Bush Fire Recovery, a Rainforest, and Healesville Sanctuary

Sunday, March 16, 2014 – 11 a.m. Geelong time (on the road to Mt. Waverly)

By Teressa Jackson

Wednesday was a whirlwind of activities in the Toolangi and Healesville areas. We began our day at Toolangi Primary School, which educates around 35 children from Prep (our Kindergrten) to grade 6. The children are split out into two classes – one for the upper and one for the lower grades. They were obviously a tight-knit group and the school had a warm, family feel. The lower grades’ teacher even brought her dog Eric to school with her each day.

As we toured, we learned about the influence the bush fires had on the area five years ago. Many of the residents were affected and it was incredibly traumatic, with nearly 200 deaths from the disaster. Although the children were young, they also felt the impact. The school has placed a great emphasis on providing therapeutic activities for the children. As the principal said, two activities that are good for the soul are gardening and music, and we toured a beautiful kitchen garden they have created on site, and the students serenaded us with a sweet song that they wrote. Afterward, while the children played outside, we joined the staff for coffee and fresh-baked scones and blackberry jam made by the kids.

We then made our way through the beautiful mountains to take a stroll through the rainforest on the Toolangi Boardwalk. We were told to watch ourselves for leeches (eek!), but thankfully, we left the forest unscathed. There were tree ferns galore, towering gum trees, babbling creeks, and piles of fluffy moss. Other than the threat of leeches, it was quite peaceful and we enjoyed taking in its beauty. Having worked up a bit of an appetite, we were ready for our picnic lunch at Maoondah Dam. The dam is located in an a park with large beautiful trees, and there is a waterfall where the dam releases some of its contents.

Our next stop was Healesville Sanctuary, where we watched a native bird show and then visited exhibits with a variety of native animals. Unfortunately, many of Australia’s special critters are nocturnal, and therefore napping. The wombat was especially endearing, completely unconscious on his back with his teeth hanging out. We were all taken with the way that the wallaby and kangaroo exhibits were structured, as we were able to enter a secure area and view the animals up close, with only a rope separating us. It was amazing how calm they were, taking food from the hands of sanctuary personnel. Their hopping is so surreal and fun to watch.

After a quick shower and freshening up, the team ascended Mount Dandenong for our third group presentation. The view from the Sky High Restaurant was spectacular.

View more photos from the day and stay up-to-date with all our latest at our Facebook page:www.facebook.com/gse2014.

Royal Children's Hospital & Eastern Volunteers

Sunday, March 16, 2014 – 9:15 a.m. Queenscliff time

By Teressa Jackson

It has been another whirlwind of a week, and so I am behind on blogging again. Monday was Labour Day, and we had the hard work (ha!) of visiting the historic homestead of Mont de Lancey in Wandin, learning about the early settlers and strolling the garden; tasting wines at Chandon, a division of Moet; and settling into an extensive late lunch (although they all seem a bit late here to me) at the amazing home of Mike's hosts Warwick and Paulette. After that, we were all in a food coma and useless for the rest of the day. 

On Tuesday, we were back to the grind. We set off back for the city first thing in the morning to visit the Royal Children’s Hospital. They have some amazing facilities! Although their medical services are funded by the government-run healthcare system, all the “extras” are not. They have a “Good Friday” appeal each year that raises substantial funds, and in total they raise around $40 million in charitable support each year.

Royal Children’s has placed a big emphasis on ensuring its facilities are not institutional in feel or approach. They have a bean bag movie theater complete with medical hookups if a child needs them while away from their room, that shows the latest kids’ films twice a day. A meerkat exhibit (yes, with real meerkats) keeps kids in the outpatient area engaged and, let’s face it, distracted. There is a two-story saltwater aquarium and large sculpture (for climbing) in the central main lobby. A craft and entertainment area is available for activities, and while in that area we saw two doctors dressed in silly attire headed out to provide some fun. It was an amazing place.

Next we headed to the banks of the Yarra River where we enjoyed a barbecue lunch and celebrated Kelsie's 25th birthday, despite a bit of rain. After lunch, we had a few extra moments, so we strolled through a bit of the botanic gardens for those of us who hadn’t had a chance to enjoy them. Then we were off again!

 

Our next stop was at the offices of Eastern Volunteers, where we learned about their services to help the community and local not-for-profits by engaging volunteers in a variety of capacities. Much like Metro United Way at home, and Karingal in Geelong, they provide ways for volunteers to learn about the needs of not-for-profits and connect with them. Additionally, they have an infrastructure through which they organize volunteers to provide transportation for people with disabilities and others in need. The Rotary Club of Ringwood has provided a van to assist with this service.

View more photos from the day and stay up-to-date with all our latest at our Facebook page:www.facebook.com/gse2014.

A "Happy Home" at Karingal

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. 

View more photos from the day and stay up-to-date with all our latest at our Facebook page:www.facebook.com/gse2014.

Tonya's Vocational Days, Week Two

by Tonya Wetzel

The last two days I have had the pleasure of visiting with Scope Services and Berendale Secondary School. 

At Scope I met with GM Jenni Hendy who showed me two day programs they offer for adults with disabilities. Jenni and I had extensive discussions comparing and contrasting services available to individuals as well as discussed how funding is structured and administered in each of our states.  

At Bernedale I had some hands on experience and assisted in a cooking class for their hospitality training program. After cooking class, I participated in an art class and learned a bit myself about crosshatch shading.

Holmesglen TAFE, Southmore Primary School, Youth Connect, and Marriott Support Services

Wednesday, March 5, 2014 – 10 p.m. Melbourne time

By Teressa Jackson

Tuesday, we joined representatives from the Rotary Club of Bentleigh Morrabbin Central for more touring around. First we visited Holmesglen TAFE Moorabbin Campus. Holmesglen TAFE seems quite similar to IvyTech, our two-year community college in Indiana. They offer culinary, nursing, and science related programs, and have some beautiful facilities and their staff kindly answered all our questions about higher education in Australia: there are two-year vocational and technical type programs like Holmesglen TAFE, three-year bachelor’s programs, you can do an additional year for what they call an “honors” diploma (more research), master’s degrees are generally for a specific profession (think MBA), and most graduate programs would lead to a Ph.D.

After Holmesglen TAFE, we visited Southmore Primary School. Their principal explained that the school receives a lump budget from the government, which they can use virtually any way they want so long as they maintain the required teacher to student ratios. They have been very creative in their approaches and student involvement.

Grade six students have a permanent project they undertake each year to leave their mark on the school. This year’s students were developing a Korean garden, which was very much in keeping with the school’s focus on gardening, cooking, and healthy, unprocessed food. Their model is based on the vision of a chef named Stephanie Alexander. Not only does this benefit the health of their students, it also saves the school money – students grow, cook, freeze, and preserve the food they grow on site. Food is grown organically; pests are dealt with using garlic oil spray.

At Youth Connect, we learned about programs for youth ages 13 to 25. Their vision is to provide a community where youth have pathways leading them through secondary education, further learning, and employment. They help youth understand the changes they will need to make to navigate their careers and the flexibility it will take. Like many of the not-for-profits we have visited, about 86% of Youth Connect’s budget is from governmental sources.

Last, we paid a visit to Marriott Support Services, a not-for-profit that provides programs for adults with intellectual disabilities. Their services include day programs, open employment at community employers, and supported employment at Marriott Industries. Their Open Employment program (what we would call Supported Employment at my workplace) is able to use a productivity based wage in job placement, where a level of productivity is assessed for each task involved with a job, and a wage is based on the participant’s ability to meet these levels. They can receive staff support on the job for up to 26 weeks. Employers also receive a direct government payment for hiring employees with disabilities. The productivity-based wage does not end but is reassessed every two years and a new wage is determined in consultation with Marriott and the individual’s employer. It cannot decrease from the initial rate, however.

Marriott Industries is working to transition to a social enterprise in the next two to five years, where they will employ many more highly skilled people along with people with disabilities. They currently employ 70 individuals with disabilities and around 8 non-disabled staff. Their client base includes people with mental illness as well as people with intellectual disabilities; the breakdown is approximately 60% people with intellectual disabilities, 30% dual diagnosis, and 10% people with mental illness. They have a horticulture program where they employ 45 disabled and 28 non-disabled workers. Unlike the United States, they do not receive preference in the award of government contracts for Marriott Industries, and actually run a 10 to 15% loss for the division.

We quickly changed and headed out to our second presentation at a cluster meeting after our already full day. Thankfully, the company and conversation kept us going. It was a fun and full day.

Here We Go!

Saturday, February 22, 2014 – 9 a.m. Melbourne time

by Teressa Jackson

The Team at the Airport: Mike, Tonya, Teressa, & Kelsie 

After several weeks of whirlwind activity and near insanity preparing for a gala I would not be able to attend, I left work at 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, February 20, catching a ride to Indianapolis with Tonya Wetzel, a fellow GSE Team member. We arrived at the airport in plenty of time, and were greeted by Mike Ferree, our Rotarian leader, as well as Rotary District Governor Tim Lee and his wife Amy. Kelsie Holt, our final team member, soon joined us.

The plane to Los Angeles was nice and very new, and the flight relatively uneventful after the initial turbulence due to the rain and high winds blowing into the area. After several hours, the expansive lights of LA spread out below us and we disembarked.

At the airport, we had to catch a bus to the international terminal. Our destination was immediately apparent upon boarding the bus, which was filled with Australian accents. As we approached our gate from the bus, we saw that we were going to be riding in an enormous 2-story Air Bus for the next 16 hours. There was no denying it now; we were headed for the Land Down Under!

The Qantas staff were friendly and the women looked chic in their navy, red, and fuschia uniforms, complete with neck scarves. We were fed dinner in relatively short order. As I had requested an Indian vegetarian meal, I received rice, green beans, and yellow lentils with a mixed green salad. Let’s be honest, it was airplane food… I’m quite sure it will be my least favorite meal of the trip.

I tried to stay awake but my eyes were burning and heavy. It wasn’t long until I succumbed to a relatively long (considering) fitful sleep… after all, it was approaching 3 or 4 a.m. Eastern time. I decided I had awakened for good around 5 a.m. Melbourne time. No doubt I will sleep well tonight, but I feel rested enough to make it through whatever the day holds… and no, I’m not really sure what that is just yet! All I know is I have some bright, brown land below me and I’ll soon be on it.