Recently we held a well-attended community meeting to determine whether or not we had the support ‘on the ground’ to make this happen.
YES WE DO! We are currently working with a committee of three to oversee the establishment of the Wynnum Manly branch. We have set ourselves a target of six months to be ‘on the street’ one night a week in both Wynnum and Manly. The task may be daunting but the enthusiasm and commitment is remarkable. To our friends on the street, we’ll see you soon!!
Jon Martlew is moving on from his role as Rosies branch coordinator in Toowoomba. Jon made an enormous contribution in developing Rosies in Toowoomba. From small steps Jon has been instrumental in establishing Rosies activities and profile in his home city in the space of a few short years. His embrace of all those he engages with is legendary as is his selflessness in giving of his time and more. In that time Jon has trained a couple hundred volunteers, drawn the support of numerous individuals and organisations, and trebled the outreach activity. Rosies is a wonderful presence in the Toowoomba community for which Jon and his committee can be justifiably proud.
James Cook University (JCU) dental students [pictured] recently attended one of our Rosies Cairns branch outreaches. The students fully embraced the experience, listening and sharing stories with our friends on the street, and helping put a smile on their faces. The branch also recently received goods and services donations, as well as monetary donations from local primary and high schools.
The support all of our branches receive from students and their communities is simply wonderful, and greatly supports our ability to support our many friends. Thank you, you all make a difference.
Find out how you can get involved.
R
osies Ipswich branch volunteers are always inspired by the ongoing support they receive from their local community. Recently members of the Ipswich Catholic Community, which is made up of the parishes in the region, kindly collected donations of biscuits, noodles, and cordial to support Rosies. Thank you! Students at Bremer State High School also held a fundraiser and donated toiletries and cordial. Barry, the local Branch Coordinator, talked to the students about how the things they donated would be used to support our friends and inspire dignity. We are looking forward to the time when these wonderful students are able to volunteer on our outreach.
Find out more about our Youth and Student Engagement.
It is often said that ‘there is more happiness in giving than in receiving’, and at Rosies we could not agree more. Our Sunshine Coast branch not only experiences it while on outreach, we also share the kind support for emergencies (such as drought and flood relief) with the Sisters of Mercy. This order assists people who are most in need in the outback. This collaboration enables our local Rosies team to assist in answering many calls received beyond our branch outreach ability. We know it makes a difference to the many families who live remotely. They are certainly not forgotten! We are also very thankful to Express Print & Mail (EMP) for kindly providing a brand new A-frame sign to help our many friends locate us at our various outreach venues on the coast. More proof that there is great joy in sharing and equally great joy in giving. Thanks
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Rosies new Volunteer & Program Outreach Coordinator, Cathy Linsday recently visited the Caboolture branch. Cathy was most impressed with the great work and commitment evident in the branch. The branch is looking to expand its role in the community.
Find out more about the Caboolture branch.
Rosies is collaborating with Second Bite in Brisbane to deliver fresh produce more regularly on outreach. Although providing food is not Rosies’ main objective, we know too well how welcome fruits are with our many friends.
On another note, our faithful old outreach van is being replaced with a grant from the Department of Communities (Gambling Community Benefit Fund) and a generous donation from the Rotary Club of Jindalee.
The new van will be fitted out with a stainless steel servery, cargo bay, and ten seats for the volunteers.
Our General Manager, Andrew O’Brien recently accepted a cheque from the Rotary Club of Jindalee [pictured] that will cover the fit out of the new van to ensure we are able to have a cuppa with our many friends. Thank you!
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Our Logan team are most excited to have a new storage room. None more so than our wonderful Branch coordinator, Margaret Harvey, as for the last ten years she has been using her own garage to store items. A big thanks to you Margaret. Thanks to the generosity of the Department of Communities (Gam
bling Community Benefit Fund), renovations of the new demountable were completed over Autumn.
Matt Byrne, Q99 Constructions and Brisbane branch volunteer, was extremely accommodating to schedule the works around the needs of the St Paul’s Primary and other users of the area. The team are now enjoying their new spacious storage facility, which in turn will enable more material support for our many friends on the street. What a brilliant way to mark our ten-year anniversary of our Logan branch!
A big thank you to Cross Promotions International for recently leading a food drive to support our Gold Coast branch as supplies were extremely low. Thank you so much to every single one of you in the local Gold Coast community for your support. Friends and strangers alike walked through the doors of our Southport Drop-in centre to provide tinned goods and hygiene products.
Local students joined the effort by conducting their very own fundraiser events. You made a difference.
Our branch coordinator, Wendy Coe, will be a guest panelist at the Vinnies CEO Sleepout. Wendy’s wealth of knowledge about issues affecting homelessness is highly regarded.
New Rosies outreach services are now up and running in Atherton. The team takes the van out fortnightly, on the first and third Saturdays of each month. Rosies Mareeba branch team is kindly offering support and mentorship. Teams from both locations are also sharing resources, including the same Rosies van. Several young adults are already turning out to meet with the Rosies team on Main St, Atherton and word is quickly spreading about our much needed outreach service. Several local organisations have expressed interest in supporting our newest Far North Queensland outreach.
