Jewish Care [Victoria]

Jewish Care Victoria provides essential services for those in need throughout the State.

Contact details:  8517 5963

Jewish Care’s Mission

 

 

JEWISH CARE NEWS

Caring for Carers

Unpaid primary carers throughout the Victorian Jewish community are now eligible to receive the new Victorian Government Carer Card, an initiative strongly supported by Jewish Care.

Launched on 1 July, the Carer Card enables carers to enjoy a wide range of discounts, incentives and specials on products, services and experiences.

The benefits of the Carer Card are discounts on food and drink, home wares, entertainment, health and home maintenance from over 700 businesses.  Carers will also receive free travel on all metropolitan and regional public transport every Sunday.  The card will also allow discounted or free entry to Victorian Government venues, festivals and events.

Bill Appleby, CEO of Jewish Care said, “Jewish Care endorses initiatives such as this that support carers and build resilience and strength in our community.”

“Carers are a vital part of our community.  When you consider that on average carers invest around 40 hours per week providing care – we would be lost without them.  These selfless individuals are family members and friends who work tirelessly, dedicating much of their time to support loved ones who need care and support. The Carer Card is just one way they can be acknowledged for their amazing work.”

“It’s a terrific initiative and we encourage all community business owners to register their support for the program to recognise the contribution carers make to the lives and wellbeing of our community.”

New Course to Assists Adults with Mental Illness

Melbourne’s Jewish Care, is offering a new course to open doors to further community participation, education, training and employment for Jewish adults with a mental illness.

The course is being held in partnership with the Mental Illness Fellowship Victoria (MIFV),

The nationally accredited Certificate II in General Education will develop skills in reading, writing and numeracy in a positive and supported environment.  The 12-month, two-day-a-week course at Jewish Care’s Always Moving Forward facility starts 17^th August.

Jewish Care’s qualified counsellors will be available for support.

Jewish Care’s CEO Bill Appleby said psychiatric illness had a profound effect on learning capacity. He said this was compounded by the fact that many of those who are diagnosed with a mental illness are between the ages of 15 and 24 – a time when most young people were likely to embark on post-secondary education and training.

“We are aware that many Jewish Care clients who have a mental illness have not managed to complete school or tertiary education,” Mr Appleby said. “We also understand that many Jewish Care clients want to participate in the community through paid work but need to be able to demonstrate basic literacy and numeracy skills to do so.”

“This course aims not only to introduce new skills but to contribute to the recovery process through building self esteem, independence, self confidence and achievement and developing pathways to further learning or employment.”

Mr Appleby said the partnership with MIFV, a registered training organisation, was yet another example of Jewish Care’s emphasis on joint initiatives to “extend the capacity of the organisation and enable our clients to access the assistance they require”.

Basic English reading skills are required. Cost is $110 and payment plans are available. Places are limited to 15 people and pre-commencement interviews are required.

To find out more about the course, contact Irina Markevitch on (03) 8517 5741 or imarkevitch@jewishcare.org.au.

Jewish Care on managing money for basics

Victoria’s Jewish Care to help those who have difficulty with home finances.

Australia’s first financial education and matched savings program, Saver Plus, has received $13.5 million in funding as part of a Federal Government initiative to build financial capability and resilience in the community.  The funding boost will enable the program to reach an additional 7,600 people on low incomes by 2011, including 120 families in the Port Phillip, Glen Eira and Kingston local government areas.

Saver Plus is a 10-month program developed by the Brotherhood of St Laurence and ANZ in 2002, which assists people on lower incomes to save for education costs, offering budgeting skills workshops and matching savings dollar for dollar, up to $500 per individual.

Saver Plus is delivered by Jewish Care and is open to anyone living in the Port Phillip, Glen Eira and Kingston areas who has a health care or pension card, some form of regular income from employment, children enrolled in school or who are attending or returning to vocational education themselves.

“Jewish Care is proud to be working closely with our community partners to build better financial capability and resilience in the community,” said Bill Appleby, CEO of Jewish Care. “With our first 20 participants having reached their savings goal in the first quarter of 2010, Jewish Care’s Saver Plus site has progressed rapidly.”

Mr Appleby said that many families find it difficult to afford school costs.

“Basic school needs such as uniforms, books, shoes and bags can cost hundreds of dollars for a single child and increase significantly when extra-curricular activities such as excursions, camps and cooking, woodwork and textile classes are included,” he continued.

“Saver Plus prepares families by encouraging them to save small amounts of money throughout the year using simple techniques such as budgets, spending diaries and prompting people to consider ‘needs’ versus ‘wants’.”

Participants set an education-related savings goal and receive financial education and personal coaching to assist them to reach their goal over 10 months.  As an incentive to save, ANZ matches participants’ savings dollar for dollar, up to $500.

Michael Danby MP, Federal Member for Melbourne Ports, welcomed the expansion of Saver Plus.  “I’m very pleased to hear about the expansion of the Saver Plus program. Saver Plus directly targets people traditionally excluded from mainstream banking, including women and sole parents on low-incomes. Its success in helping families to chart a path to greater financial security speaks for itself.”

Mar-21 Melbourne: Jewish Care Festival of Fun

Volunteers Band Together to Create a Festival of Family Fun

Driven by a desire to make a difference, Jewish Care volunteers Kylie Appel and Romy Bursztyn have created a day of delight for hundreds of families who will be attending Jewish Care’s first Family Fun Day.

The colossal event will be one of Melbourne’s largest in terms of both scale and attendance.   To be held at Bialik College (429 Auburn Road, East Hawthorn) on Sunday, 21 March from 10am to 3:30pm, Family Fun Day’s star-filled line-up includes children’s celebrities Bob the Builder ^TM, Angelina Ballerina ^TM and Ben 10 ^TM as well as magician Luigi Zucchini, Circus Oz workshops, Dance Heads, carnival rides, kosher food stalls, and performances by Dov Farkas, school groups and more.

The idea for a family event in support of Jewish Care began to take shape about a year ago, when Appel and Bursztyn were exploring volunteering opportunities where they could make a difference to the local community.

The duo contacted Jewish Care’s development team and commenced a conversation about how to get involved. Together with Jewish Care staff, and backed by a dynamic organising committee, a community-wide festival in support of Jewish Care’s vital work with young people and children evolved.

“The work that Jewish Care does for children and young people is close to my heart,” Bursztyn explained.   “Much of the work that Jewish Care does, including aged care, community support and disability services, helps to strengthen families.  And strong and healthy families make for strong and healthy kids.”

“Family Fun Day is just another example of the way the organisation cares for the whole community,” Appel added.  “We hope it will help raise the visibility of Jewish Care in our community, and encourage other people to get involved.”

“The value of tzedakah is very important in our community,” Appel added. “It teaches our children to make a difference in any way we can. The Jewish community needs our support and if we can improve the lives of local families and young children, we are very privileged.”

The vision and passion of the Family Fun Day organisers has rallied a huge range of support from individuals and businesses including Platinum Donor Greg Rosshandler and family, and Gold Sponsors ANZ Bank, Audi Centre Brighton, Steve Bedwell, Bialik College, Entertainment Store Group, Futuretronics, HardHat Digital, Jagen, Legend, Omnigraphics and Royce Hotel.

President Bruce Rosengarten gives credit to the organisers and supporters who have helped make Family Fun Day a reality. “We are so grateful that these two resourceful young women made the call to Jewish Care.  They have brought together hundreds of members of our wonderful community to create an outstanding event in support of Jewish Care’s vital work with young people and children.”

“And just as importantly,” Rosengarten continued, “It sets an incredible and inspiring model of partnership and communal engagement.  The Family Fun Day is the inspiration of just two people — just imagine what hundreds can achieve for our community if we put our minds to it?”

“Family Fun Day really reflects the spirit of partnership which makes ‘My Community. My Choice.’ a reality,” Rosengarten concluded.

Every year more than 300 passionate and dedicated volunteers of all ages and walks of life help Jewish Care provide its services to the community. Volunteer activities include home visits, providing transport,  mentoring young people, running fundraising events  and serving on the board.

For more information on volunteering opportunities, please contact Jacque Robinson on 8517 5700.

Pre-sale General Entry tickets are available from $10. To purchase tickets online or for further information regarding Jewish Care’s Family Fun Day, go to Jewish Care’s website www.jewishcare.org.au/ffd.

All proceeds from the day support Jewish Care’s work with young people and children. For more information about out how you can support Jewish Care, please contact the Development Team on 8517 5963.

Top marks for Gary Smorgon House

Melbourne’s Jewish Care is pleased to announce that the Aged Care Standards and Accreditation Agency (ACSAA), the government’s independent accreditation agency, recommended to award a perfect score of 44/44 in its first audit of Jewish Care’s Gary Smorgon House.

Jewish Care CEO Bill Appleby thanked staff for their outstanding commitment and contribution. He said such a positive outcome reinforced Jewish Care’s position as a leader in the provision of services for older people.

“We are extremely delighted with this achievement,” Mr Appleby said.  “Gary Smorgon House staff have attained a terrific outcome with its first accreditation. I am proud that this follows on from the 44/44 that has been achieved consistently in all our aged care services.”

Opened July 2009 in the heart of Caulfield, Gary Smorgon House addresses the accommodation needs of the Jewish community.  Catering for low and high care residents as well as dementia clients, Gary Smorgon House offers both permanent and respite accommodation.  Of the 120 suites, almost all have been filled with only a few low care suites currently available.

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