St Vincent de Paul Society Victoria Inc. Newsletter 265 | July-August 2013A

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Archbishop supports blanket appealOnce again the St Vincent de Paul Society had terrific support for our blanket appeal with individuals and groups making donations through Vinnies shops, conferences and the Fundraising & Marketing department. A big thank you to all those who donated and those who assisted with the appeal across the state including the Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne office. Archbishop Denis Hart DD (pictured left) displays some of the donated blankets.We are also grateful for a large corporate donation of blankets from IDC and of course the ongoing support of the 300Blankets group whose donations of blankets now well exceed 300!Among the many other companies and schools that did collections was CitiPower and Powercor which donated more than 400 jumpers, blankets, jackets, doonas, hats and scarves. Jason Cotton, Manager Innovation Sponsorships & Events is pictured here with Tom Dowd from Vinnies Collingwood.

Blessed Frederic Ozanam bicentenary celebrationLivia Carusi | Mission Integration Officer

In April, over 125 members, volunteers, staff and invited guests attended the 200th birthday celebration of Blessed Frederic Ozanam; a young Catholic Frenchman, who in 1833 at the age of 20 established the St Vincent de Paul Society.The celebration also had an extra special twist - those gathered also came to give thanks to five members who were honoured for their service and commitment to the Society.The honoured members, John Cannon, Jack Dillon, Des Holford, Brian Lenten and Sister Toni Matha where further recognised with the launch of the ‘A Call to Serve – Vincentian Stories – 2013 Chapter’. This online publication, available to members, volunteers and staff, captures the stories of the honoured members, their service, the support of their family and friends in their service as well as their enduring legacy to the Society.The event was full of special moments but the highlight for me was the privilege of being part of this significant event and being witness to the incredible and at times overwhelming joy that this event gave to the honoured members, their family and friends. The A Call to Serve booklet can be accessed on the members’ extranet, Hands@work. Use this URL to access it: https://www.ourhandsatwork.org.au/resources/publications/a_call_to_serve.jsp

Photo courtesy Fiona Basile Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne

Congratulations

Congratulations to Vinnies Hamilton for winning not one but two awards at the Southern Grampians Shire Inclusive Business Awards on 21 May 2013.Vinnies Hamiliton were winners of the ‘Community enterprise’ award and the ‘Inclusive business of the year’ award. The Vinnies team pictured above is with Southern Grampians Shire Council Mayor, Cr Albert Calvano.

State President ’s message Dear Vincentians, volunteers & staff

At their July 2013 meeting, National Council decided that the word ‘client’ is not to be used. Instead, the term ‘people we assist’ is to be used. Also the word ‘welfare’ is not to be used, rather, the word ‘assistance’ is to be used. Please ensure that these terms are adopted in your work.

I encourage all members to sign up to the extranet where you will find a wealth of information regarding the Society in Victoria as well as resources to help you in your conference work. Just go to www.ourhandsatwork.org.au and sign up. This is the members’ site so we hope to see many of you using it. If you have any feedback, please let us know.

The focus of our feast day celebration for Vincent de Paul and Frederic Ozanam is giving thanks to our conferences and volunteers for the service of our members. The celebration will be held at Gerald Ward House on Wednesday 25 September, starting with morning tea at 10.45am, followed by a presentation and then mass, concluding at

approximately 12.30pm. You are all invited to this celebration. RSVPs are essential to rsvp@svdp-vic.org.au or 9895 5935.

Our next staff and volunteer mass will take place on Friday 13 September and Fr Nicholas Pearce will be the celebrant. Mass is held in the chapel at Gerald Ward House in Box Hill from 12-12.30pm. Everyone is welcome to attend and we look forward to seeing you there.

Our next SJIC will be held on Wednesday 25 September. The guest speaker on the topic ‘The impact of mental health issues on quality of life’ is Michael Peacock, Team Leader, Homeless Drug Dependency Program, VincentCare Victoria.

SJIC presentations run from February to November and are held on the last Wednesday of the month, from 12-1pm at St Francis Pastoral Centre, cnr Lonsdale and Elizabeth Streets, Melbourne. Join us for our SJIC presentation and complimentary tea, coffee and biscuits. Feel free to bring along your friends and colleagues. Everyone is most welcome.

With best wishes

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Tony TomeState President

Prayers are requested for...Deceased members, volunteers, family and friendsLaurence Bensted Ex-member/Treasurer, Geelong East ConferenceSheila Blackwood Member, Pakenham ConferenceMaureen Brennan Associate member, Donald ConferenceLeo Burke Member & husband of Glenda, Chiltern ConferenceJohn Cahill Ex-member, Geelong ConferencePat Campbell Widow of John, Gladstone Park ConferenceElaine Dellavedova Member, Maryborough ConferencePeter Dunbar Member, Rye ConferenceBernie Dunne Member, Fitzroy Mobile Conference & Ex-member, Brandon Park ConferenceMick Ellis 50-year member, Deepdene/Balwyn ConferenceMaureen Fitzpatrick Ex-member & president, Thornbury ConferenceMervin Handley Ex-member, Burwood ConferenceMaureen Large Member, Niddrie ConferenceDan McCarthy Ex-member, Port Fairy ConferenceDonald McDonald Husband of Gail, Strathmore ConferenceMary McKenna Wife of Jack, Montmorency ConferenceMarita McKenzie-McHarg Member, Heathcote ConferenceLoreto Melican Wife of Michael, Warrnambool ConferenceMichael Melican Ex-member, Warrnambool ConferencePatricia Murnane Mother-in-law of Mary, Airport West ConferenceKeith Naismith Ex-member, Deepdene/Balwyn ConferenceCarmel O’Brien Member, Whittlesea ConferencePeter O’Dwyer Long-term member, Springvale North ConferenceLee O’Malley Ex-member/volunteer, Leongatha Conference & Leongatha CentreRay Pettiford Member, Geelong Conference and Ex-member/ President, Geelong East ConferenceAlf Van Rossum Volunteer, Traralgon CentreKevin Ryan Ex-member/President, Ringwood North ConferencePeter Savag Ex-member, Ringwood North ConferenceJanice Speechley Associate member, WesternPort ConferenceWilliam & Lenni Wildenburg Members, Rosebud & Croydon Conferences

To ensure correct acknowledgement please forward any requests for prayers to Philip Mackey by phone on 03 9895 5837 or email philipm@svdp-vic.org.au.

Youth Congress 2013 • Be the fire •

By Jessica Adams, Brimbank Young Vinnies member

On Friday 31 May 2013, members representing 13 Young Adult conferences around Victoria met at the Amberley Retreat Centre in Lower Plenty for the 2013 Victorian Youth Congress. The theme for the Congress was ‘Be the fire’ and we came together to be inspired, share stories and discuss how we can work together to help the people we meet through our work as Vincentians.

During the Congress, we heard inspirational and uplifting messages from several speakers, including the need to remember the reasons why we became members of the St Vincent de Paul Society; whether to change the community and challenge the very existence of poverty and hardship, to be part of a society with a rich history or because of a calling to serve God in the faces of the disadvantaged. We then broke into small workshop groups which focused on the Society’s work with three disadvantaged groups in our community: the homeless, refugees and asylum seekers and those with a mental illness. We came away from these sessions inspired with greater knowledge, not only about the difficulties these groups in our society face, but how we in our Vincentian work can help them.

At mass on Saturday afternoon, we reflected and gave thanks for the opportunities the Congress had given us. We then met for the final session, a chance to put ourselves in the shoes of those we meet during our works and a panel discussion on what different Vinnies Youth conferences and groups are doing, including Roadshows and preparations for World Youth Day celebrations within parishes. During our reflection, we discussed how we could ‘be the fire’ within our conferences, the Society and our communities.

For me personally, the Congress was an extremely worthwhile and enriching experience. Through meeting with and sharing stories with other young Vincentians, I feel empowered, inspired and inflamed within my work as a member of the St Vincent de Paul Society and am excited about the opportunity to share this fire with my conference and the community.

College Conference Day 2013

Siena College Conference members welcomed 225 students from 22 colleges across the state to Camberwell in April. The theme was ‘Welcoming the Stranger’, focusing on refugees and asylum seekers. Tony Tome began the day by encouraging young people to become more involved in the St Vincent de Paul Society’s work for the poor, marginalised and needy. Tony pointed out that Blessed Frederic Ozanam was only 20 when he founded the St Vincent de Paul Society.

During the day students participated in hard hitting experiential activities and workshops. Keynote speaker Dana Affleck, a young law student who is passionate about dispelling the myths, gave a reality check to the real situation in Australia. Students were awed by guest speakers who shared their personal stories. One was Nuwani, a young women from Sri Lanka who came to Australia seeking asylum in 1997. She shared about her 14 years before becoming an Australian citizen during which she was not allowed to work, receive medical help or have any rights. Nuwani brought home a reality for many when she asked students to look through a grocery catalogue and feed a family for $25 a week.

Chelsie Callanan, President of Aquinas College Conference, reflected on the day saying, ‘Today was one of the most amazing experiences I have ever had. There was so much insight into asylum seekers and homeless peoples’ lives. I can’t wait to go to more days like this’. A huge thank you to Siena College for hosting the event and to Br Doug Walsh and Caroline Stubbs for providing attendees with a hands on experience of lunch from a soup van.

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Right Choices - St ArnaudSr Angela Caine | St Arnaud Conference

St Arnaud Conference has joined as partners with the ‘Right Choices’ program at the local primary school. This program was introduced to help over 70 students who were coming to school without having had any breakfast and without bringing any lunch. Some were not coming to school at all. Others actually came to school but would not settle down in class and were quite disruptive. A new program was drawn up for them containing life skills – cooking, woodwork, gardening, music, art as well as helping with ‘Meal on Wheels’, sorting goods at Vinnies and visiting the elderly at the nursing home and hostel to play games with them, read to them or perform little concerts.A breakfast program was set up for the children and the Avoca-Tyrrell Region provided the food while the Uniting Church people served it. At this stage, breakfast is provided four days a week and the children are looking the better for it. A mini bus takes groups of children to the different venues for their activities. Vincentians hold market stalls to raise money for fuel. We sell jams, pickles and sauce along with cakes, biscuits and slices and recently we presented $5,000 to the school to help the children on this program. They are our citizens of the future. We need to help them make the ‘right choices’ in life.

Mini Vinnies Cluster Day

This year Victoria held its first ever Mini Vinnies Cluster Day. Nazareth College, Noble Park hosted the day which focused on the theme ‘Helping Hands’. Over 40 students from five Mini Vinnies primary school groups in the area gathered for fun and formation. The event was run by young adult members and Membership & Development youth staff with the support of eight faith and outreach student leaders from Nazareth College. Students participated in games, experiential activities and workshops which helped them grow in their understanding of the Society and develop compassion to help other. A highlight for students was listening to guest speaker Michelle Pereira, the Dandenong Homework Tutoring Program Coordinator who shared how the program helps the educational needs of children. Many students have taken knowledge and passion back to their schools and organised fundraising initiatives to support the program. The theme song for the day was Steve Angrisano’s ‘Go make a difference’ which highlighted the enthusiasm of the Mini Vinnies leaders.

Visiting Parisienne: Anne-Marie MaisonIn April the St Vincent de Paul Society had a visitor from Paris, Anne-Marie Maison. Anne-Marie is a Vincentian in Paris who came to Australia for a holiday and ended up volunteering with the Society here in Melbourne for almost three months.

She worked Saturdays and Mondays at the Malvern Vinnies shop and Tuesdays and Thursdays at the Collingwood food shop.

Anne-Marie said of her visit, “I was really welcomed with open arms and if Australia was not so far away, I would be delighted to keep going to help at Malvern and Collingwood”.

Pictured above is Anne-Marie (second from right) with her friend Veronica Delafosse (centre) and Society staff members (l-r) Volunteer Coordinator, Susan Trzcinski with Membership & Development team members, Rohan Smith, Catherine Watson, Joan Riley and Brendan Podbury.

Vinnies Ringwood is get t ing a make-over !Before...

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As we went to print with this edition of Societynews, the Vinnies Ringwood was undergoing a make-over with the help of Red Design Group, a company led by Vincentian Roy Tavenor. Our thanks to volunteers, members and customers for their patience while this renovation takes place and we look forward to showing you the completed transformation in the next edition of Societynews.

I was fortunate to be able to participate in the Myanmar visit mentioned in the March/April edition of Societynews, travelling with our Myanmar brothers, Raymond Wong (National President) and Mariano Daas (youth representative), to Vinnies shops, conferences and Regional and Central Council meetings around the State. It was truly a memorable and wonderful journey in sharing time and experiences with them.However, there was an ulterior motive for me, one of which I am extremely proud. I was able to speak at many of these gatherings of Vincentians regarding the Society’s ‘Assist a Student’ program. During the two weeks I distributed over 6,000 pamphlets detailing the program and asking for support. It was and is my intention, with the assistance of fellow Vincentians, to give our Catholic school children the chance to participate in this wonderful program of assistance and compassion. I suggested that early in term two might be a good time to present the program to schools, as it allows a term for a class or group of students time to raise the $70 to sponsor a student. There is then sufficient time for them be able to receive their certificate with the student’s name and country, which they can proudly hang on their classroom wall for the remainder of their year together.I would urge all our conferences to ensure that this very worthwhile program is presented to our Catholic schools to give their students the chance to participate and assist fellow students from poorer countries to our north. Please email me at assistastudent@svdp-vic.org.au if you would like any more information about this.

S H A R I N G T H E A S S I S T A S T U D E N T P R O G R A M PAUL MCCARTHY | STATE COORDINATOR | ASSIST A STUDENT

Work in progress...

Vinnies Ringwood is get t ing a make-over !

New data on the work of our soup vans has been generated for the upcoming annual report. During 2012-2013 our 477 soup van volunteers provided 241,800 meals to 663 people on average every night:

Matthew Talbot FootscrayNo of volunteers: 70Meals per night 140Meals per year 50,760People assisted per night 140

Matthew Talbot FitzroyNo of volunteers: 175Meals per night 350Meals per year 127,400People assisted per night 349

Margaret Oats CollingwoodNo of volunteers: 140Meals per night 140Meals per year 43,680People assisted per night 120

Frederic Ozanam MoeNo of volunteers: 22Meals per night 70Meals per year 7,280People assisted per night 34

BerwickNo of volunteers: 100Meals per night 80Meals per year 12,480People assisted per night 34

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Calendar Dates Feast Day Celebrations Wednesday 25 September 2013 Gerald Ward House

Anti-Poverty Week 13-19 October 2013

RCP Day Saturday 26 October 2013, 9am Gerald Ward House

Annual General Meeting Saturday 26 October 2013, 4pm Gerald Ward House

Contributions to Societynews are always welcome. Email: stephanie.puls@svdp-vic.org.au or send to:The Editor - Societynews St Vincent de Paul Society Locked Bag 4800 Box Hill Vic 3128Phone: 03 9895 5800 Fax: 03 9895 5850We endeavour to include as many items as possible in each issue.

Wills & Powers of Attorney The Facts

All members and friends are invited to attend a free information session held on

Tuesday 24 September 2013, 10-11am at 43 Prospect Street, Box Hill

This session will be presented by a lawyer specialising in wills and estates and include topics such as the formalities of preparing a will, intestacy, common pitfalls, choosing an executor, distribution of personal chattels, changing a will, contesting a will, assets not covered by the will, special

needs of beneficiaries, maintenance of records, powers of attorney and guardianship.

There will be opportunities to ask questions.

Registration is essential and places allocated in order of registrationRSVP by 19 September to Sue Pitt 03 9895 5821 or suep@svdp-vic.org.au

The presentation will be followed by morning tea.

Vinnies Soup Vans

Hands@workA reminder to members that the new Hands@work website (also known as an extranet as it is not a public website, rather a site specifically for members requiring a sign-in process) is now up and running. Designed to be simple to use, the site has been developed especially for you as a great source of materials and news. Visit www.ourhandsatwork.org.au if you haven’t already to walk through a simple sign up process.If you require any assistance with this, contact Dianne on 9895 5800 or email dianneb@svdp-vic.org.au

Snapshots• Congratulations to all

Vincentians recognised in The Queen’s Birthday 2013 Honours List!

• Like us on Facebook! Search St Vincent de Paul Society Victoria and ‘like’ to keep up to date with the work of the Society across the State.

• Donation envelopes for In Memorium or Celebrate with a Gift are available from the Fundraising Department, call us on 03 9895 5800 to request them.