HEROES IN NEED OF SUPPORT
THE leader of an innovative program providing special needs students with important life skills is in the running to win a $10,000 grant to further his work.
Kris Angelovski, of Barwon Valley Special Developmental School in Belmont, is one of six Westfield Local Heroes finalists, nominated by the Geelong community, who are vying for a funding boost for their project.
Mr Angelovski’s TeamWorx program was founded last year after it was identified a small group of students had become disengaged from the regular school programs.
“I am really passionate about gardening, recycling and woodwork, so we combined all those things and came up with TeamWorx,” he said.
Participating students aged 14-17 wear high-vis vests to simulate the work environment and have an app that enables them to clock on and off for the day, providing them with a sum of hours worked at the end of the week.
They then sell products made to members of the school community and add the profits to their program budget.
“What were are doing is giving them skills that they will be able to take into their postschool life and I really believe some of the students will take them into employment,” Mr Angelovski said. “It’s the most rewarding work I have done in this field.”
The $10,000 grant would help Mr Angelovski buy additional materials and equipment for the program, including the development of a dedicated work area.
The Westfield Local Heroes program recognises individuals whose work promotes social wellbeing and harmony across areas of family, youth opportunity and inclusion.
Westfield Geelong is calling on the public to vote for which three individuals they think should be awarded a grant and become the a Westfield Local Hero. Voting at westfield.com.au/geelong closes midnight July 1 and the announcement of local heroes will take place on August 13. Guy is a passionate employee at Wombat’s Wish, a twiceyearly camp that provides bereaved children with support to deal with the grief of losing parents.
A nurse by trade, he has a passion for helping others and, as the camp co-ordinator at Wombat’s Wish, he is a driving force behind the operational aspects of the camp.
If Guy is successful in becoming a Westfield Local Hero, the $10,000 grant would ensure Wombat’s Wish could continue to offer two camps per year, providing services to bereaved children free of charge. Phoebe is a devoted volunteer for Southern Cross Kids’ Camp Geelong, working tirelessly to co-ordinate camp facilities to support children who have suffered abuse, domestic violence and family breakdowns.
The camps offer an early intervention respite service, where one-on-one mentoring helps create a safe space for struggling children and empowers them to build their self-esteem and resilience.
Phoebe’s commitment to the organisation extends into fundraising and community partnership building, helping to ensure the camps can continue to run, year after year.
If Phoebe is successful in becoming a Westfield Local Hero, the $10,000 grant would enable SCKC Geelong to take on at-risk children in a specialised early-intervention care program, through the acquisition of campsite accommodation and catering facilities. Chris has been a passionate member of the Encompass Community Services team for several years, assisting in the development of the Farming It program, which provides people with disabilities the opportunity to take part in horticultural therapy, gain gardening work experience and develop their life and work skills.
If Chris is successful in becoming a Westfield Local Hero, the $10,000 grant would allow expansion of the Farming It program in order to provide further access and inclusion to more people living with disabilities. It would also allow Chris and the team to continue to use the fresh produce from the program to support local community members in need. Cormach is a strong advocate for Aboriginal youth and the founder of the Strong Brother Strong Sister initiative, which has a strong focus on out-ofhome care, youth justice and mental health in the Geelong community.
Cormach trains and employs Aboriginal young people from the Geelong community to create sustainable and attainable leaders, role models and mentors to create a sustainable platform of Aboriginal excellence.
If Cormach is selected, the $10,000 Westfield Local Heroes grant would ensure Strong Brother Strong Sister continued to support mentoring, leadership training, employment support and returning/staying in school programs for Aboriginal Youth of Geelong. Lisa is a dedicated member of the Treehouse Autism Family Support Group, a volunteer program developed to support people on the autism spectrum and their families, through providing social opportunities, information and encouragement.
Lisa and husband Mark have a child with autism spectrum disorder, which has driven her passion to support others affected by the disorder.
If Lisa is successful in becoming a Westfield Local Hero, the $10,000 grant would enable the Treehouse Autism Family Support Group to fund social outings, entertainment and activities, providing opportunities for social inclusion, friendship and peer support among the children and families involved in the program.