December Newsletter

In this Issue

Russell Woolf joins Inclusion WA as Patron
Social Inclusion Week 2013 Wrap Up
Inclusion Factsheet
Member Story

Plus

Message from the CEO

Message from Paul Fleay, CEO…

As we wrap up another great year, I would like to take an opportunity to thank the team of keen, insightful and good natured people I have the pleasure of working with. It is something of a cliche, but true nonetheless that the staff and the culture that they help create are part of what keeps me coming to work with a smile everyday.

Thanks also to the people we have worked alongside this year - our members and also the staff from other organisations who continue to assist in the work we do.

We now look ahead to 2014 and we already have an exciting announcement for the coming year.

Russell Woolf, former ABC radio presenter will be joining us as our Patron in 2014.

Russell is an all-round great bloke and is well known for his work in the community, lending his time to many fundraising events, as well as his career in radio and we are thrilled to have him join the Inclusion WA 'family'.

From everyone here at Inclusion WA, we hope you have a Merry Christmas and a fantastic New Year.

Russell Woolf joins Inclusion WA as Patron

Russell Woolf and Mark Le Cras at Inclusion WA's June Sundowner.

Inclusion WA is delighted to announce that radio personality Russell Woolf has joined the organisation as a Patron.

Social Inclusion Week 2013 Wrap Up

Jessica Kain from Inclusion WA and Craig Comrie from YACWA enjoying the Social Inclusion Week Sundowner

Social Inclusion Week was a huge success as people came together to commit to social inclusion.

Inclusion Factsheet

Inclusion WA has a successful history of assisting sports clubs and community groups to be more inclusive of people living with a disability. Inclusion WA has put together a factsheet to assist clubs and groups to understand what inclusion is and to help them work towards being more inclusive.

Member Story

Jamie is an active 22 year old from Thornlie. He is a member of an indoor cricket team and a forward pocket for the Lynwood-Ferndale integrated footy team. Jamie is active in his community through sport and recreation, but he also likes to work. At the beginning of the year, Jamie's regular volunteering job came to an end, but Jamie wanted to continue volunteering.

Jamie gets a lot of self esteem out of working. He will mention it to people when he first meets them; he gets a lot of pride out of it. Jamie is strong, fit and likes to work outdoors.

Jamie wanted to continue gardening, so we approached Kaarakin, an animal rescue and conservation organisation.

When Jamie first started at Kaarakin he was predominantly gardening and had little to do with the animals as he was quite apprehensive around them. It was also difficult for Jamie as he hadn't made any social connections there.

At first the only person who spoke to him was the volunteer coordinator. However, over some time workers up there would wave when they saw Jamie working. It then progressed to brief conversations when he ran into people in the shed as they were putting tools away. In the following weeks, the people who had spoken to him would then stop their vehicles and have a chat with Jamie.

Now, everyone stops to have a chat with Jamie and he now has lunch with all his new friends every time he goes. His new mates also told him not to bother bringing lunch, as they had plenty of food for him and he could help himself to their food in the fridge and pantry.

Jamie's confidence around the animals has now improved markedly and he now does loads of jobs around Kaarakin. He now chops fruit for the animals, feeds the animals, uses the blower, uses the 6wd gator vehicle and mulches the gardens.

Jamie is really part of the team there now and he has made lots of great friends. He enjoys the hard work and spending time with all the other staff and volunteers.