Fabulous February is mainly for the Freshers/new residents as Uni does not start until the monday - 28th of Feb (I will be partying uni style for my 21st birthday on this day!). But during orientation week on Tuesday the 22nd new residents have the option of Rehabilitation of the Cottesloe coast line with Coastcare at Vlamingh memorial in Perth or visit the Take Time organisation mainly to help give respite to carers of disabled children. Coastcare involves weeding, watering and general management of the site followed by a well deserved swim in the beach to cool down.
Interesting facts:
An area of rainforest the size of a football field is destroyed each second!
Destruction of forests creates numerous environmental catastrophes, including altered local rainfall patterns, accelerating soil erosion, causing the flooding of rivers and threatening millions of species of plants, animals and insects with extinction.
Tropical forests cover 23 per cent of the Earth's land surface but they are disappearing at a rate of 4.6million heactares a year. Asia leads losses with 2.2 million hectares a year, Latin America and the Caribbean together lose 1.9 million and Africa loses 470,000 hectares of rain forest every year.
Did you know the oldest tree in found in Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park in California, recognised as a redwood known as Eternal God. The tree is believed to be 12 000 years old but argued to only be 7 000 years old - which still makes it the oldest! At least we know this tree will be saved!
Take Time assists carers by providing respite for people between 7 and 65 years with a functional disability (intellectual, physical, acquired brain injury, autism and psychiatric disabilities) and assist participation in a social and recreational activities
This will be a wonderful opportunity to see some amazing, caring people at work and we will be able to experience with them first hand the positive impact made on people with a disability and their life. What's more especially with children, by playing with them we will see that laughter is the best medicine for any disability or disease, and best of all we are free to give them as much as we can of the best medicine around!
After this session at Take Time, Trinity will host these children for lunch twice throughout the year as they are invited to visit college once in first semester and once in second semester. Watch out for these upcoming dates as these will be just as fun!
What's more if you find this is where you would like be, Take Time welcomes volunteers with many opportunities to join in with the fin activities, help people with disabilities to develop and maintain their independence and provide carers with a much needed break. For more information you can email Take Time on taketime@unitingcarewest.org.au
Marvelous March gives us the opportunity to fill our stomachs with delicious pancakes and shave our hair for patients and researchers of cancer.
Tuesday the 8th of March will be our Pancake Day BBQ in the East Quad of college at 9.00pm... be quick as these pancakes will be gone in a flash!! Please bring a gold coin donation, a small donation to satisfy your cravings while also contributing to a worthy cause to the Uniting Care organisation, one of the largest non-government providers of community service in Australia.
A little about Pancake Day:
Pancake Day was traditionally known as 'Shrove Tuesday' marking the last day to eat all flour, eggs and dairy products in ones kitchen before the start of Lent which is a time of substinence and reflection in the 40 days before Easter. It was and still is the European custom to making pancakes on Shrove Tuesday to use up these 'luxury' items. Throughout the years, Uniting Care has used this day as a way to have fun with friends and family through pancakes while also raising money to support local people in need. Uniting Care is a network of large and small agencies with the commitment of over 7000 volunteers and over 4000 staff who deliver various early childhood, aged and community services to more than 350,000 people annually throughout Australia.
Uniting Care also gives voice to the voiceless through listening to individuals and communities, research and advocacy. Services include lifeline telephone counselling, early intervention therapy services to children, community aged care centers, family violence support and prevention, adoption information, emergency relief support and much more. Therefore all money raised will go to support the Uniting Care in order to give a little back to the huge amount if care and support the organisation provides to us.
Last year the Pancake day foundation raised $68,269.84 and for 2011 hopes to nearly double this to raise $120,000 all over Australia. Every donation counts no matter how great or small. If you would like more information feel free to visit the Pancake Day site on http://victas.pancakeday.com.au/
In the same week on the Thursday the 10th of March, Trinity will be hosting a 'World Greatest Shave' event in the JRCR for the Leukaemia foundation. If you would like to have fun and help raise as much money as possible for patients living with blood cancers such as leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma, I invite you to either take a challenge and shave anything from the hair on your head to your legs (this has been a hit for the guys believe it or not!), or simply come down and support those brave enough to be part of this great event. Note: We apologise for any inconvenience but brazilians or any other wax/shaving in the pelvic area is not permitted for this PG rated event! However if shaving is not your thing we are also colouring hair :)Trinity has a goal to raise $500! If you would like to be part of the Trinity Dare Devil team of shavers, please let Anni or myself know and we can sign you up right now. Alternately if you would like to donate and support those shaving, please visit our Trinity team site at http://my.leukaemiafoundation.org.au/personalPage.aspx?langPref=en-CA®istrationID=367843
Please be brave and shave!!
St Patrick's Day is celebrated by the Irish and the Irish at heart all over the world with parades, dance, music, Irish food and drink and of course wearing green on Thursday March 17th.
Saint Patrick was the patron saint and national apostle of Ireland who is credited with bringing Christianity to Ireland. He is also known for driving the snakes from Ireland as a symbol of putting an end to pagan practice. Saint Patrick death was on March 17th 460AD but the exact where abouts remains uncertain. St Patrick's day itself has come to be associated with everything Irish but still bears its traditional meaning as a day of spiritual renewal and offering prayers for missionaries worldwide.
St Patrick's Day is celebrated by the Irish and the Irish at heart all over the world with parades, dance, music, Irish food and drink and of course wearing green on Thursday March 17th.
Saint Patrick was the patron saint and national apostle of Ireland who is credited with bringing Christianity to Ireland. He is also known for driving the snakes from Ireland as a symbol of putting an end to pagan practice. Saint Patrick death was on March 17th 460AD but the exact where abouts remains uncertain. St Patrick's day itself has come to be associated with everything Irish but still bears its traditional meaning as a day of spiritual renewal and offering prayers for missionaries worldwide.
Magical May will start off with a visit to the Ronald McDonald House on the Tuesday 3rd of May. Ronald McDonald Houses are situated all over Australia, they provide a 'home away from home' for families who have to travel away from their houses to receive specialized medical care for their sick child and seeking accommodation in an unfamiliar place only adds extra stress and anxiety. Treatments can sometimes take weeks, months or even years and children need their families close by for comfort, support and reassurance. Ronald McDonald house strives to provide a safe and comfortable environment where the whole family can stay together for the duration of treatment. The RM house in Perth is just around the corner from Princess Margaret Hospital for Children.
So what can we do to help? Apart from the usual donations, Ronald McDonald houses offer the opportunity for volunteers to put their cooking skills to the test and help cook dinner for the families. You don't need to be a chef to volunteer here, if you have a pair of working hands ready to help for a good cause then come join in, have some fun and help give support to families in need. Each year we have had such positive feedback from residents who participate in these events, this year will be no exception :)If you would like more information or would like to volunteer some more in areas such as assisting house keeping, playing with siblings or simply chatting to families visit the Ronald McDonald site on http://www.rmhc.org.au/our-volunteers-0 and fins out just how you can help.
Next up for May is Australia's Biggest Morning Tea held on Thursday the 26th. Except in this case we will be having a supper! 9.00pm in the JRCR, for a gold coin donation there is no better supper than one with a selection of sweets, biscuits and hot drinks for a good cause - to raise money for the fight against cancer.
Did you know 1 in 2 Australians will be diagnosed with cancer by the age of 85? The cancer council has raised over $80 million with this annual event since it began in 1994. Every dollar helps to fund the Cancer Council's research, prevention, education and support services and every cup counts!
$5 can help the CC give a newly diagnosed cancer patient important support and information resources to help them through their cancer journey.
$10 can help staff the CC helpline (13 11 20) with expertly trained nurses and health counsellors.
$20 can help train a CC volunteer to provide one-to-one support for people diagnosed with cancer
$50 can help the CC visit a community to educate health professionals and support patients and carers.
$100 can help provide SunSmart educational talks to schools and community groups.
$500 can help fund research into the causes of cancer and into new and improved treatments.
Visit http://www.biggestmorningtea.com.au/AbouttheEvent/tabid/54/Default.aspx
One cup of tea, coffee, milo or hot chocolate can go a long way!
