Time for Kids Newsletter Summer 2010
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Transcript of Time for Kids Newsletter Summer 2010
Summer 2010/2011
South Australia’s Governor and Patron of Time for Kids praises volunteersIn celebrating its 50th year of providing care for
children of disadvantaged families, Time for Kids
recognises the vital importance of the contribution
made by volunteers and their family members. As
TFK Board President, Philip Scales, says, ’without
our volunteer carers, we don’t have a charity’.
To honour the remarkable contribution of our
volunteer carers, His Excellency Rear Admiral Kevin
Scarce AC CSC RANR, Governor of South Australia
and Patron of Time for Kids, recently hosted a
reception at Government House. (See back page
for photos.)
The Governor thanked the 70 guests by
acknowledging the remarkable contribution
volunteers provide to the South Australian
community. In his speech, His Excellency
highlighted some of the many achievements
Time for Kids has reached during its 50 years of
providing care to young South Australians. Each
year, Time for Kids volunteer families throughout
South Australia contribute more than 20,000
volunteer hours of respect, care, support,
experience and acceptance for over 150 children
involved in the program. Over the last 50 years,
Time for Kids has supported 4,500 children.
According to The Advertiser ealier this year, there
has been a 19% increase in the number of young
people appearing in the State’s youth court. Time
for Kids is a highly effective and proven early
intervention strategy that helps to prevent young
people from becoming involved in criminal or anti-
social behaviour. The organisation was awarded
a 2009 Australian Crime and Violence Prevention
award for its work in this area.
One young person involved with Time for Kids
recently said that he thought it should be called
‘Changing the world one child at a time’.
‘. . .without our volunteer carers, we don’t have a charity.’
Time for Kids was thrilled to nominate our
volunteer, Owen Jones, for the 2010 Man Alive
Awards. With his wife, Debra, Owen Jones has
been a volunteer carer with Time for Kids since
January 2010. Since February, Owen and Debra
have been caring for a 14-year-old young
woman, Julie.
To accommodate Julie’s limited mobility, Owen
and Debra have made structural changes to
their home. The monthly visits Julie enjoys with
Owen and Debra have given her the chance
to try new things, build her confidence and
increase her support network.
As well as sharing time with Julie, since July
2010 Owen has also been mentoring 12-year-
old Andrew. Andrew has a passion for making
things, but had very few tools of his own and
no opportunity to pursue this interest.
Before being matched with Owen, Andrew had
been running away from school and needed
intensive individual attention and friendship.
Owen now picks up Andrew from school
every Thursday afternoon and they have
started a collection of tools for Andrew so he
has a sense of ownership.
A skilled craftsman, Owen recently worked
with Andrew to build a go-kart and they plan
to make all sorts of other things in the future.
They also talk about school, giving Andrew
someone to confide his worries in.
Owen is a very positive male role model who
shows how everyday men can demonstrate
care and respect for young people, just by
sharing their time. He is a great listener,
provides sound advice, helps children to
make good choices and provides children
with reliability, integrity, time and respect.
The ‘Man Alive!’ Festival has been held
annually since 2004 and celebrates the
positive contribution made by men in our
community, while promoting men’s health
and wellbeing.
2010 ‘Man Alive’ AwardsDebra & Owen Jones, with His Excellency Rear Admiral Kevin Scarce AC CSC RANR Governor of South Australia
Finding friendship on the footy field
Summer 2010/2011
Henry and his family have been Time for Kids volunteers since 2005. At the 2010 Royal Adelaide Show, Henry spoke at the Royal Agricultural & Horticultural Society of South Australia ‘Ladies Brunch’ about sharing his time with Stephen. The following is an excerpt from his speech.
Stephen first came to us back in 2005 as a
painfully shy 9-year-old. I had little idea about
the details of his home life – all I knew was that
Stephen was a young boy like I once was, but
with a much less fortunate upbringing.
The first time I spoke to Stephen it was a Friday
afternoon. When mum introduced us I put out
my hand while looking him straight in the eye,
just as my dad had taught me for so many years.
He tentatively put out his hand and shook mine,
his eyes fixed firmly on the ground. In response
to my ‘how are you mate?’, ‘good’ was the only
word he could muster. This was indicative of the
first couple of months with Stephen.
The first half an hour or so would be spent asking
him simple questions with limited response.
The more time I spent with him at one time
the more he would be willing and comfortable
sharing his thoughts and questions. I found that
one-on-one time with Michael was much more
productive than when around everyone else.
Because of this I decided that taking him to
the oval for a kick of the footy might be a good
way to bring him out of his shell, and to help
strengthen our friendship. At first, conversation
was limited, but after half an hour or so the
questions started coming more frequently. By
the time we were walking home from the oval,
he was asking about everything and anything –
with our shared love of footy, we’d finally found
some common ground.
Our regular trips to the oval gradually enabled
me to mentor Stephen in more important
issues, such as his sporadic school attendance.
Due to his situation at home, there was
nobody to encourage him to attend school.
None of his siblings were going, so why should
he?
It was a Friday afternoon when Stephen and I
walked down to the oval with the footy. I made
sure we talked about all the usual stuff – footy,
cars, whether he’d found a girlfriend yet! On
the way home, I brought up his school, asking
whether he enjoyed it. He said it was okay, and
that he had good mates to hang out with. Then
I got to the most important question; one that
I already knew the answer to:
Time for Kids volunteer Henry and his nephew
As a child-focused organisation, Time for Kids is proud to endorse the Office of the Guardian for
Children and Young People’s ‘Charter of Rights for Children and Young People in Care’. The Charter
is a simple and clear statement of the rights that are important to the more than 2000 children and
young people who are under the guardianship or in the custody of the Minister for Families and
Communities in South Australia. For more information about the Charter, visit
www.gcyp.sa.gov.au/charter-of-rights/ or phone the Time for Kids office on 8362 6311.
‘Are you going to school every day?’
‘No,’ he said. ‘Not every day.’
When I tried to explain that finishing year 12
would be a positive and achievable goal, he
looked at me in dismay. ‘Year 12? There won’t be
anyone else left!’
Since that day though, with my support and mum
and dad’s continual encouragement, Stephen has
rarely missed a day of school. I believe he now
values school and more importantly, enjoys it.
Stephen is very reserved when it comes to
sharing the details of his home life. There are
many reasons as to why this might be but it is
clear that he likes to keep his time with us very
separate to his home life. Usually Stephen will
answer my knock on the door and quickly slam
the door behind him, not allowing me to see or
speak to any of his family members.
My family and I have been involved with
Stephen for nearly five years now, and I’m
really proud of the progress we’ve made with
him – whether it’s the way he now looks a
person in the eye when he shakes their hand,
or his much-improved school results. It’s been
extremely rewarding showing him the sort of
opportunities there are outside of the life he
has at home, as well as just sharing good times
and fun.
Kate Ellis visits Time for Kids
The Federal Member for Adelaide, Kate Ellis MP,
recently visited the Time for Kids office to learn
more about the work Time for Kids is doing for
children in South Australia.
An enthusiastic supporter of Time for Kids,
Kate offered her continued support to the
organisation and to the children and young
people in our program.
‘The care and support provided to these
disadvantaged children is invaluable at ensuring
that they have every opportunity to succeed in
life,’ Kate said.
‘In addition, the time spent with these children
and the friendships that are formed with
volunteer mentors and families provide many in
our community with worthwhile experiences
that will be remembered for a lifetime.
‘I have no doubt that our community is stronger
and more supportive as a result of the ongoing
commitment that Time for Kids makes in
investing in our community.’
Summer fun for kidsSummer is a hive of activity in the Time for Kids
office, as staff and volunteers organise holiday
and Christmas activities for the children in
our program. Our talented team of office
volunteers have been busy doing everything
from shopping for Christmas hampers for
families, sending invitations, to designing
flyers for corporate present drives.
Thanks to the wonderful support Time for Kids
receives from the South Australian community,
Time for Kids children are able to enjoy a range
of special activities, including the annual
Christmas Party for Special Children. The Ladies
of Variety have provided movie tickets, United
Way organised a Christmas party at the zoo
and the Rotary Club of Adelaide have provided
tickets to their annual Magic Show.
Young footy fans are being treated to a
Christmas party at the Port Power club rooms,
where they’ll have the chance to meet their
favourite players and watch them train. And the
Adelaide Crows continue their generous support
with a collection of Christmas presents for the
children in our program.
We’re also getting ready for Clipsal 2011, as a
group of lucky Time for Kids children will be
invited to watch the race from the comfort of a
corporate box.
While it can take some time to find the best match
for the children in our program, Time for Kids will
continue to work in partnership with the South
Australian community to make a practical and
positive difference for every child referred to us.
Time for Kids CEO Jo Wickes and Kate Ellis MP
Authors Bunty Parsons and Di Maguire, with Time for Kids President, Philip Scales and Youth Ambassador, Gavin Wanganeen
Sharing storiesThe launch of ‘It’s about time: giving kids a break’
provided a wonderful chance to celebrate
some of the stories of the children, families and
volunteers who have been involved with Time
for Kids.
Authors Bunty Parsons and Di Maguire share
a long association with Time for Kids – Bunty
as a Time for Kids volunteer carer, and Di as
a volunteer Board member. Together, they
have crafted a moving collection of true
stories that illustrate the power of ordinary
people to make a profound difference to the
lives and futures of underprivileged children,
by simply sharing their time with kids doing it
tough.
‘It’s about time’ is available for $30 from Time
for Kids – simply call our office on 8362 6311,
email us at [email protected] or
download an order form from our website at
www.timeforkids.com.au
Telephone: 08 8362 6311Facsimile: 08 8362 6711
72 Fullarton Road, Norwood SA 5067PO Box 932 Kent Town SA 5071Email: [email protected]: www.timeforkids.com.au
Our office is open Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm. Please give us a call
or call in - we’d love to see you.
Summer 2010/2011
Gallery
Find us on Facebook
Over the past 12 months, Time For Kids has
hosted a number of events to celebrate 50
years of service to disadvantaged children
and families in South Australia.
Thanks to the generosity of all those who
have donated money, time or resources to
help us hold these events, our anniversary
year has been a remarkable success.
Time for Kids has been able to reach out to
the South Australian community, making
sure that as many people as possible know
who we are and what we do. Not only does
this help us to raise much-needed funds, it
ensures that those who need us can find us
as easily as possible.
All of us at Time For Kids extend a huge
thank you to all of you who have come along
to celebrate with us, including the wonderful
donors, volunteers, ambassadors and guests
who have helped make 2010 such a success.
Thank you for helping us help children in
South Australia - we couldn’t do it without
you!
1. Peter Joy, Jan Beasley, John Riddell; and Fiona Smithson at ‘Lunch with the Girls’ at the Lion Hotel2. Volunteer carers, Rudi and Gayle Hermsen and Shirlene and Ken Robertson at Government House3. Time for Kids volunteer family, Ruby, Ian, Sandy and Ella Shaw at the lauch of ‘It’s About Time’4. ‘Lunch with the Girls’ table hosts (front) Pangie Findlay, Annabel Hill-Smith, Melinda O’Leary, Fiona Smithson, Kirsty Davies (Back) Kate Kain, Vickianne West, Col Hamilton, Georgina Hardy, Charlotte Moore, Jan Beasley and Jo Wickes5. Volunteer carers, Brenda and Andy Kovaleff at Government House