Rosies – Friends on the Street has received both personal and Parliamentary support in Ipswich thanks to local MP Ian Berry.
When Caring for our Community grant beneficiaries were announced on May 13, Rosies Ipswich Branch was amongst the community organisations sharing in more than $6000 in funding with a grant for $600 to support local operations.
Member for Ipswich Ian Berry MP nominated Rosies for the grant in recognition of the assistance the organisation gives to the Ipswich community by providing safe spaces for people to build community and connect with essential services.
He then decided to offer his personal support through a further donation of $400 to assist in the purchase of equipment and ongoing costs.
‘As the local member for Ipswich, I have given to Rosies a commitment to visit the street van regularly. This is what Rosies deserves as I know the crucial role it plays in our community. Rosies offers a helping hand to our most vulnerable, provides a meeting point and gives people a sense of friendship,’ said Mr Berry.
‘People like Michael Byrnes in Ipswich work enormously hard to keep Rosies going on a meagre funding model. It was therefore my absolute pleasure to make an additional donation of $400 to this organisation beyond the $600 they have already received from the Queensland Government’s Caring for our Community grants program.’
Ipswich Branch Coordinator Michael Byrnes said Mr Berry’s donation was a real boost to the local branch.
‘It’s that kind of support that keeps our volunteers out on the streets with the people who need it. So many of our patrons are kids – we have a volunteer on each team who spends their whole shift just making Milo for the kids and making sure they’re warm,’ he said.
‘We really appreciate Ian’s support – it means a lot to our volunteers that he actually comes to the van regularly and spends time with our patrons. He doesn’t just pop in and say “hi”, he actually spends an hour or two having meaningful conversations and helping out at the van.’
If you would like to help support Rosies operations in Ipswich, click here to donate:
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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.
