Tickets are now available for the inaugural
Extended Families Dinner and Time and Talents Auction - 21 October 2011
Dont Miss This Gala Event .... Dinner, Dancing, Comedy and Auction!
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7.00 pm (following our AGM) at the Eastern Golf Club, 473 Doncaster Rd Doncaster 3108
MC: One of Melbourne’s premier comedians Gabriel Rossi
Music: One of Australia’s most unique and inspiring rock bands, ‘Rudely Interrupted’
Dinner: Three course meal and drinks (beer, wine, soft drink)
Ticket Prices: $90 per head. Early Bird rate $85.00 per head (if tickets are purchased by September 30). Group discount $85.00 per head for purchase of table of ten.
To Book: Print out the flyer and send form with cheque or payment details to Extended Families.
Find out more about the auction or donate your time, talents or goods on our Time and Talents Auction page.
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Have a great night out while you support the vital work of Extended Families to bring the gift of friendship to children with disabilities and their families!
New Program Launched with a Bang!!
 In the spirit of sporting fun, Extended Families newest community inclusion program was launched with poppers and confetti. This noisy and colourful launch followed an informative program featuring the Video 'Adam's Story', and information about Sporting Mates from Extended Families staff, Julia Kleiber and Mel Jeffery, reflections on the program development from Manager, Julie Langdon and on the partnership between local council and Extended Families from Banyule Access for All Abilities, Julie Allen.Banyule City Council Mayor, Peter McKenna, welcomed 50 people to the launch at the Lower Plenty Cricket Club on 23rd February 2011. Other guests included Banyule Councillor, Tom Melican, Sport and Recreation Victoria Group Manager, Charlie Mc Shane, Extended Families President, Graeme West, Extended Families Founder, Margaret McGregor, senior staff from Banyule, Whittlesea and Nillumbik Councils and Extended Families along with participants and volunteers of the program’s 2010 pilot, and members of the local sporting community. We thank the Lower Plenty Cricket Club for hosting the event. The excellent model for community inclusion provided by the club was noted at the launch. The launch was a fantastic opportunity for sporting clubs and local councils to hear about Sporting Mates and the opportunities it creates for young people with disabilities to become included in their community. Families and volunteers from the Live Your Community pilot were able to see the growth that their participation in the pilot program has instigated, allowing the program to expand both geographically and in the number of places available. The aim of Sporting Mates is to provide children, their families and local sports groups with practical help in overcoming barriers to inclusion so that young people with disabilities can become more involved in their community by participating in active sport and recreation.More information on Sporting Mates is available here: Families and children with a disability, sporting clubs, and volunteers with an interest or active in community sports and recreation who would like to participate in Sporting Mates...Please contact Melinda Jeffery on T 9285 4839 or Email sportingmates@extendedfamilies.org.au Sporting Mates is open to children between 5 – 17 years living in Banyule, Whittlesea or Nillumbik who have a disability. A local Sporting Mates volunteer (aged 18+) will be matched to the child helping them to access and take part in a sport or active recreation activity of their choice. The volunteer will help the child develop new skills they may need to successfully participate and to connect socially with sporting peers. On average volunteers will provide 2 or 4 hours of inclusion support weekly, fortnightly or monthly for an average of 9 months. The Sporting Mates Coordinator, volunteers and AAA Officers will work in partnership with Sports Clubs to provide practical help in including children in sports activities and events. Right: The Sporting Mates Reference Group - Julie Allen (Banyule City Council); Julie Langdon, Mel Jeffery, Julia Kleiber (Extended Families); Seona Palmer (City of Whittlesea); Tabatha Delaney (Lower Plenty Cricket Club); Nicole Smith (Nullimbik Shire Council); Scott McGowan (Extended Families volunteer); Anne Doolan (parent).
Sporting Mates - a new 'Live Your Community' Program
A grant of $51,845 will enable Extended Families and partners, the City of Banyule, the Shire of Nillumbik, and the Shire of Whittlesea to implement an exciting new version of the Live Your Community Program - Sporting Mates. The program will commence in early 2011 and supports the participation of children with disabilities (5-17years) who experience barriers to inclusion in sporting or active recreation activities. Trained volunteers will be matched to children individually for 6 to 12 months, assisting them to access local recreation or sporting activities, learn skills needed for participation and develop supportive friendships with activity peers encouraging long-term inclusion. The Sporting Mates Coordinator, volunteers and AAA Officers will work in partnership with Sports Clubs to provide practical help in including children in sports activities and events.
The program is funded by Sport and Recreation Victoria, Department of Planning and Community Development (DPCD) under the ‘Building Inclusive Sports Grant’ scheme. This grant provides a focus for the Government’s activities around strengthening communities and increasing community participation and inclusion and also aims to develop partnerships and innovative, sustainable projects that will continue beyond the life of funding, and which are transferable to other places and organisations.
DPCD objectives for programs funded under Building Inclusive Sports Grants are:
* develop new mainstream, ongoing participation opportunities and pathways
* develop new active sport and recreation opportunities for people with a disability
* create new volunteering opportunities
The service will be delivered by Extended Families Australia, working closely with the three local governments Access for All Abilities programs. A Reference Group is being set up to manage the partnership and enable participation of key stakeholders in the development, monitoring and review of the project.
Families and children with a disability, Sports Clubs and people interested in volunteering may enquire or pre-register interest in Sporting Mates prior to its launch in late Jan 2011, by contacting Julia Klieber on 9275 6911 or send by sending an email. A flyer is also available.
Transformation through Friendship
'Transformation through friendship’ was the theme of the Extended Families Australia Annual General Meeting in October and also our latest Annual Report.
A highlight of the AGM was the launch of a DVD ‘Adam’s Story’ which provides insight into the power of friendship and inclusion in our Live Your Community Program. In the Annual Report you will read about some o f the stories of our families and volunteers, as well as reflections and reports on the year and future plans. You can view or download the report from our website here.Julia thanking Anne and Adam
In ‘Adam’s Story’, Adam’s mother Anne reviewed her son’s progress in strengthening his position and connection within a local mainstream basket ball team with support from Jake, an Extended Families volunteer. It also featured Adam’s wonderful artwork and introduced us to Adam and Jake. Both Adam and his mother Anne came along to the AGM and enjoyed sharing their personal story of involvement in the project.
We sincerely thank Adam, Jake and Anne for sharing their story, Julia Klieber for the video development work and volunteer Roz Talib for her excellent work in filming and editing the video.
Extended Families Australia Values
During 2009 a set of values were developed to guide Extended Families operation. This began with staff exploring the important values that guide service delivery and organisational practice. It will an important resource to continue to reflect on and use as a guide.
The key values identified are:
Professional and ethical
· We are committed to being accountable and transparent in everything we do
· We act in a fair and responsible manner, with honesty and integrity
· We will ensure our services are safe and of high quality
Respect and compassion
· We believe in building positive relationships between people that are based on love, care, compassion, friendship and respect
· We encourage and support people to grow stronger and realise their aspirations
· We value each individual and the differences their culture, age, ability and experiences bring
Empowering people and communities
· We create meaningful connections between people and their community and provide opportunities for people to develop their full capacities to participate in society
Communication
· We practice open and honest communication
Continuous improvement and learning
· Our services are flexible and responsive to changing and diverse needs
· We have a commitment to continuous learning and innovation
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