From the CEO
It’s hard to believe that it’s nearly the end of the year. At this time we often reflect on the year that was and celebrate the achievements of the organisation. Our success has been achieved through the commitment and hard work of our volunteers, participant facing staff, leadership and organisational support staff. Each one of these groups play an important role in ensuring Alkira achieves its vision and mission. We are thankful to be supported by some wonderful partners; Becca food store, Secure Metres, Bendigo Community Bank Branches of Surrey Hills, Canterbury, Ashburton and Balwyn, Rotary Club of Box Hill Central, Rotary Club of Box Hill and Rotary Club of Mont Albert and Surrey Hills (MASH) and many others who provide support year after year. We also want to extend a thank you to people who have provided a lasting legacy for Alkira by making a provision in their Will.
Our participants have requested a number of new activities and types of support. We now operate many afterhours programs and an increased number of recreation and holiday options. Our short term accommodation support has also significantly increased and we have additional supports in our shared supported accommodation. Our support coordination arm has increased and we are supporting both Alkira participants and other NDIS participants to implement their plans and secure good outcomes from their funding.
We have refined our promotional material and developed better communication systems internally and externally. We have participated in a number of forums and events to raise the Alkira profile. The Alkira brand is well recognised.
This year we’ve focused on many different areas. We’ve given lots of attention to fundraising in order to enhance our service provision and to invest in our equipment and buildings, which is clear through all the work we have completed on our sites and residential properties, as well as our new bus! Our Springfield Hub project has been in the spotlight so we can ensure it will provide the best services possible and we have received wonderful support for this project. Of note the project has the support of Wheelton Philanthropy, Gandel, Zesta kitchens, Danks trust, Collier, and Perpetual Trustees, via the Norman, Mavis and Graeme Waters Charitable trust and many others. Our Springfield fundraising website details those who have supported this project and update on the progression of the build.
Our participants have exhibited in a number of art exhibitions and won awards and received recognition for their talents. We have also had a big year for work placements for participants, with a new partnership with Becca Foodstore.
We’ve grown to 187 paid staff and have invested in significant training across our teams. Our staff are critical to providing good quality support to participants. A number of Alkira staff members were successful in receiving scholarships to complete further education.
We have partnered with other organisations so we could hold meaningful workshops for families, carers and staff.
We have drafted a new 5 year strategic plan, after consulting with our community and holding focus groups to understand what our community wants from Alkira and its services.
All of this has prepared us for the coming year, thank you to each and every one of our supporters.
Alkira's "Do you want to be a Master Chef" program is a series of cooking lessons led by a qualified Chef. It has run for
3 seasons throughout this year and has had a positive response since it's commencement. This program could not have been possible without the support from Rotary of Box Hill Central, who funded this pilot program.
On the evening of the 15th of October, "Do you want to be a Master Chef" Season 3 graduates received their awards. These were presented by Rotary Club of Box Hill Central's soon to be President Mark Balla and Alkira's CEO Lisa Sawatzky and President Peter Harrison.
Alkira participant Robyn expressed her gratitude of the program in a speech to all who attended. She mentioned that the program focused on the importance of food safety and hygiene and that by undertaking this program she realised how much she enjoys cooking and has been inspired to start cooking meals at home. Her favourite meals she made during the program were gourmet burgers and sausage rolls.
Our Alkira artists participated in the Art and Craft Competition at the Royal Melbourne Show. They presented their artworks and have been highly commended for their pieces.
Congratulations to all the artists for their amazing effort.
These artworks won awards;
1st place
Mark De Groot
for his Garden Gnome
2nd place
Mark De Groot,
Robyn Wallis,
Julia Holdsworth
and Donal Nicol
for their collobrative mosaic piece Place in the Sun
Very Highly Commended
Cecily Tang
for her Seahorse Mosaic
David LoRicco
Untiltled
The Springfield Appeal is supporting the building of our new facility Springfield, that will deliver individualised care to Alkira's older community and those requiring specialised care. State of the art disability access and equipment and multi-sensory environments are part of the design. Alkira has received some funding to build the Springfield Hub but a further $1,650,000 is needed.
Zesta Kitchens has pledged to donate to the Alkira Springfield Appeal by donating $150 for every kitchen sold until the 30th November 2019.
Jump on board to help the Alkira Community by booking an in-home appointment today.
You too can be part of this great project.
Book your Kitchen Design here.
And get inspired by kitchen designs on Zesta Kitchens Instagram and Facebook.
Springfield will provide additional capacity for Alkira and higher levels of support for those who need it.
Springfield will offer disability access beyond wheelchair ramps, click to find out more.
Things are moving forward with our Springfield project!
The builder has been appointed, construction should commence soon.
Donate now towards the Springfield Appeal
A few Alkira sites are getting hearing loops!
We are very excited to announce that we have received funding from the Bendigo Community Bank Branches of
Surrey Hills, Canterbury, Ashburton and
Balwyn for the installation of hearing loops.
We have been trialing these with great success, you may have seen and experienced them at the AGM.
Now thanks to Bendigo Community Bank, we are about to roll these out at Thurston Street and other Alkira sites over the holiday break.
A hearing loop is an assistive listening system that gets installed in a room, it then transmits sounds directly to the telecoil in a hearing aid.
The benefit of a hearing loop is that hearing aids background noises are greatly reduced while sound quality is increased, you will be able to hear a speaker even if they are far away! For example a speaker presenting at a conference at the front of the room, and you are seated at the back.
This specialised disability housing accommodates
5 permanent residents.It is a 1970's style home that has not been substantially altered since it was built.
With the support of MASH we were able to make some updates to improve the livability of the house, and make it a cosier home for our residents.
Worn carpets were replaced, and the high traffic areas were replaced with floating floors. These floors are modern, attractive and very serviceable for the type of usage we give them.
The laundry and kitchen cabinetry were given a facelift with new external fascias and benchtops. The kitchen also has new appliances - a cooktop and rangehood.
Floors in the wet areas were replaced with sealed, non-slip surfaces. These are so easy to clean and reduce slip hazards for participants and staff.
Painting throughout has presented a lighter and inviting appearance.
All participants have enjoyed being a part of the choices and love their own personal space more than before. Not everyone wanted a feature wall in their room, so those who didn't helped choose the colour for the shared space - purple!
Thank you to all the members of the Rotary Club of Mont Albert and Surrey Hills for the on-going support and making our specialised disability accommodation house a more practical, inviting and comfortable home.
50 Years of Service
John Bateman
His thoughtfulness inspires everyone around him, Alkira is thankful to have John as part of our family
for over 50 years.
Significant Personal Achievement
Maria Cascanis
We commend her positive attitude and determination, she has shown everyone that no matter what is holding you back you can still succeed and achieve your goals in life!
50 Years of Service
Nanette Aron
Nanette is Alkira's oldest participant at 93 years old. Thank you to Nan for her 50 years of service, she shows us all that age is just a number and it should not limit us to try new things.
Significant Personal Achievement
Sharyn Broomfield
We admire Sharyn for taking initiative to support those around her and we are proud of her commitment to her peers.
Significant Personal Achievement
Amir Khan
His dedication to his programs and work is a inspiration and his supportive nature to his peers makes Amir a role model to all!
Outstanding Contribution
Karen Gifford
She is a role model for staff and leaves a strong impression on everyone she works with. Karen excels so much at such a difficult job that she makes it seem easy.
Board Award - Bright Star
Vicki Brown
She really cherishes her relationships with everyone. Although her involvement with Alkira has been short in time, her impact truly has been immense.
Board Award
Karen Morton
She has continued to contribute an outstanding effort to Alkira year and year again and in return she has become such an elemental part of Alkira, that we would be
lost without her!
We are honoured to be recognised by the City of Whitehorse!
The Whitehorse Excellence in Business Awards celebrate the outstanding performances of local business. They are presented at the Whitehorse Excellence in Business Awards Gala, where there was a dance performance to open the night followed by a nice dinner.
Alkira was a finalist in the Community category and on the Gala night we were awarded the City of Whitehorse Award!
We were acknowledged for our work, our success as a not-for-profit and our ability to lead the way with innovation.
Darren Mason
Disability Support Worker
Andrea Bruce
Disability Support Worker
The Bandits
The Bandits are Alkira's band! Members of the Bandits explore various musical instruments and vocal techniques. Participants experience all aspects of being in a band, weekly rehearsals, recording, setting up equipment and of course, live performances! You may have seen them play if you came to our AGM.
Independent Me
Alkira's Independent Me is a community employment preparation service. Here to support people with a disability achieve their goals and increase their capacity to move into open employment, and /or community participation.
Fundraising
If you have any fundraising ideas
or wish to make a donation
Please contact Shelley Stretton
Email OR Phone
Volunteer opportunities
Have you got some spare time to give?
Give back to your community
by volunteering with us.
Enquire here
Alkira Foundation
The Alkira Foundation's purpose is
to focus on raising and investing funds
to meet Alkira's long-term objectives.
Find out more
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Alkira
3 Thurston Street
Box Hill, VIC 3128
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