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Uniting Church Glen Waverley

LEISURE TIME

Report for 12 months to 31 December 2013

During 2013, Leisure Time completed another active and effective year of outreach service to local isolated seniors. As part of the Community Hub Mission Group of Glen Waverley Uniting Church, Leisure Time has provided a welcoming and friendly place where people come weekly to connect, engage, laugh, play, build relationships, belong and feel valued. Our guests are treated with dignity and care.

Leisure Time operates with the significant commitment and passion of 65 dedicated volunteers.

• Our day leaders and their helpers work hard to devise interesting, varied and appropriate activities. They also provide warm hospitality and social support and encouragement directly to guests.
• Our home cooks and kitchen helpers make and present wonderful nutritious meals, meet food safety requirements and clean up all the dishes and the kitchen.
• Our drivers are courteous and careful and reliably offer the door-to-door transport that most of our guests rely on in order to attend.
• Our Committee, including members of the Outings Committee, plans and organises volunteer rosters, liaison with external agencies and the Community Hub Mission Group, new guests, compliance matters, grant applications, and numerous other tasks.

For all of these voluntary efforts, I say thank you. Our guests tell us how important and helpful their participation at Leisure Time is in their lives. I also see wonderful relationships flourish between our helpers, and this too is a blessing. 2013 was the 35th year of Leisure Time and good memories were shared at the 2013 AGM. What an amazing history there is, with so much love and care over the years.

The 2013 Committee of Management was:

The following will complete their 3-year term on the committee at the 2014 AGM, but are all eligible for re-election: CliffBaker, PamMcDonald, ElwynPederson, LaurelMuir, JeanetteCoutts, BevRichardson.

We gratefully welcome EvelynFleming as our new auditor. We acknowledge DavidMair’s many years of service as our honorary Auditor. Our sympathy goes to Sue and their family following his recent passing.

Guest Information

Our guest list included 27 different guests during 2013. Average attendance for the year was about 15. Average age of guests is 82 yrs with ages ranging from 62 to 93 years. There were 7 new guests in 2013. We remember and honour two guests who passed away, Maria Kalathas and John Kenez. Three guests moved into residential care during the year, and some others were only able to attend occasionally for health reasons. With guests at this stage of life’s journey, we need a constant effort to maintain guest numbers at a level which makes full use of our volunteers’ efforts. We know that there are many isolated seniors in our community, but making the connection with them can be challenging. As part of our pastoral outreach, we maintain contact with non-attending guests and some past guests. Our Duty of Care to guests is taken very seriously. Police checks for all volunteers are untaken regularly and the specific needs of individual guests are considered at all times. Confidentiality is observed.

Our Volunteers

Leisure Time has a very loyal and dedicated team of volunteers which enables us to maintain our existing program on a weekly basis, with most volunteers helping monthly. Some people undertake multiple duties and some help more often. During 2013, we welcomed Judy Simsion and Ian Graham as new volunteers. Thank you. We acknowledge and thank volunteers Anne Wardell, Maureen Granter, Judy Simsion and Beta Sigma Phi (Mary Ward) who are unable to continue in 2014. Volunteers are invited to contribute ideas at any time. Communication with volunteers is also kept up by:

• three newsletters/year,
• invitations to the AGM and the Christmas break-up
• Care meetings held three times/yr, attended by Day Leaders and the Coordinator

Outings

Our guests look forward to their occasional outings, and thanks to our successful application for a Monash Council Community Grant, and the efforts of the Outings Committee, we were again able to organise six subsidised outings plus the Christmas break-up. Outings are carefully planned to be interesting and fun while allowing for the limited mobility of some guests. Wheelchairs and walking frames are a must. The 2013 outings were:

• March Lotus Gardens, Yarra Junction
• April Smorgasbord lunch, Lynbrook Hotel
• June Morning Melodies and lunch at Waverley RSL
• July Movie at Pinewood Theatre and a café lunch
• September Darnum Musical Village, Gippsland
• October Smorgasbord lunch, Manhattan Hotel
• December Christmas dinner, entertainment - John Colvin, reflection - Alison Clarkson, gifts

Community Hub Mission Group (CHMG)

The Leisure Time committee continues to benefit from our membership of the CHMG. Meetings provide a supportive forum and the CHMG is also our link with Church Council and for spreading information within the congregation, through the noticeboard, Bulletins, Newview and reports. One highlight of the year was our Grandparents’ Day in October when Leisure Time combined with the Monday playgroup children, parents and grandparents for some games and music. The children gave each guest a small posy of flowers. A noisy, energetic and happy time was had by all. The Inclusive Community Mission Group works with seniors within our congregation and has referred some new guests to us.

Spreading the word to the wider community

An extensive effort was made during 2013 to promote Leisure Time to all agencies which support isolated seniors in the Glen Waverley area. We do rely on their assistance to help us to identify and connect with possible new guests. Cliff Baker attends the Monash Interagency Network meetings to keep up our profile with those who attend. Brochures were sent and emailed to agencies and local churches and many phone calls and some visits were made. We trialled a letter-drop to 70 homes near the church, but no response to that as yet. We have ensured our inclusion in the Monash Positive Ageing Lifestyles (PALS) program, which allows us to advertise three “Come and Try” mornings each year, as well as their October Seniors Month program. These program booklets are distributed through the local libraries and many seniors groups.

A free-standing Leisure Time promotional banner was designed and purchased in 2013. We gratefully acknowledge a donation from JohnDeRavin for the banner and look forward to continue using it.

What does 2014 hold for Leisure Time?

With God’s help, we will continue to serve our community’s seniors with love and care. We will continue to work towards growing our guest list to our maximum of 20 attending guests.

I pray for God’s continued guidance over our work at Leisure Time. May we be ready to listen and act. I also pray for each of our guests and volunteers – may they know the peace of God that passes all understanding. With sincere thanks to all Leisure time volunteers, Margaret Fraser, Leisure Time Coordinator, April 2014