‘It’s their chance to shine.’ We hear from Bellarine Times photo-journalist Rebecca Adam who created The Happy Heart Project to give kids and teens with special needs the chance to shine. ‘As a photographer I have taken lots of photos of children and just felt that kids with special needs missed out a bit in this department so I created this project for them, so they could have the chance to be the centre of attention and shine.
‘30 years of addiction wrecked my life and everyone’s around me. I finally put my hand up for help and saw a counsellor. That’s the message I want to get out to the young ones. Don’t try to outrun emotional and mental health problems. Get help! (Rob Lytzki, Foundation 61)
‘My message is deal with the pain, that will help deal with the problem. All my angels have buckled wings, they bump into walls but generally end up flying a good path.’ After overcoming 30 years of addiction, Rob Lytzki now helps others. I had the honour of having lunch with Rob and the guys he’s helping.
The Upstart Challenge, promoting entrepreneurship among kids, was started by the ‘two mad Scottish Women’, Jen Perks and Heather Kelly. We talk to Jen. ‘At a time when the nature of work is changing so rapidly we wanted to equip young people with the ability to create their own job and be in control of their future lifestyles. It is important that all young people have confidence and optimism in their future, regardless of whether they are sporty, creative, or academic.
School lunch boxes made easy, thanks to ‘Mr Mom’ George Georgievski. ‘Healthy, wrapper free lunches for my girls is my passion. I want to share that passion.’
Mornings at our house used to be chaos. As my two girls were too much to handle I decided to take over breakfast and school lunches myself. I soon realised I loved the creative challenge of preparing healthy lunches and it dawned on me just how important our children’s nutrition is. Making them wrapper free means no rubbish for the school yard or landfill.
Ever wanted to dance like Ricky Martin? Sonja Sanderson from La Vida Salsa tells us how.
Some years back a Melbourne salsa teacher was running dance classes in Geelong, but in 2005 she moved interstate. The local salsa community didn’t want to stop dancing, and no-one else was teaching, so a dedicated group of local people formed a Not-for-Profit committee of volunteers. They sourced a venue and secured a Cuban teacher to come to Geelong every Monday night to teach salsa. Today we have around 100 members.
‘’It took me 8 years to leave my first husband even though I was in a violent relationship. In those days you just didn’t leave. I then spent years on a single mother’s pension. That’s one of the reasons I love volunteering, I feel I’m giving back.” .
Today we hear from Jann Brearley, Voluntary Manager of Kalkee Korner Oppe Shoppe, Roslyn Rd. Belmont.
He battled dark times but has come out of it on top. Now he wants to help others do the same. We talk to Nathaniel Blyth from the PLC Geelong health club about his goal to tackle obesity and other social issues through health and nutrition.
What is your mission?
Geelong teenagers Blake Nicholls and James Leen have been selected to represent Australia in the Youth Ultimate Frisbee Championships in Wroclaw, Poland this month. We talk with Blake:
Every Mum needs a Mentor
Imagine being 16 and all alone- except for your tiny baby.
For a group of young Mums aged 16-23, mentoring sessions through Raise Foundation at the Norlane Child and Family Centre can be a life saver.
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