This year has seen us being stretched like never before, reaching into corners we have longed to be in and yet still feeling the burn of that stretch as we posture ourselves for all that has been entrusted to us.
Community has been reeling this past year in the wake of interest rate rises and cost of living and increased costs of fuel and food in some many areas community is still suffering the effects of isolation, covid and the anxieties that come with still living with insecurity and scarcity and pressure. We have seen our programs triple in size and the realness of community need is certainly right in front of us each day.
We have so many things that have made our heart leap this year – our Brighter Beginnings Bus program has grown and with it changed the lives of children all over the city in this National first program - a staggering 14000 bus drop-off this year!
We have seen over 500 children to the dentist, Weekly breakfast for local community, over 2000 deliveries of crisis food and food hampers to local community, 1000 frozen meals to vulnerable community, 500 participants in our Shine bright school programs, 12 cooking workshops, 500 student mentoring one on ones, Over 40 group therapeutic sessions for kids affected by trauma, over 2000 RUOK doorstep check in conversations for the isolated and vulnerable, and hundreds of crisis support for police, and social service, supporting people with NDIS and so much more! The scope and holistic components of our work is really allowing us to be a community service that is trusted, respected and sort after in our local community.
This year in June too we received the wonderful endorsement of our service from the Lord Mayor of our city Nuatali Nelmes – this was no small thing. We are truly honoured that she has snot only seen the work of the project in local community but has attached her trust and endorsed to what we bring to community. We are so grateful for this great honour, and all this means for us as we seek to bring change to community.
Things to look forward to this year – GROWTH and CREATIVITY.
We long to weave a strong arm of education around wellbeing in the region’s – especially when it comes to the most vulnerable areas. We have programs that bring incredible life changes for young people, and we desire to model this in a deeper way to more of community.
I wanted to spend the last words of this letter to capture how grateful we are for YOU – our incredible network of sponsors and supporters. We could do nothing without your valuable support, and we are so grateful that you continue to stand with us and help us hold the lost, the broken, the ones that have experienced hardship, trauma and abuse who are in desperate need for someone to see them, listen to them and position them to have a brighter future.
YOU are the heroes to these people – dream weavers, hope givers and light carriers. We need you and are so grateful for your support as we seek to change lives each day.
Chris Jones
Director | LIVEfree Project
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