Allergy & Anaphylaxis Australia (A&AA) is a charitable, not for profit organisation. Their aim is to improve awareness of allergy in the Australian community.
I am setting up a Silver Forge stall at the twilight market, and will be donating 10% of all sales made during the market to this very worthy cause. There will be food stalls, art and craft, a playground, face painting and much more. Come and have Carmen’s delicious Sri Lankan food or a fab sausage sizzle for dinner, let the kids race around, and be home in time for bedtime and a nice cup of tea! Make sure you stop by the stall and say hello – I’d love to see you there!
The Red Cross. Celebrating 100 years of helping people here in Australia in 2014, they’re a household name and a bit of an icon!
Red Cross Australia help people nationally and globally. They provide assistance in many diverse areas. We’ve all had some experience with them, whether they’ve helped in a time of need, or you’ve seen their humanitarian work on TV. As well as providing timely assistance in times of disaster, the little daily services provided are just as laudable. Someone very close to me, due to her age, receives a daily phone call from a Red Cross volunteer just to check that she is ok.
Red Cross Australia began as a branch of the British Red Cross Society on 13 August 1914 at Government House, Melbourne, nine days after the outbreak of World War I. Throughout the decades, The Red Cross have focused on social welfare, national emergencies, natural disasters, building the blood bank and first aid programs. Today one million Red Cross members, volunteers, donors, staff, blood donors, recipients and supporters make a positive difference to the lives of people in need every day.
From responding to large scale disasters to tackling disadvantage and helping vulnerable children and supporting families facing personal crisis, The Red Cross are there for everyone in need. Their watchwords are humanity, impartiality, neutrality, independence, voluntary service, unity and universality. To me, all of these traits are most admirable in a charitable organisation!
I urge you to consider The Red Cross as a great organisation to donate to. It doesn’t have to be monetary – giving blood is a great way to help out. I went just the other day, and it really isn’t a big deal – plenty of TLC and snacks provided, too!
This month, 10% of all The Silver Forge sales will be donated to Red Cross Australia. If you’d like to treat yourself to a little something, and help a very worthy cause, head over to The Silver Forge shop now!
I was recently asked if I could support a breast cancer awareness event, “Breast Friends Day”, which is been held in Cloncurry, North West Queensland. All proceeds to this event are donated to The McGrath Foundation, considered to be one of Australia’s leading breast cancer support organisations with over 25,000 Australian families supported by McGrath Foundation nurses nationally in the past 4 years. The Foundation raises money to place Breast Care Nurses in rural and remote communities throughout Australia, and to increase breast awareness in young women.
I was very happy to donate a Silver Forge gift voucher to help with this very worthy cause. “Breast Friends Day” takes place on the 22 March in Cloncurry. Gates open at 11.00am. If you’re up that way, do call in and check it out!
Surfrider Foundation Australia is a not for profit sea-roots organisation dedicated to the protection of Australia’s waves and beaches through conservation, activism, research and education.
Amongst other campaigns, Surfrider are currently campaigning to promote awareness about plastics and what they are doing to our world. Here are a few chilling facts from the Surfrider website:
Most plastic pollution at sea starts out on land as litter on beaches, streets and footpaths. Rain or overwatering flushes that litter through a storm drain system or directly to creeks, streams and rivers that lead to the ocean. After plastics enter the marine environment they slowly photodegrade into smaller pieces that marine life can mistake for food, sometimes with fatal results.
Ocean gyres concentrate plastic pollution in five main areas of the world’s ocean and various research groups are bringing back alarming data documenting plastics impacts.
The amount of plastic produced from 2000 – 2010 exceeds the amount produced during the entire last century.
Plastic is the most common type of marine litter worldwide.
An estimated 100,000 marine mammals and up to 1 million sea birds die every year after ingesting or being tangled in plastic marine litter.
Up to 80% of the plastic in our oceans comes from land-based sources.
Plastics comprise up to 90% of floating marine debris.
In 2009 about 3.8 million tons of waste plastic “bags, sacks and wraps” were generated in the United States alone, but only 9.4% of this total was recycled.
Plastics do not biodegrade, but instead break down into small particles that persist in the ocean, absorb toxins, and enter our food chain through fish, sea birds and other marine life.
Plastic bags are problematic in the litter stream because they float easily in the air and water, traveling long distances and never fully breaking down in water.
Cleanup of plastic bags is costly. for example California spends $25 million annually to landfill discarded plastic bags, and public agencies spend more than $300 million annually in litter cleanup.
It is estimated that Americans go through about 100 billion plastic bags a year, or 360 bags per year for every man, woman and child in the country.
RISE ABOVE PLASTICS
Here are ten easy things you can do to reduce your ‘plastic footprint’ and help keep plastics out of the marine environment:
Choose to reuse when it comes to shopping bags and bottled water. Cloth bags and metal or glass reusable bottles are available locally at great prices.
Refuse single-serving packaging, excess packaging, straws and other ‘disposable’ plastics. Carry reusable utensils in your purse, backpack or car to use at bbq’s, potlucks or take-out restaurants.
Reduce everyday plastics such as sandwich bags and juice cartons by replacing them with a reusable lunch bag/box that includes a thermos.
Bring your to-go mug with you to the coffee shop, smoothie shop or restaurants that let you use them. A great way to reduce lids, plastic cups and/or plastic-lined cups.
Go digital! No need for plastic cds, dvds and jewel cases when you can buy your music and videos online.
Seek out alternatives to the plastic items that you rely on.
Recycle. If you must use plastic, try to choose #1 (PETE) or #2 (HDPE), which are the most commonly recycled plastics. Avoid plastic bags and polystyrene foam as both typically have very low recycling rates.
Volunteer at a beach cleanup. Surfrider Foundation Chapters often hold cleanups monthly or more frequently.
Support plastic bag bans, polystyrene foam bans and bottle recycling.
Spread the word. Talk to your family and friends about why it is important to Rise Above Plastics!
And from me, a reminder to you all, although the sentiment is a lovely one, please don’t release helium balloons into the air – they end up in our oceans, where turtles and other marine life think they are jellyfish, and get sick and or die from ingesting the rubber. 10% of all The Silver Forge Sales for this mnth will be donated to this very worthy cause. (And for goodness’ sake, if you smoke, bin your butts!!)
There is a new call to Lifeline every minute somewhere in Australia. It is estimated that every day, 180 people attempt suicide. That’s more than one new attempt in Australia every 10 minutes.
Suicide remains the leading cause of death for Australians aged 15-44. Suicide accounts for more than one in five deaths of younger Australians. Men account for four out of every five deaths by suicide. More people die from suicide in Australia than in road related transport deaths. More people die from suicide in Australia than from skin cancer.
Lifeline provides access to crisis support, suicide prevention and mental health support services. Lifeline also provides national services and campaigns that promote emotional wellbeing, encourage help seeking, and address suicide prevention and awareness. They currently answer around 1,800 calls each day, with around 50 calls from people at high risk of suicide.
If you, or anyone you know, are in crisis, or experiencing suicidal thoughts or feelings, please talk to someone, and get help. Lifeline are only a phone call away. Phone their 24 hour crisis line on
13 11 14
We all have a role to play in suicide prevention. My life, and the lives of many of us, have been affected by the suicide of loved ones, and I will be donating 10% of all The Silver Forge sales this month to this very worthy cause. Please help if you can.
Eye of the Beholder (photo credit Bianca de la Torre – Gisel Photography)
I chose The Fred Hollows Foundation as The Silver Forge’s worthy cause for January. The Foundation is inspired by the work of the late Professor Fred Hollows (1929–1993). Fred was an eye doctor, a skilled surgeon of international renown and a social justice activist. He was committed to improving the health of Indigenous Australians and to reducing the cost of eye health care and treatment in developing countries.
An estimated 32.4 million people around the world today are blind – four out of five don’t have to be. Simple interventions, such as inexpensive medication and surgery, can restore people’s sight, productivity and livelihoods, giving lasting benefits for individuals, their families and whole communities.
Half of global blindness is caused by cataracts – a clouding of the lens of the eye that can be treated by a simple surgical procedure – and the World Bank has identified cataract surgery as one of the most cost-effective of all public health interventions. Cataracts affect both the young and old. The Foundation focuses on the comprehensive treatment of cataract blindness, but they also tackle other causes of blindness, including trachoma and refractive error. Since its formation in 1992 The Foundation has helped restore sight to well over 1 million people. What a marvellous gift!
You can donate directly to The Fred Hollows Foundation here – or make a purchase from The Silver Forge shop and 10% of everything you buy during January will be donated to The Fred Hollows Foundation on your behalf. Thank you, and happy shopping!
When I was a child, we used to get books through our school from the Scholastic Book Club – oh, the bliss of choosing books, and their happy arrival some weeks later! (This was obviously the start of what would later become my love of online shopping 🙂 )
One of the books I chose, and have loved and re-read many times over the years, was ‘The King of the Barbareens’ by Janet Hitchman. It is Janet’s autobiography of her childhood in foster care in the early 1900’s. Towards the end of a childhood in and out of various foster homes, Janet was placed in a Barnardos’ Home. Janet’s story is fascinating and touching – a really good read. Her time at Barnardos always stayed in my mind, and I have chosen Barnardos Australia as The Silver Forge’s worthy cause for this month.
The Barnardos website says: “Dr Barnardo was born in Dublin in 1845 and originally studied medicine in order to become a missionary in China. However, while a student in London he worked part-time in a ‘Ragged School’ and became aware of the poverty and homeless children in that city.
On realising that one of his students, ten year old Jim Jarvis had no family or home Barnardo asked the boy to show him the conditions under which he lived. Jim showed him Stepney Street and Dr Barnardo became aware of the terrible living conditions of these often young children. He estimated that there were 30,000 homeless children living on the streets of the West End.
Barnardo originally opened a mission for the children but was given donations to buy two cottages, which allowed him to establish the ‘East End Juvenile Mission’.
Barnardo abandoned his missionary plans in China in 1870 when MP Samuel Smith offered him one thousand pounds to work with the homeless. Barnardo rented a house at 18 Stepney Causeway and this became his first boys home. The house took 25 boys but many others had to be turned away because of lack of money and space. One of the boys turned away was 11 year old ‘Carrots’ who died of cold and hunger some days after. Barnardo decided that no other child should die this way and declared that “no destitute boy or girl ever be refused admission”.
In 1873 Barnardo married and opened a home for girls at Mossford Lodge. Ten years later Barnardo had 1,000 children in his care. A second Home, Leopold House, was opened in London, followed by Homes in Birmingham, Cardiff, Leeds, Newcastle and Liverpool. All Homes were open to children regardless of race or creed.
Barnardo began to foster children out to families and during his lifetime arranged foster care for over 4,000 children. He also worked with children with disabilities. He opened a small hospital in Stepney Street and the Children’s Fold in Ilford. These were followed by Homes in Lancashire and Yorkshire.
Barnardos’ emphasis on education and training led to a search for opportunities in the colonies. In 1882 the first Barnardos boys sailed for Canada. In 1883, a party of eight boys left Barnardo’s Stepney Home to start a new life in Australia.
Lack of suitable supervision during the long voyage delayed the immigration program – but Barnardos maintained contact with Australia by sending a party of ‘Musical Boys’ to tour Australia and New Zealand in 1891-92. Apart from bringing tangible proof of the work of Barnardos, they also raised 10,000 pounds. The money raised from this tour and a subsequent tour in 1902-03 was used to build the Australasian Hospital at the Girls’ Village at Barkingside. Thus, the link between the two nations was forged.”
Today, Barnardos Australia helps to stop child abuse. They find safe homes for abused children and young people, work with families to prevent abuse and use our knowledge to improve the future of disadvantaged Australian children. 10% of all sales from The Silver Forge shop for this month will be donated to Barnardos Australia to help with their valuable work assisting abused and vulnerable children. Do what you can to help!
Since its inception over 60 years ago, Meals on Wheels has been a household name here in Australia. While age and disability may reduce some people’s capacity to get out and about, Meals on Wheels helps make it possible for them to stay in their homes (where most people are happiest), and maintain some independence.
Delivery of nutritious meals, social interaction and regular visits ensure a clients’ wellbeing and can help people live the lives they choose.
Each year, over 14.8 million meals are delivered by more than 78,700 ‘Meals on Wheels’ volunteers to about 53,000 recipients Australia wide in cities, regional and rural areas.
This month, I will be donating 10% of all The Silver Forge sales to Meals on Wheels. So pop over to The Silver Forge shop now, treat yourself, AND do your bit to help this worthy cause!
I recently picked up a copy of Ian Mannix’s ‘Great Australian Bushfire Stories’, and I found myself unable to put it down until I had read it cover to cover.The real and moving stories of everyday people’s experiences with bushfire that are contained within it affected me more deeply than any book I’ve read for a long time. In particular, it was a bizzare experience to read about the 2003 Canberra bushfires. I lived in one of the suburbs on the outskirts of Canberra at the time, and vividly remember the blackened skies and billowing smoke, and the preparations I was directed to make to my home in case the fire swung around and headed our way. I was lucky, unlike so many others, but it brought home to me what a dangerous and unpredictable country we live in, and how circumstances can change in an instant, uncontrollable flames spreading (literally) like wildfire, threatening (and taking) lives and property mindlessly. Reading Ian’s book brought a new dimension to the madness and terror that being caught up in a bushfire must be filled with.
We are extremely lucky that we have a valiant and heroic team of volunteers, who risk their own lives to protect those of others. Here in Queensland, our rural fire brigades are made up of more than 1,400 volunteer brigades, and more than 34,000 volunteers (both firefighters and support members). The Rural Fire Brigade Association of Queensland also support the 2,600 rural fire wardens who are an integral and highly valued part of the rural fire fighting movement – many of them volunteer firefighters as well.
These volunteers protect their local and wider communities: not only by fighting bushfires, but also attending house fires, assisting with flood preparation and clean up; providing support in cyclone preparation and clean up; and helping the community through hazard reduction burning, and delivering the ‘Prepare, Act, Survive’ message. Brigades work closely with other agencies such as local councils, SES, Department of Main Roads and Forestry and this close working relationship helps local brigades meet local community needs.
This month, while contemplating which worthy cause I could support, I was fortuitously inspired by my friend from the lovely MadeIt shops ‘i made this for you‘ and ‘..and then some‘, who has had her own experiences with bushfire, and I’m glad to say The Silver Forge will be donating 10% of all sales to the Rural Fire Brigade Association of Queensland. Please help support this worthy cause, either directly or by purchasing something from The Silver Forge shop, won’t you!
The Endeavour Foundation is one of Queensland’s oldest charities, founded in 1951. It is one of the largest non-government disability service providers in Australia. They support more than 3,400 people with a disability, from 230 locations in Queensland and New South Wales.
This year, the Endeavour Foundation are holding a Melbourne Cup Luncheon on 5th November, and I was recently contacted by them to see if I could assist with a donation for this fundraising effort.
In a serendipitous twist, I had just that day been at the park with my younger son, and had made friends with a woman who was out walking with her disability support worker and a friend. My new friend and I chatted for ages about the knitting she was doing, her love of ‘The Bold and The Beautiful’, and what else she’d been up to. I could see that the support worker was a very encouraging and understanding of the two women she was caring for, and she was able to translate for us when I had a couple of moments difficulty understanding what my new friend was saying.
It is good to know that in our wide and varied community, those who face the challenges in their daily lives that living with a disability presents are able to be supported and nurtured; advocated for and given opportunities to learn and grow and have their varying needs met. I have donated a raffle prize to assist the with Endeavour’s fundraising effort, and I look forward to seeing what the prize winner chooses from The Silver Forge shop!
