From the CEO
Welcome to the Knoxbrooke Talk Christmas Edition.
Goodbye 2020 and welcome 2021!
What a year this has been for all of us. It is certainly a year we will never forget. Whilst we have had our challenges, our community spirit has out shone the darkness. Whilst many would say it was the year of COVID, for everyone involved in Knoxbrooke it was so much more than that.
The Knoxbrooke community banded together, supported each other in ways that were truly meaningful and valued. We reached out to each other, maintained a strong sense of connection with each other often in new ways and have come out of this together, stronger than ever. To every person involved in our wonderful community, Knoxbrooke wishes you a Merry Christmas and safe, Happy New Year.
See you in 2021!
Kristian.
365 and Achieve
It has been a very eventful year for our 365 team. We have supported families all through COVID and will be there for everyone during Christmas and New Year. The 365 team celebrated Christmas with a get together in early December. Anyone needing support can always call Paul 0499 501 008 or Karolina 0456 753 135 or after hours on 0419 109 321. Many of our former Basecamp families are still using 365 on a daily basis and we are delighted to continue our support for all our participants.
Our Achieve students have worked very hard during 2020 both face to face and via zoom. Achieve finishes on Monday 14th December and will recommence in early January. The NDIS is looking at major changes in the way SLES is provided and we are proud to be a leading service with our innovative teaching methods and our highly experienced vocational facilitators. 2021 is going to be an exciting year for Achieve.
Gai
More on Achieve
In a normal year, Halloween usually marks an evening of costumes, frights, tricks and sugar rushes. Nothing more, nothing less… But this year has been far from normal, and for us at Achieve, our Halloween party marked a period of new beginnings and the recommencement of face to face training.
Those of us in our second year never knew what had hit us. Only days earlier, we were sitting comfortably in front of our computers at home, wearing an Oodie and binge-watching anime. Now, we were back at Ringwood, three days per week, fitting a year’s worth of training into the five weeks leading up to Christmas.
Google suite, self-advocacy, resumes, Seek profiles, mock interviews, work health and safety, travel training and calling employers, calling local area coordinators! You name it, we did it.
For us in our first year, we worked just as hard. One day face to face, two days online. We worked on employment goals, took career quizzes, looked at TAFEs and Universities and took more than one trip up to Eastland researching prices for personal protective gear and fund-raising projects. It was tough, but we learned a lot!
Looking back, maybe lock-down hadn’t been so bad?
Michael, Achieve Team Leader
Mawarra
With the easing of restrictions in recent months, Mawarra has been a hive of activity and excitement as we return to our “Covid normal”
Op Shop & Sorting centre.
After a challenging few months, and the caution return of volunteers, things are starting to turn a corner. We have returned to almost full hours of service much to the joy of the local community.
At the day service the rooms and halls are full of laughter and the clients are loving being back. Programs are in full swing, with a great mix of community and centre based activities. We have released out term 1 activities brochure for 2021 which is generating a lot of interest. We recently celebrated International Person with a Disability Day, which was a resounding success. We also said goodbye to Julie Trease & Tony Riley who retired from the service after many years of attendance, with an afternoon tea. It was a lovely afternoon of memories and celebration
Mawarra 365
Our 365 support continues to grow as clients begin to better understand what this means and the flexibility if offers. Paul & Karolina from Knoxbrooke will steer this initiative for the foreseeable future, whist it continues to grow. Mawarra Social Network is also a resounding success with our clients loving the laidback atmosphere and ability to spent time with friends outside the normal 9-3. As we welcome the warmer weather and prepare to bid farewell 2020, we are excited about 2021 and with a new year comes new signage on all of our buildings and the bus fleet.
Claire Cutler
Knoxbrooke Enterprises
Wow! What a year 2020 has been. We have faced major uncertainty. We have encountered the most unusual circumstances. Many changes had to be made. We have been pushed to what at times has felt beyond our limits. It’s been hard. We have all been challenged. But through it all I have been so proud of the way each and every one of the 200+ employees working across our group of social enterprises has stepped up, faced every challenge head on, shown resilience and found a way to get through. Thank you. Knoxbrooke is such a special place to work.
I would like to wish all Knoxbrooke employees, families and our Board a very special Christmas. Please take care and be safe.
Scott
Thanks for reading! If you would like further information on anything you’ve seen here you can phone 9758 3666 or email info@knoxbrooke.com.au or 9737 0400 for Knoxbrooke Enterprises.