We recently celebrated our supporters’ philanthropy with our Fawkner Fellowship Luncheon, and our wonderful volunteers during our Op Shop Week celebrations.

These celebrations are a great way to say ‘thank you’ for a job well done and acknowledge the impact your support makes to our residents, clients and students. You are an invaluable part of VMCH, and we wouldn’t be such a successful organisation without your contributions.

The VMCH Mission Team will soon be calling on donations for our Christmas hampers, which are provided to more than 500 people. Collection points will be set up VMCH sites for donations, and staff should also mark 3 December in their calendars, which is when the packing of the hampers begins.

The Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability has officially started with its first public sitting in Brisbane on 16 September. The Royal Commission will hold hearings in all capital cities and at several regional locations over the next three years.

The Royal Commission will look at all groups that provide services to people with disability across Australia. We have been provided with a letter to say that we may be required to provide information as we did for the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety, and the team are busy getting our documents together.

As VMCH continues to grow and develop under our new branding, it’s imperative that we all use the new brand correctly. Please make the time to review and refer to the Brand Guidelines which can be found on The Hub, so we can remain consistent in our messages to our residents, clients, and potential clients. If you do not know, them please contact the Marketing and Communications team.

October is also Safety Month. At VMCH we take everyone’s safety seriously. To continue to upskill those who carry the responsibility for influencing VMCH’s safety culture we have two days of external training scheduled next week. This training is compulsory, and it is expected that all our leaders will attend.

Once again, thank you to our wonderful supporters and volunteers, and I hope you enjoy this edition of Now.

Thank you

Sonya Smart