30 August 2015
The Bridge to Brisbane Fun Run will take place on Sunday August 30. Whether you run by yourself or as part of a team we would like you to nominate Rosies as your charity of choice. All fundraising is done online. You can set up up your own fundraising page. Each registrant must have their own official everydayhero Bridge to Brisbane fundraising page. You can still be part of a team but you just need to be an individual first.
Click here to fundraise for Rosies.
3-9 August 2015
Jon Martlew, our Team Coordinator in Toowoomba, and Nat Spary (the BASE soup kitchen) will be sleeping rough during this year Homeless Prevention Week 3 – 9 August 2015. Jon and Nat aim to raise awareness of homelessness. Jon wants to experience a glimpse of what “homelessness” is all about. “I see this as an opportunity for me to experience some of the physical and emotional discomforts experienced by those who are homeless”.
Click here to support Jon.
Rosies Gold Coast is pleased to announce a brand new outreach in Nerang on Wednesdays.
The Rosies’ van will be present in Bischof Pioneer Park in Nerang on Wednesdays between 7.30pm – 9.00pm.
There is a surge of homeless people in South East Queensland. Many of them are fleeing the colder temperature in NSW and Victoria.
Our teams will be out giving away blankets in Brisbane, Calboolture, Cairns, Gold Coast (in Southport and Surfers Paradise), Ipswich, Woodrige, Mareeba, Caloundra and Toowoomba
The new van was blessed on Wednesday 8th July at 2pm in Munro Martin Park.
Dr Sharmila Biswas (our driving force fundraiser) representing AMA handed the new van over to Andrew O’Brien Rosies General Manager.
Rosie’s aims to help homeless people with the simple things: something to eat and someone to talk to. But Wynnum doesn’t have a dedicated Rosie’s service. 612 reporter Saskia Edwards spoke to Rosie’s General Manager Andrew O’Brien.
Click here to listen to the interview.
It’s this time of the year again when CEOs sleep-out to raise money and awareness for the homeless. The 2015 Vinnies CEO Sleepout will take place on Thursday 18 June 2015 at Suncorp Stadium. For several years Rosies has been assisting with the event. Once again we will be present. Our volunteers will provide hospitality to the participants.
It is a major event to raise funds and help over 100,000 homeless people in Australia.
Dealing with the rigours of completing Year 12 would be considered more than enough for most teenagers to deal with, but Joshua Priestly isn’t your average teenager.
At a time when many students are rightly focused solely on their studies, Joshua selflessly pushed himself to the limits to help people who are homeless in his hometown of Mareeba.
In May, Joshua spent three days pushing a wheelbarrow 140km to help raise funds for Rosies Mareeba branch.
What makes the feat even more admirable is that he completed the Great Wheelbarrow Race solo – when many compete in a team.
The St Stephens Catholic School captain said Rosies was a perfect fit for his fundraising campaign.
“Rosies helps Mareeba youth and is associated with the church, so I thought it was the best charity to support,” he said.
Rosies General Manager Andrew O’Brien said the organisation was impressed with Joshua’s initiative.
“It is encouraging to see young people take such a strong interest in lending a hand to those in the community who have found themselves on the fringes,” he said.
Joshua raised over $1600.
On Wednesday nights at the entrance to Woodridge railway station, Rosies volunteers arrive to the eager faces of patrons from every continent bar Antarctica.
Ruby, from her wheelchair, tells Andrew he must be a new volunteer because she hasn’t seen his face before.
Robbie, from the local Islamic temple turns up with home cooked meals for about 20 patrons.
New Rosies Chaplain Fr John David (recently arrived from India) joins Robbie as they engage with Sri Lankan, Iranian and other refugees.
Fr John speaks Tamil easily which facilitates some animated conversation.
Ed tunefully fills the backdrop with a variety of harmonica solos, and cheerfully tells a tale in spite of now being on his own and not in the best of health.
The Street Doctor (a Bangladeshi migrant) and his nurse (a delightful young Somalian woman) tend professionally and happily to an array of patients who would otherwise be reluctant to seek medical attention.
A young woman from Caboolture, looking rather lost, couldn’t believe the service on offer.
‘We have 216 nationalities in Logan,’ Logan branch coordinator Margaret Harvey says proudly, ‘and many of them are represented among our patrons and of our volunteer ranks.
‘The diversity ensures its never a dull moment.’
Yet it would be easy to get subsumed in the general camaraderie.
The dangers are obvious for some of the more vulnerable and we pray they have the strength to stand their ground.
The bond of our volunteer teams no doubt gives them hope.
New South Wales native, regular Rosies patron and new volunteer Hayley holds the work of the organisation in very high esteem.
‘It’s a meeting place for people in the community, to catch up with friends and to make new ones over a coffee and a bite to eat.’
Hayley, 35, moved to Cairns just over a year ago to get a new start and heard about Rosies through church.
She attends nearly every night and has been volunteering for two months.
‘I love helping other people – those who cannot afford to pay their rent, food or power bills.’
She says the volunteers are kind and friendly and everyone wants Rosies to stay.
‘It’s a pleasure to work here. It’s great, I love it!’
She says that other patrons are proud that she is a volunteer.
Animal lover Hayley plans to volunteer some more, aims to become a Team Leader and encourage other patrons to join.
She would eventually like to find other ways to help in the community.
