Our guest speaker on January 15th. was Chris Preston. Chris told the amazing story of Wheelchairs for kids
Wheelchairs For Kids Australia (WFKA), established in 1996 by the Scarborough Rotary Club in WA, has distributed over 54,000 all-terrain and adjustable children's wheelchairs to more than 80 countries worldwide for free. The organization operates with the help of over 250 regular volunteers and an additional 300+ who sew covers and knit items for the wheelchairs. The wheelchairs are made to WHO guidelines and are crucial for the mobility and education of disabled children. The organization plans to have trained therapists accompany shipments to ensure proper fitting. Managed mainly by retirees, the average age of the workforce is approximately 74 years.
A few Daybreak members have been helping out with the Hole in One competition run by Rotary club of Warrnambool East. This particular fund raiser has been going for approx 20 years now. The 4 hour shift is broken up into 4 areas, with the volunteer spending one hour on each spot. 1: Accepting the money from patrons using a square EFTPOS system. 2: Reloading the plastic buckets with either 30 or 15 golf balls. 3: Sitting under umbrella and observing that the golfer is hitting off from correct area and that spectators are at a safe distance behind play. 4: sitting in a shaded cage to observe the green and hole for any hole in one or closest to the pin, and that the marker is in correct position, and also responsible to hault play and clear the green from golf balls. A relaxing and easy afternoon shift while making $36.00 per hour per volunteer for Daybreak ($144.00).
On January 10th Daybreakers were once again having fun raising funds for our communities. One sausage at a time!
On Friday, January 3rd, Daybreakers participated in the second of five summer markets at Lake Pertobe. The team was kept busy, and the event proved to very successful. It was great to see Drew Giblin again!
Setup crew and first shift at Bunnings for our inaugural BBQ of 2025 on New Year's Day.
Daybreak Christmas Meeting on December 18th 2024
On December 19th Glenn Rundell and Chris Preston picked up a Daybreak caravan that was in storage at Callaghan’s and delivered it to Heywood caravan park for the Salvo’s. A young mother with a 3-year-old son, both escaping domestic violence now has a roof over their head for 8 weeks. Makes you appreciate what we actually have.
On December 15th many members attended a Christmas fellowship event hosted by Allison.
On Friday December 13th Chris Preston and other Rotarians attended the old Bromfield Weir site to see a fish monitoring demonstration by the Catchment Management Authority.
The above photograph features President Mehul alongside Glenn Rundell and his guest speaker, Pamela Arar, captured during our weekly meeting on December 11th.
Pamela is a registered dental hygienist and the director of Elite Dental Hygiene Care and Teeth Whitening. She began her dental career in 2013 as a dental assistant, working across various private and public practices. Driven by her passion for promoting oral health in a nurturing, encouraging, and positive environment, Pamela pursued further studies and completed an Advanced Diploma of Oral Health in South Australia in 2017.
Since then, she has worked closely with periodontists, honing her expertise in managing and treating gum diseases. Pamela’s career has also taken her to diverse settings, including domestic violence shelters, aged care facilities, and schools, where she has applied her teaching background to make a meaningful impact. Her experience spans both public and private practices, where she continues to bring positive change to her patients’ oral health.
With $1,500 in prize money, the 2025 People of WASH Photograph and Video Competition is now open for submissions. Follow this link to get more details: https://www.wash-rag.org/photo-contest/
Prize Money
Photograph - First - $300, Second - $150 and Third $75
Video - First - $600, Second - $300, and Third $150
