Christmas illustrates what Rosies is all about

Rosies on the Sunshine Coast was excited to be this year’s charity of choice of the amazing Mooloolaba Yacht Club’s Christmas Parade. Hundreds of people came to the Sunshine Coast to assist in a beautiful parade. Some of our volunteers wore their red shirts and walk among the masses to welcome people. They also had donation tins for those who wished to make a donation and support the local Rosies branch. The event was a great success and brought a smile to people’s faces.

 Woolworths at Mayfair Village on Manly nominated Rosies as charity of choice for their community day. Staff members wore the Rosies uniform and customers were encouraged to purchase some much needed outreach supplies for the Rosies Bayside branch.

Our Logan branch partnered with Harmony on Carmody Café to offer a Christmas meal at the venue to as many of our friends on the street as possible. Patrons at the café were invited to buy a bauble to be hung on the shop’s Christmas tree. Baubles were handed out by Rosies Logan Central to our friends who could then trade it for a meal at the café. No less than 40 people enjoyed a Christmas dinner.  

Other organisations led some very much appreciated outreach supplies drive. Marvellous Mature Women in Logan collected 90 hygiene packs, while the Hilton Brisbane and Novotel at Surfers Paradise donated toiletries to their respective branches. Max employment and the Potts family organised their respective Christmas drive for Rosies.

We would simply not be able to do what we do without the support of our local communities. Without you we could not organise our Christmas on the Street celebration for instance.

Our Christmas on the street series kicked off in our new Brisbane North branch. Students from Padua College brought some beautiful hampers to be handed out to our patrons. About 350 people joined our annual Christmas Party in Southport. Rosies celebrated Christmas with our patrons throughout our thirteen branches.  

 

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Branch Coordinator – Cairns | Commences December 2018

POSITION DESCRIPTION: Rosies Branch Coordinator – Cairns (PDF)

SERVICE STREAMBranch Coordinator
LOCATIONCairns
CLASSIFICATIONNegotiated Salary
TERM12 months with possibility of extension
HOURS OF WORK18 per week including night work plus a level of voluntary contribution
REPORTS TOGeneral Manager

 

Our Purpose and VALUES
Rosies is a community of people sharing the Oblate spirit of daring. Inspired by the Gospel, Rosies reaches out to those most abandoned, to be present with them, offering them experiences of community and belonging.

Rosies vision is to reach those who are most abandoned in our society to offer a time of presence and connection with others through:

•           Street Outreach;

•           Drug and Children’s Court support;

•           Youth Detention Centre Visitation;

•           Prison Visitation

 

POSITION PURPOSE
To ensure delivery of Rosies mission and volunteer safety in Cairns.

 

KEY PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENTS
1.   Mission, Vision and Values·       Contribute to the development of an organisational culture that is consistent with the philosophy and values of Rosies.

·       Work ethically and model Gospel and Rosies values through your personal leadership.

2.   Key Duties·       Be the face of Rosies within the Cairns community

·       Maintain and develop partnerships within the Cairns community

·       Lead a Coordinating Team to ensure the various branch responsibilities (see 3 below) are carried out

·       Liaise with State Coordinator regarding training, rosters, volunteer numbers and supplies

·       Liaise with GM and State Coordinator when considering branch growth

·       Liaise with Team Leaders and State Coordinator following a reported incident

·       Manage and maintain the branch resources

·       Manage required documentation in a prompt manner

3.   Branch responsibilities·        Supplies and logistics

·       Team liaison

·       Outreach mentoring and monitoring

·       Training

·       Vehicle management

·       Public Relations

·       School liaison

·       Parish liaison

·       Financial recording

·       Events management

4.   Workplace Health & Safety·        Oversee branch adherence to safe work practices at all times.

·        Model safe work practices and ensure appropriate reporting

5.   Other Duties·        Participate in relevant forums and training programs.

·        Work as an effective team member in accordance with Rosies mission, purpose and values.

·        Other activities as directed.

 

POSITION REQUIREMENTS
Required to haveBeneficial to have
·        Commitment to the Rosies mission and values

·       Team leadership experience

·       Strong communication skills both written and verbal

·       Organisational skills

·       Community engagement skills

·       Demonstrated basic ability to use computer IT systems including email and MS Word.

·       Queensland ‘C’ class Licence.

·       Ability to obtain positive notice in the legislatively required personal history check in line with compliance requirements

·       Significant experience as a Rosies volunteer

·       Thorough understanding of Rosies vision, mission, and guiding principles

·       Thorough knowledge of Rosies policies and practices

·       Member of a faith community

 

Contact Head Office for more details.  Closing date: Monday 19 November 2018

[contact-form to=’[email protected]’ subject=’Enquiry from Rosies Website’][contact-field label=’Your name’ type=’name’ required=’1’/][contact-field label=’Your email address’ type=’email’ required=’1’/][contact-field label=’Your message’ type=’textarea’ required=’1’/][/contact-form]

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Anti-Poverty week and Mental Health Week

In October we farewelled our long standing Chaplain Father John David OMI. He received a new appointment from the Oblate Provincial and took up his new ministry in Adelaide. Father John David has been Rosies Chaplain for three and half years. During that time he spent countless hours on the street sharing friendship with both our patrons and our volunteers. He will be very much missed.

There were a couple of events this month. Rosies Logan went to the local Homeless Connect. Meanwhile our Wynnum Manly branch took part in Wynnum Connect as part of the Anti-Poverty week. It was a great opportunity to catch up with some familiar faces. The event was a huge success with many service providers joining us at the event. On the Sunshine Coast, the team visited Caloundra State High School during Mental Health Week to raise awareness about the issue.

This month we deepen our involvement with the local communities in Beenleigh and Brisbane. Rosies Beenleigh started to support the local Uniting Church’s lunch for those less fortunate. The lunch takes place once a month and is very popular with our patrons. In Brisbane, the Rosies Yeronga Catholic Parish team enjoyed their first outreach making new friends at Brigadoon Boarding House on a Sunday afternoon. Everyone is looking forward to many more to come.

Once again, we thank our many supporters without whom our work would simply not be possible. The Wellington Manor dipped deep at their annual soup kitchen and fundraising event to support the organisation. The retirement village also regularly supports us with supplies for our friends on the street.

Inspired by recent young heroes, little stars sisters Ava-May and Neve collected three huge bags of hygiene items for our Brisbane branch. Their donation completed the ones received this month from St Therese Catholic Parish and School in Cairns and the Molloy House at St Columban College, in Caboolture.

On the Gold Coast, students from St Michael’s College come every Monday to give us a hand at the drop in centre. ‘My experience at Rosies was an eye-opener and it made me realise that we all have a part to play’, shares Hannah, one of the students involved in the program.
Although too young to outreach with us on the street, year 7s and 8s from San Sisto College in Brisbane have been coming to clean the branch’s outreach room and vans once a month for almost a year. It makes a huge difference to our teams in Brisbane.

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Chaplain – Formation | Commences January 2019

POSITION DESCRIPTION: Rosies Chaplain Formation (PDF)

SERVICE STREAMChaplaincy, Formation
LOCATIONWynnum (base) outreach to across Queensland
CLASSIFICATIONNegotiated Salary
TERM12 months with possibility of extension
HOURS OF WORK20 per week with majority between 5-10pm
REPORTS TOGeneral Manager

 

Our Purpose and VALUES
Rosies is a community of people sharing the Oblate spirit of daring. Inspired by the Gospel, Rosies reaches out to those most abandoned, to be present with them, offering them experiences of community and belonging.

Rosies vision is to reach those who are most abandoned in our society is to offer a time of presence and connection with others through:

•           Street Outreach;

•           Drug and Children’s Court support;

•           Youth Detention Centre Visitation;

•           Prison Visitation

 

POSITION PURPOSE
To promote and model the Mission and Values of Rosies within the outreach teams.

To promote a person-centred practice and faith-inspired environment responding to and respecting the human and spiritual needs of staff, volunteers and patrons.

To assist in the implementation of initiatives such as parish-based outreaches and branch-based chaplaincy.

To work collaboratively with the Oblate Chaplain and the General Manager to create an effective chaplaincy team.

 

KEY PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENTS
1.   Mission, Vision and Values·       Execute the duties and functions of the role aligned with the Gospel and Catholic traditions as well as the mission, ethos, and values of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate.

·       Contribute to the development of an organisational culture that is consistent with the philosophy and values of Rosies.

·       Work ethically and model Gospel and Rosies values through your personal leadership framework.

2.   Role outline·       This is an accompanying role and does not have a compliance focus

·       Develop relationships with teams especially Team Leaders

·       Learn ‘Rosies’ especially from identified exemplar teams

·       Develop an understanding of the cultures that exist across teams

·       Attend 3 outreaches per week (on average) with a tactical selection of branches and teams

·       Develop strategies to enhance engagement of volunteer teams with Rosies Christian spirit and Oblate charism

·       Identify a network of branch level chaplains to assist in assessment of distributed Chaplaincy resources

·       Contribute to communication activities such as reflections for volunteers, networking and guest speaker engagements promoting Rosies.

·       Report identified issues at an individual or team level which may require suitable staff/volunteer support responses.

·       Participate in maintaining a workplace culture within Rosies, which respects human dignity, provides equality of opportunity, addresses the needs of the poor and disadvantaged, and protects human rights.

3.   Leadership·        Demonstrate understanding of, and personal commitment to the mission, vision and values of Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate, to a Christian spirituality and in the spirit of St Eugene de Mazenod and to an appreciation of Rosies as a missionary activity.

·        Model a leadership style which promotes a person-centred practice throughout the service ensuring a whole-of-person and faith-inspired environment reflecting Rosies mission and core values.

·        Support the formation of volunteers, in line with organisational procedures.

4.   Documentation, Quality Systems & Continuous Improvement·        Create, store and archive documentation in line with legislative requirements.

·        Identify improvements to policy, procedures, work instructions, other organisational systems and the work environment to ensure Gospel values and principles of Catholic teaching are reflected appropriately.

·        Participate in the development, implementation and review of relevant Rosies policy, procedures and other documentation, as required.

·        Work collaboratively with relevant stakeholders to prepare, undertake and maintain external requirements, as necessary.

 

5.   Workplace Health & Safety·        Adhere to safe work practices at all times.
6.   Other Duties·        Participate in staff development and team meetings.

·        Work as an effective team member in accordance with Rosies mission, purpose and values.

·        Engage in reflective practice and participate in meaningfully regular professional supervision sessions.

·        Other activities as directed.

 

POSITION REQUIREMENTS
Required to haveBeneficial to have
·       Relevant qualifications in Pastoral Care, Theology and/or Spirituality and/or Counselling.

·       Demonstrated commitment to, knowledge and understanding of the principles of Catholic teaching, tradition and ecumenism.

·       Demonstrated knowledge and experience in providing pastoral care and/or volunteer services within a Christian perspective.

·       Team leadership experience.

·       Demonstrated intermediate ability to use computer IT systems including MS Word and Excel.

·       Queensland Provisional Green or above Driver Licence.

·       Ability to obtain positive notice in the legislatively required personal history check in line with compliance requirements.

·        Previous experience in a similar role, either in Christian ministry environment.

 

KEY SELECTION CRITERIA
1.    Demonstrated ability to accompany small teams with human and spiritual guidance tailored to the needs of the person and ensure persons are treated with respect and empathy.
2.    Demonstrated ability to apply and integrate in real practical ways appropriate Catholic teaching, Gospel values, the charism of Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate and the vision of Rosies.
3.    Experience in pastoral care and volunteer support that focuses on supporting those who are assisting the most abandoned in our society.
4.    Proficient communication and interpersonal skills to engage on a personal level providing comfort and confidence, as well as the ability to build relationships across an organisation to assist in the provision of support for staff and volunteers.
5.    Demonstrated understanding of the emotional and spiritual needs of people at different ages and stages of life, and special attention to those working with the poor and vulnerable.
6.    Demonstrated commitment to a community of faith.

Contact Head Office for more details.  Closing date: Thursday 22 November 2018

[contact-form to=’[email protected]’ subject=’Enquiry from Rosies Website’][contact-field label=’Your name’ type=’name’ required=’1’/][contact-field label=’Your email address’ type=’email’ required=’1’/][contact-field label=’Your message’ type=’textarea’ required=’1’/][/contact-form]

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Farewell to our Chaplain

Our long standing Chaplain Father John David OMI has received a new appointment from the Oblate Provincial. He is on his way to take up his new ministry in Adelaide. Father John David has been Rosies Chaplain for 3 1⁄2 years and in that time has spent countless hours on the street sharing friendship with both our patrons and our volunteers. We wish Father well in his new role.

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Young heroes to the rescue

A recent study reveals  that women over 55 years are increasingly at risk of becoming homeless in Australia.* The need for hygiene items is high. All of our branches are running short of plastic roll-on deodorants.  Rosies has been calling the community to come to the rescue.

Many heard our calls. We received support from young heroes such as Jaylan in Toowoomba and the Magnificent Year 7 in Cairns. Pupils and their teachers made up over 70 hygiene packs to support their local Rosies branch. Meanwhile, St Mary’s Catholic College Senior Students planned and collected many cuppa noodles and blankets for our friends on the street in Far North Queensland.

On the Gold Coast, our friends from Bikers Making a Difference came to support the branch by donating more toiletry items and blankets. Despite all those fabulous efforts we are struggling to meet the demand and are still in much need of more hygiene items.

*Women over 55 years are now the fastest growing homeless people in Australia, The Financial Review, August 20 2018

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Shoeshine Brian: how a person in Sydney inspired a blanket drive in Ipswich

Leonie from St Andrew’s Hospital Ipswich organised a blanket drive for her local Rosies branch named after ‘Shoeshine Brian’, a homeless person she met and sat with in Sydney a couple of years ago.  Brian refused to beg, instead he would polish shoes and share stories with his customers. Leonie sat with Brian for a while. He touched  her soul and inspired her to write the poem below, in his memory. Brian passed away last year.

The blanket drive named after Brian was a huge success and brought many donations to our friends on the street in Ipswich. Thank you Leonie and the community at St Andrew’s Ipswich Hospital.

~ Brian ~ 31/05/15

Hey, I’m Brian…do you see me?
I’ll shine your shoes for you,
I’ll tell a story too…
Can you fling me a few cents to make my day?

Hey, I’m Brian…please notice me.
I’ll make it easy for you,
I don’t have to talk to you…
Will you help me so that I can make my way?

Hey, I’m Brian…I was a child once.
Nobody wanted my brothers or myself.
We were kind of put out on the shelf…
How come we didn’t even get a say?

Hey, I’m Brian…I’m down here.
Sitting cold here on the floor

Brian Rudd (1958-2017)

while you just shop for more…
Will you go back to your house upon the bay?

Hey, I’m Brian…I know I have a soul.
If you look, it’s with distaste
as though I’m some kind of waste…
If you sit with me I won’t make you stay.

Hey, I’m Brian…

© Leonie Cavenagh

 

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Bright lights of Surfers Paradise hide ‘invisible issue’ of homelessness

By Damien Larkins, ABC Gold Coast

Surfers Paradise on the Gold Coast’s glitter strip is synonymous with tourists, money and parties. But every year more and more homeless people are sleeping rough in the bright, loud and busy area. The 2016 Census showed there were 1,723 homeless people on the Gold Coast, a 27 per cent jump since 2011. Community group Rosies has been helping homeless people on the Gold Coast for more than 30 years. Local coordinator Kathleen Vlasic said it was the very fact Surfers was so busy that drew them and others in need of a helping hand.

“It could be 100 to 200 people. It varies from time to time, it’s not always the same,” Ms Vlasic said.

“They seem to be able to blend in and not be so noticed all the time,” she said. “They can wander through Surfers and they’re not really going to stand out like a sore toe.” Although the main thoroughfares in Surfers are busy, homeless people can always find a quiet nook to hide and get some sleep. It also offers them safe haven from theft, and verbal and physical abuse. “They have to go into where there are shrubs and bushes,” Ms Vlasic said.

“They wouldn’t be allowed to sleep in doorways or where these lights are, they’d be moved on.”

As she makes here way through Surfers, Ms Vlasic stops and talks to people who look like they may have been sleeping rough.

“It’s heart-breaking,” she said.

“Your heart just goes out to them and you think my god there’s just got to something better than this around for them,” she said.  Ms Vlasic offers for them to come to the drop-in centre, where they can get food and a hot drink. The drop-in centres also are a chance for government service providers to make contact with people in need.

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Thank you to our wonderful schools

We are very grateful to the many schools that support us all year round. We are especially thankful for their help over the winter months during which we go through a lot of supplies.

In Far North Queensland and despite school holidays, St Augustine’s College students and staff attended our outreach. They came along with their generous donations of soup, noodles and blankets. Further south, our Caboolture coordinator, Helen visited St Benedict’s Primary School at Mango Hill to talk to the year 3’s about Rosies. Students were very interested in the Rosies story and asked lots of good questions. Students brought donations to the Rosies van, which quickly overflowed with outreach supplies. Meanwhile, our Gold Coast coordinator, Kathleen visited St Francis Xavier Primary School to collect non perishable food and instant coffee for our friends on the street.

Rosies Wynnum Manly hosted its first Christmas on the Street outreach this month. Students from Iona College donated some presents to handout to the homeless as ‘Christmas in July’ gifts.

In Brisbane Rod from McDonald’s Bracken Ridge paid us a visit at the local Homeless Connect. Rod has been regularly supporting Rosies Brisbane for over a year. Rod brought us an INCREDIBLE amount of coffee, tea, sugar, cups, napkins, cookies, drinking chocolate and heaps more.  Fingers & Forks and Priestley’s Gourmet Delights both made delicious donations of sandwiches/wraps/ burgers and yummy cheese cakes to hand out on the street. Our patrons loved them!

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Keeping hearts warm this Winter

Rosies is about friendship. It is getting cold outside, but for many who suffer from loneliness winter never stops.  We connect with our friends on the street to create a sense of belonging.  We engage with those who are homeless, marginalised or simply lonely with a cup of coffee, a bite to eat or by playing  board games on the concrete. Board games are fun and bring lots of laughter on outreach. Did you know board games have many health benefits such as lowering the risk of mental disease and an increase in cognitive functioning?

Music is another great way to engage with our patrons.  Music is inclusive. Whether played by our volunteers or talented friends our Rosies guitars lift everyone up. Music is another joy generator on outreach.

Winter is definitely here. So, Rosies hands out some material necessities to brave the current weather conditions by giving out blankets and sleeping bags. As always the community has been very supportive of our eleven branches.  We received an important donation of blankets for the children in our Toowoomba outreach.  Meanwhile, BMaD (Bikers Making a Difference) collected and brought sleeping bags, toiletries and canned food to our Drop in Centre on the Gold Coast.

Our coordinator in Caboolture, Helen visited St Benedict’s Primary School at Mango Hill. She talked to the year 3’s about Rosies and thanked them for their generous donations of 155 hygiene packs, 400 cups of noodles, tins of coffee and milo, beanies and packets of UHT milk. The Rosies van was overflowing with bags. The students told Helen they had done a project on Rosies and acted out someone being homeless and Rosies coming along and helping them. Many other schools have shown great support to their local Rosies branch.  For instance, Iona College in Wynnum organised a very successful outreach supplies drive in support of our Brisbane, Logan and Wynnum Manly branches.

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