A total of $15 300 was raised by the Highland’s Red Cross group last financial year to help vulnerable people at home and abroad.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The Moss Vale-Berrima branch of the Red Cross came together last Wednesday to reflect on their past year of community support.
Events like the Big Cake Bake Morning Tea Moss Vale and the annual Melbourne Cup Luncheon Fashion Parade for the Indonesian Earthquake were the most lucrative for the charity, raising $900 and $1500 respectively.
The branch also supported the Dunedoo community in the wake of the February fires that destroyed 17 farms, raising $500 to distribute among affected families.
Reflecting on the past year of community support, Red Cross Community coordinator Diane Barr spoke about the charity’s successful TeleCross program.
The initiative offers people living alone in aged care homes and disability support facilities, with a daily call to check on their well-being and provide them with sustained social interaction.
“When people are isolated, they stop talking and lose the ability to communicate and socialise. It’s very easy to do that,” Ms Barr said.
“Isolation can bring on depression and ongoing dementia.
There’s got to be someone there to pick them up. The idea [behind TeleChat] is that the volunteer is there to talk to them.”
Ms Barr also spoke about the group’s Good Start Breakfast Club, which provides children at schools across the Highlands region with a daily breakfast.
“Through this program they get toast, a bowl of cereal and a banana. That could be the only meal those kids have all day. We know how important a meal at the start of the day,” she said.
Guest speaker Geraldine Dayball, the Southern Highlands Red Cross team leader, shared highlights from her Red Cross career.
Ms Dayball joined the Red Cross in 1998 as a community visitor, and last year traveled to Italy to assist in the clean up of the 2016 earthquake that devastated central Italy.
“It’s quite amazing how doors open when you work with the Red Cross,” Ms Dayball told the group.
The Moss Vale-Berrima branch of the Red Cross holds monthly meetings in Moss Vale on the third Wednesday of every month and always welcome new members.
It's quite amazing how many doors open when you work with the Red Cross.
- Geraldine Dayball, Southern Highlands Red Cross Team Leader