Sunday, March 9, 2014 – 1:15 p.m. Victoria time (in a train to Wandin)
By Teressa Jackson
Last Thursday, my host Warren was kind enough to drive me
over an hour west to the city of Geelong for the day, where I visited Karingal,
whose name means “happy home”. Much like where I work, Karingal was founded in
1952 by parents of children with disabilities. They have experienced incredible
growth in the past fifteen years, going from a $3.5 million annual budget to a
budget of around $80 million through mergers and growth in programming. Their
service area is now “interstate” (multi-state).
I first met with Robyn, who gave me an overview of the
agency’s many service lines. Like many of the disability service organizations
we have visited, and very unlike most similar organizations in the U.S.,
Karingal’s employment placement program runs a surplus that they use to further
their other services for people with all types of disabilities, the elderly,
and other populations, some of which include:
- Kommercial – Hospitality, land care, packaging,
and catering services conducted in a variety of on-site “social enterprise
model” setups
- Youth services – Targeted to kids at risk who
drop out of school
- Individual supports – Respite, personal care,
work-based support, note taking assistance
- Aged care – Includes a service for individuals
in distress where they are required to “buzz in” each day to ensure their
safety
- Participate – A day program providing accredited
training, adventure-based learning focused on pre-employment skills, volunteer
work, literacy training, and other supports
- Karingallery – Run by an artist and showing art
by people with disabilities and other community artists
- Transcend – Mental health respite, outreach,
personal helpers, and mentors
- Accommodation – Shared living housing, primarily
for individuals with intellectual disabilities (4 to 8 individuals per home,
24-hour support – staff are allowed to sleep in all homes except one)
- “My Own Place” – A program that helps people
find a place for more independent accommodations
- ARC Support – For people with acquired brain
injury including community education, family support networks, and a drop-in
center (board funded)
Like the organization where I work, Karingal is ISO
9001:2008 certified, and is also accredited by Disability Services Victoria. Like
many other not-for-profits I’ve visited, they first and foremost look for staff
with skills in the program area and then provide disability support training.
Next, Tracy gave me an overview of BacLinks, which provides
links between business and the community. Much in the way that our local Metro United Way does, this service arm connects businesses and other groups with community
not-for-profits in need of volunteer support. The program runs at a significant
deficit and Karingal sees it as their “gift to the community.” The model was
devised in working with federally-funded consultants. Businesses pay a
membership fee that provides them with support and access to four business
breakfasts each year. They also pay a fee for projects supported by BacLinks.
These fees allow the agency to provide support in the form of risk assessment,
project agreements including roles and responsibilities, assessment of need for
insurance, event registration, photos, evaluation, and more.
Karingal’s Foundation director gave me a lift to one of
their other sites in the community. She was in much the same situation I was
three years ago. Hired just six months ago, she is facing a capital campaign to
raise $2 million of a $6 million goal to build a new building at the site I was
visiting, which will be a community center geared toward inclusion of people
with disabilities in community life. It will include a coffee shop (I told you
they like their coffee here!), conference space, art rooms, and much more.
The director at the community center, Lee, took me to a
lovely lunch and then we visited several of Karingal’s other sites and
programs. Karingallery was a beautiful space with some wonderful works that
were very professionally presented. They have a show five times a year and this
is always in mind as a goal. Additionally, they rent gallery space to other
artists in the community to help bring people in to the space and generate
funds. Most people come to the art program a half day to two days per week. Most
of their sites were centrally located to facilitate integration of participants
into the community. I really enjoyed meeting their staff and participants, and going
at what felt like a slower pace than the hustle and bustle of Melbourne.
Wednesday’s program was a trip “Around the Bay in a Day”. We
began our journey with a trip down the highway to Geelong. In Geelong, we
enjoyed the scenery of the waterfront while munching on some biscuits
(cookies), blueberry muffins, and coffee. I was especially taken by the charm
of the Baywalk Bollards, which were created by local artist Jan Mitchell. The painted
sculptures represent local history and identities.
After Geelong, we continued our journey to Queenscliff,
where we grabbed a portable lunch from Rolling Pin Bakery, home of “Australia’s
Best Pies”. I enjoyed a vegetarian pastie that was filled with a spiced mix of
potatoes, carrots, and celery; and a Bundaberg ginger beer. Armed with our
fortifications, our group boarded the Queenscliff-Sorrento Ferry for a
40-minute cruise from the Bellarine Peninsula to the Mornington Peninsula.
Although they are often seen on this trip, the dolphins were apparently engaged
elsewhere. It was still a lovely way to spend a lunch hour, and I enjoyed every
minute of it. 
