Support service seeks donations
Olivia’s Place provides a unique service in the Gippsland region thanks to the focus on supporting mums and dads during pregnancy and on their journeys into early parenthood.
As a result of this, and through a continued professional, high quality model of care and support demand for the service has significantly increased.
Run by a small cohort of paid staff and thousands of volunteer hours each year, the organisation relies largely on donations, fundraisers and local business support in order to exist.
“We have received funding on a couple of occasions each from Trinity Families and The Andrews Foundation, however we have no regular guaranteed funding sources ongoing,” centre manager Kirsten Finger said.
“This means we rely on the community – individuals and businesses – to help support families in the spirit of ‘It Takes a Village to Raise a Family’.”
Having previously supported an average of 90 families per year, Olivia’s Place has received referrals for or requests for support from more than 120 families since July 1. Fifty-one of those families continue to receive current, active support from the client support team and a further 11 families are on the waitlist.
More than $50,000 in material aid has also been provided to families in the same time frame, up from just over $34,000 the previous financial year.
Growth in local population from new families relocating, retrenchment and changes within the Latrobe area are all considered contributing factors to the increase in referral support.
“We had anticipated we might experience a higher volume of requests for our services, however not to the extent that has occurred,” Ms Finger said.
“Referrals to Olivia’s Place have effectively doubled since September last year, with the majority of those extra referrals originating from the Latrobe City Council area further east of the Warragul base.”
Traditionally, increase in support requests have been gradual and been matched by a commensurate increase in volunteer support and in both material (donation of preloved nursery items) and financial support (tax deductible donations).
“The significant increase currently being experienced, however, is unprecedented,” Ms Finger said.
In order to meet the demand, Olivia’s Place is in great need of an increase in supply of the larger nursery items such as cots, prams (particularly double prams), highchairs and car restraints.
These items can be donated to the charity where they are cleaned, safety checked to ensure compliance with mandatory Australian safety standards, and then passed onto families.
Guidelines exist around identifying appropriate items to pass on and potential donors are encouraged to visit the website or contact the service if unsure.
Increased financial support is also muchneeded. There is a goal to have 500 people making regular, monthly tax deductible donations to Olivia’s Place through the online GiveNow facility, yet only 17 donors currently make the commitment.
Fundraising events around Mother’s Day and Father’s Day will need keen business support and attendees to assist with raising money.
More volunteers are also needed in and out of the Centre to deliver services, provide material aid to families, and contribute to our community projects.
To find out how you can help please contact admin@oliviasplace.org.au or make a direct donation by visiting www.givenow.com.au/ oliviasplace.