago. I was enthralled by Charlie’s story, as it was translated for me. Charlie was raised to speak Calabrese dialect. At 10 years old his family moved to Torina and had to learn a new language – Italian. Then 6 years later he moved to a new country, Australia and he had to learn another new language and a culture. Then he fell in love with a beautiful new immigrant girl called Dinka (English version – Diana) and had to learn her language, Czechoslovakian! So –by his early 20s this man had adapted to three different cultures and learnt 4 languages.

It’s only a glimpse, but it is a stark reminder of the struggle immigrants encounter adjusting to their new country. It is lovely to be able to support a program that honours this for some of the people who have lived through it.

Finally – a quick note about the incredibly talented Reflective Music instructors  – Michelle, Paul, Pete and David – who have warmed our hearts with the effort they have put into the students who have come to the fortnightly program over the past few months. Here is what some of the teenagers who have joined the program told me…

“I’m in Year 7 and I’ve never sung before. I didn’t think my voice was special. Now that I have learnt techniques to prepare my voice it sounds good. Like breathing and warming up before I sing makes a difference to the way it sounds; certain foods are good and bad for my voice – like eating sugar before I sing is bad! I want to keep on singing now that Michelle has shown me how to.” Tayla, 12 years old.
Vocals workshop-  

Learning to breath…                  … like this

 

“I have learnt the acoustic guitar. I tried to play 2 years ago when I was in Year 8 and I was hopeless. Paul is fantastic. I have learnt chords and strumming and feel confident to pick up my guitar and play and won’t look stupid.

I probably won’t play in a band or
anything, but I know when I’m older
I will feel good about strumming my
guitar and will know the chords to play”. Aleisha, 15 years old.

 “Yeah, I was self-taught on the bass. I wouldn’t have known what I was doing wrong or right; but one-on-one with the instructor has been incredible. I know all these techniques now and it has really boosted my confidence. I’m a girl so I need to be confident on the bass to get any further”. Kira, 15 years old.

 Meantime- enjoy the spring and thank you for sharing in music, food and life at Givlife!  

Margaret Armitage
Givlife Inc
givlife@gmail.com

PS Make a note of the AGM, coming up on 25^th September, 12pm at Givlife Office.

 

The Bulletin May 2011

Hi Givlifers  

It’s been three months since the last Bulletin and what a busy time it has been! I’ve been to France, England and Scotland on a holiday and while I was holidaying our Treasurer, (and treasure!) Maureen Norgrove, organised the most successful first ever Sausage Sizzle Bunnings Cannington has seen!

On Easter Saturday, 18 dedicated supporters gathered together to barbeque over 550 sausages which raised $1,046 (after we had paid for everything). This money will go toward the After School Centre for 12-18 year olds we are planning. Thank you to these people who gave up their Easter Saturday to help – Cos & Franca, Kevin & Tess, Wendy & Robert & Melissa & Mikayla, Marianna D, Wendy O, Wendy A, Eva Z, Simon T, Christine B, Cathy C, Brian N and Lloyd B and especially thank you to Maureen who did an exceptional job organising this event.  

World’s best Sausage Sizzle organiser,
Givlife Treasurer, Maureen Norgrove.

 

 The other fantastic news is that Office of Multicultural Interests has approved funding for Givlife to host a lunch once per month for native Italian speakers (and other groups isolated due to non-English skills). What an opportunity we have been given to bring together a group of elderly citizens who are linguistically and culturally isolated and help them build relationships outside their family circle so they are not so dependent on family members – and to give them information about the services and facilities offered by government and community groups in a non-hostile, welcoming environment. The lunches will run on the last Tuesday of the month from June this year. Please email me if you know of anyone who would like to be a part of this. We will arrange for them to be picked up and returned home. Or – you may know someone who could be a speaker at the lunch (like you Simon T!)

 AND – the Reflective Music Program is underway. The Hope City Church auditorium was abuzz on Wednesday 11^th May, with over 20 young people who registered and their parents dropping them off and picking them up. The vocals, guitar, keyboards and drumming instructors are doing an incredible job keeping everyone in the right group and not getting in one another’s way – all under the gentle guiding hand of Pat Gullaci, the Program Director. It is very exciting to see it happening. As soon as I have permission I will grab some action shots and publish them AND Matana Foundation, we can’t thank you enough for supporting us in this.

 More soon, meantime thank you for your support and God Bless you for being part of what keeps Givlife giving!  

 Margaret Armitage
Givlife Inc
givlife@gmail.com

PS a quick peek at where I have been for the past few months….

 French Chateau                                                                                

 Scottish Highlands           

 

 with my daughter                   

The Bulletin February 2011

Hi Givlifers –it’s a new decade and today I have something noteworthy to tell you about.

 In early January I received an email telling us we had been successful with a grant application for the Reflective Music Program we are going to run this year. I was pretty excited – after all this is something we have been ‘dreaming’ of doing for over a year, but lack of funds has held us back. Now, thanks to Matana Foundation, the door is open and we will be getting started soon.

 I still remember when I heard about the concept of using music to overcome hopelessness and low self esteem – that by giving the hopeless a chance to create music of their own, it helps them start to dream again and restores their hope in the future. I thought – that is life giving and Givlife should do something like that. I was even more convinced when I spoke to Pastor Pat about it and she said she has seen it happen with some of the youth at Hope City Church!

So-  that is what the Reflective Music Program is going to do, for high-school age and up to 20 year olds in the Cannington area who have lost their way and are willing to try again.  

At the moment Pastor Pat is working hard to finalise the details of the 10 session program, due to start after Easter this year – so I can’t give you all the details. I can tell you it will offer skills training in these disciplines – keyboards, drums, guitars, vocals and dance – not to produce professionals, but to help discover talents and have some fun as well. The participants can choose/will be guided to the discipline they are most suited for.  We want to see them reach a level where they can perform at a public event – that really will change their view of themselves from
“I’m no good at anything” to “I CAN  do something well’’.

It is an exciting challenge for us, don’t you think?  Please email me  to  givlife@gmail.com  right now if you want to know more or can offer assistance or you know someone who really should be on this program.

More soon – because there is a lot more happening in 2011 at Givlife.

God Bless you for supporting our life giving group and don’t forget to spread the word to your friends and associates.

 Margaret Armitage
Givlife Grants Officer and Board Member