It’s been a busy few months for the new Steve Farrelly Foundation. Make a coffee and settle in as we share all the fantastic things that have been happening in honour of our mate Steve. Note that regular updates are shared on Facebook and this is the best way to keep up with us as you get to see the pictures. You can find us on Facebook by clicking here and choosing to ‘follow’ the page.
- The HUGE news is that the wonderful Jo Caughey has joined the foundation to deliver our programmes on the ground and keep us connected with our wider community donors and stakeholders. Jo has been a teacher aide at the school for many years, knows many of our supporters, and has helped Steve deliver lots of programmes previously. Jo is thrilled to accept the challenge of delivering on the vision of the foundation. Welcome to the team Jo !
- We’re also thrilled to have ongoing funding from the Ted Manson Foundation. We know Sir Ted doesn’t like us to make a song and dance about it but we are over the moon that he is very generously funding this work in Steve’s honour. OK, enough said.
- Thanks to Steve’s mate Blair from Method we have a new website up and running. It outlines our vision and why we do what we do. Thank you Blair – love your work.
- We are planning a small Christmas Event. And we do mean small and manageable. Steve’s event had grown to a cost of over $50,000 so our smaller vision is to focus on giving core food support to 150 families for the holidays. We’ll provide this in collaboration with Blocker and the team at GI Police, Amy and her team of ‘Social Workers in Schools’ from ATWC, Life Community, and Saint Kentigern College. Once a few feelers went out on this, lots of people offered support. For that, we thank you. If you would like to get involved please drop us an email. The event will be held on Saturday 20th December.
- Our thanks to the legends at Dynasty for giving a very sharp price on backpacks for our recent collaboration with Blocker. This piece of work goes wider than just Glen Innes School as we put together backpacks containing socks and underwear for truant kids in the Glen Innes and Panmure community to help get them back to school. Truancy is still a major issue and we’ve discovered that sometimes the kids don’t have their own underwear. We’ve sourced good underwear and socks which Blocker and team will distribute as they continue to battle the truancy issue.
- Thanks to Jono and the team at Glen Innes School for welcoming us and being so supportive of our work. We’re really grateful they have opened the door to us and are happy to discuss ideas – even the whacky Steve-style ideas. A core collaboration is the Steve Farrelly Foundation providing 50% of funding for an early childhood teacher. The aim of this is to support the new entrants with some starting school skills to help them become amazing learners, participate in the classroom, and learn from the amazing Penny and team. Many are starting school without having handled a book or held a pencil, making this early support so impactful. In their spare time, this teacher will be working with the other junior year groups to support other students who may be struggling.
- We recently supported the Teddy Bear’s picnic. This was a favourite of Steve’s as he loved the ‘little Darlings’ so much. A group of 28 kids from years 0/1/2 went across the road to a newly redeveloped park and played on all the equipment, before being read trustee Judy’s favourite stories about teddy bears, and then having a great afternoon tea of treats, including Tiny Teddys of course. If this doesn’t sound like core literacy or truancy support, let me explain. A lot of our work is in getting kids to school and ensuring they are safe and happy to participate and learn. So these events are about engaging kids with their peers and teachers in a fun way which encourages them to love school.
- Earlier this year, Steve was given a great honour. The Rotary Club awarded him posthumously with the Paul Harris Fellow Award. This is a really big deal. We acknowledged the award at a school assembly and his sister Rosina has proudly taken the medal to her home to display. The Rotary motto is ‘Service above Self’ which he exemplified !
- We also presented the school with a big picture of Steve so he’s never forgotten. The kids and teachers still talk about him daily and we want to keep him alive in their hearts – the picture was a great way to acknowledge him.
We’ve now done all the detailed stuff that’s needed to set up a charity. We are gratefully receiving donations and will issue receipts at the end of the financial year or if you need a receipt earlier please let us know.
