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.
With up to a third of supported accommodation seekers women fleeing domestic violence, the link between homelessness and domestic violence is clear – and the need for assistance is pressing.
Rosies Gold Coast branch has been forging links with local DV services, including Assist A Sista, to help women to rebuild their lives and move back into the wider community.
While food parcels are a regular offering for Rosies on the Gold Coast, for women who are leaving a refuge and trying to establish themselves in a new home, Rosies offers something a little different.
Along with regular food parcels, volunteers put together ‘Pantry Boxes’ to help establish a woman in her new kitchen.
The boxes are intended to help defray the initial costs of setting up a pantry, containing larger items that are used frequently but replaced only occasionally.
Gold Coast Branch Coordinator Wendy Coe says the boxes are made up of pantry staples rather than fresh fruit or vegetables.
‘They’re more items like flour, sauces, coffee, sugar, spices, cake mixes, or even washing powder,’ she said.
‘Not just something to get you through the next few days – these are items which help to set up a home.
‘If you have to go out and buy them all at once, it’s quite expensive – and for someone who’s starting out again with very few resources, just being able to go to the cupboard and add a few dried herbs to a meal or whip up a batch of pikelets is a big thing.
‘Part of feeling like you’re really home is being able to do those small things without thinking.’
A partnership with Rosies intended to promote and maintain unity between the Muslim and non-Muslim communities has grown into a community-wide effort to feed Cairns’ homeless.
When Rosies Cairns branch coordinator Lyall Forde mentioned to Alma Mohammed he was looking for some volunteers to cook food for outreach, she thought she knew some women in the community who could help.
The biggest challenge ahead of her would be to raise money for ingredients.
Alma enlisted the help of her friend Renee Walker to come up with a solution – and from that partnership the Muslim Women’s Association of Far North Queensland was born.
‘Renee and I came up with the idea to create a market stall, which we have at the Gordonvale Markets once a month,’ Alma said.
‘It’s been great, and all of the food is homemade and cooked by women in the local community.
‘In fact, my mum has been doing most of the cooking!’
The pair sell home made sweets and pastries, with the proceeds used to buy ingredients to cook into meals for the homeless.
Those ingredients are then turned into meals which are distributed to Rosies patrons in Munro Martin Park once a month.
The Association’s stall has become a fixture at the markets, with the wider local community rallying around to support the fundraiser.
‘We have regulars, we take orders – we have people who come to Gordonvale from Cairns.
‘When we do miss a market, people send messages – “Where are you? Can I just give you the $10 instead?”’
The women were scheduled to provide meals to Rosies patrons on New Years Day, but there were no markets in December so no funds had been raised for ingredients.
The first of January was coincidentally also Alma’s daughter’s fourth birthday and she thought it would serve as the inspiration for a wonderful gesture of community spirit.
‘When I spoke to my 4 year old daughter, and said, “What would you like to do for your birthday?” she said, “We have to feed the homeless!”’
With that decided, the Association put out an appeal for food through their local mosque and then to the wider community.
The donations came flooding in, and a New Years Day banquet was assembled: roast chicken, crumbed Spanish mackerel, potato bake, and vegetable stew.
Festive fruit mince pies and quintessentially Australian lamingtons finished the meal, which was served to some of the local community’s most socially isolated individuals and families.
Most importantly, each person was provided with the opportunity to eat a hot meal from a plate in a communal environment of acceptance and friendship.
‘At the end of the night, everyone took away one or two meals with them – families with younger children took more,’ Alma said.
While some spend the summer at the beach or relaxing in front of the TV, a group of Logan teenagers embarked on something different – a holiday project to help local homeless people.
Kuraby woman Aisha Abdallah, 19, came up with an idea: along with her friends, she wanted to do something to help people in her community feel good.
While watching overseas videos on the internet, inspiration struck – providing practical gifts to homeless people locally.
‘A man was going around asking homeless people what they wanted for Christmas,’ Aisha said.
‘They wanted little things, like a Starbucks coffee, just because they hadn’t had one in a while.’
Aisha was surprised by the simplicity of some of their answers, and realised that offering small but special gifts – ‘like a really delicious coffee’ – is a way of showing people they matter.
‘Such a little thing, done sincerely, can make someone really happy.’
Pooling their own money to buy the gifts, Aisha and her friends put together 30 bags filled with easy to eat items: snacks, noodle cups, biscuits with cheese, and small ready to eat tins, along with pieces of seasonal fresh fruit – ripe mangoes, nectarines, apples, and bananas.
The teenagers had originally planned to set out into Brisbane City on their own to find rough sleepers, but after contacting Rosies – Friends on the Street, they instead decided to distribute their gifts in their local community.
Four of the girls – Aisha, her sister, and two of her cousins – handed out the gifts to patrons attending Rosies’ Woodridge outreach.
They also spent some time talking with patrons and volunteers, as well as with staff from the Street Doctors mobile medical service who offer a GP clinic to the homeless.
‘We had heard of the Street Doctors, but I think it was a real eye-opener being a part of it,’ said Aisha.
Street team leader and Logan branch coordinator Margaret Harvey said patrons who come to Rosies are just like anyone else.
‘Some of them have had bad luck and some have an illness and no one cares about them,’ she said.
‘We have some pensioners who come every week – they’re isolated, they don’t have family so they come to us.’
Margaret says it’s common for Rosies patrons to feel like they are alone, and that many have difficulty finding opportunities to be social.
‘Some of our patrons have mental illness – they have a case worker who comes every two weeks, but no one else wants to spend time with them.’
She says most people who come to the Rosies van at Woodridge are not what many would consider ‘stereotypical’ rough sleepers.
‘Out here, you’re seeing the hidden homeless,’ said Margaret.
‘They’ve got a roof over their head, but nothing else.
‘Or families in cars. The kids are going to school every day, so nobody knows they’re homeless.’
Aisha said she and her friends enjoyed the experience, and planned to put together more gift bags for Rosies patrons throughout the year – with a range of different items like sunglasses, sunscreen, shampoo and conditioner and some homemade cupcakes.
Most of all, she hopes that the gesture will help some vulnerable people know they matter.
‘It’s just about saying hi to people, letting them know you’re thinking about them.’
To see the video that inspired Aisha and her friends, click here.
Rosies welcomes a new General Manager of Rosies Youth Mission Inc, Andrew O’Brien, who replaces previous General Manager Troy Bailey. Andrew was appointed to the position on January 15, 2015, after having guided the organisation in an interim capacity since November.
Andrew is an experienced executive with a particular interest in the services offered within the mission of the Church.
Andrew qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 1983 and pursued a career in local government culminating as CEO of Mount Isa City Council from 1998-2003. Subsequently he worked for the Queensland Government in the area of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Policy, followed by two years in the Department of Infrastructure and Planning.
Between 2011 and 2014, Andrew worked for the Archdiocese of Brisbane in the role of Director Centacare Employment (Brisbane). Most recently, he acted as Interim Director of Centacare Toowoomba and assisted the transition to a new Director in September 2014.
Andrew has a strong interest in parish and community activities in his local area.
Rosies welcomes Andrew to the position and looks forward in 2015 to another successful year supporting our ‘friends on the street’.
Rosies – Friends on the Street today held a morning tea to acknowledge the significant contribution of Mrs Kay Voltz, who recently retired as minute secretary of the Rosies Board.
Mrs Voltz has had a long involvement with Rosies and with Iona College, having spent over 30 years with Iona College before assuming the role of minute secretary at Rosies in 2009.
‘Kay has been a quiet and unassuming presence at Rosies for many years,’ said Rosies Chair John Scoble.
‘We are thankful for her service to Rosies and to Iona College, especially through her last five years as Minute Secretary.
‘Personally, I was impressed by her dedication, her humble demeanour, and her calm conversation.’
Mrs Voltz worked with many Rosies stalwarts during her tenure, including former manager Bob Boardman, Chair Ron Bird, and chaplain Fr Pat Dwyer OMI.
Rosies – Friends on the Street would like to thank Mrs Voltz for her significant contribution, and wish her all the best in the future.
St Andrew’s Catholic College, Redlynch, and St Ursula’s College, Toowoomba are schools on a mission!
Recently, each school raised an incredible amount – in excess of $4,000 each – to support Rosies outreach services in their local areas, with Cairns, Toowoomba, and Ipswich branches receiving funds.
On Friday August 1, over 50 St Ursula’s students from years 10, 11 and 12 were sponsored to brave the cold for a 12 hour sleepout in Merici Courtyard. Now in its third year, the event has been enthusiastically supported by the girls – and they have become muhc more appreciative of the comfort and warmth of their own beds and homes as a result!
St Andrew’s Year 12 students held their own sleepout during Catholic Education Week on August 1, while Year 11 students ran a blanket drive. The younger students got in on the act too by putting together hygiene packs!
Both schools are participants in the Rosies Student Engagement Program, with students volunteering year round with people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness in their local areas. Students also provide material support to Rosies patrons in the form of emergency relief: food and hygiene packs.
Rosies would like to thank St Andrew’s and St Ursula’s for their continued generous support.
