Newsletter - Issue 18 - June 2023
Our News
We are delighted to let you all know that in the next few months Pop In will be moving to a permanent home.
We are very grateful and appreciative of Nick Hartnell providing our premises in Mona Rd but we knew it was temporary. We could not have got Pop In off the ground without it. So thank you again Nick for your support.
To meet our long term need, Sandra Salteri has made an outstanding contribution by providing us with our new premises in Moss Vale. Through a very generous capital grant from a local family foundation, we are renovating the premises to make it fit for purpose. We will have 4 consulting rooms, an office and a dedicated Children and Mothers area, as well as lounge, kitchen, large deck and quiet spaces. The work has started this week and we hope to be in our new home in mid August.
I will keep you all updated on progress over the coming month or two.
In the meantime it’s business as usual at Mona Rd. supporting the women and children of the Southern Highlands as they navigate the complexities of their personal situation.
During May it was Domestic and Family Violence (DFV) Prevention Month and we helped spread awareness and shed light on the issue of domestic violence on our social media platforms. Sobering statistics such as the ones below are the reason why Pop In exists and it is important that we continue to try and make the Southern Highlands a safer community for everyone.
Vicki Kelley, Chair Pop In
Robertson Ladies Luncheon
On Friday 12th May, the Pop In team were invited along to the Robertson Ladies Luncheon where we presented about the work we do supporting local women and their children navigating domestic violence.
Pop In was very fortunate to be chosen as the charity of choice for the luncheon and we were honoured and humbled by the overwhelming support we received. $2,711 was raised for Pop In on the day and we especially want to thank Marie from The Bowral Book Shop who donated the proceeds from Kylie Needham's wonderful book “GIRL IN A PINK DRESS”, Robertson Public House, Beth MacDonald, who was a great MC, all the businesses who donated raffle prizes and everyone who attended.
It was an amazing event and one which we were truly thankful to be part of.
Our results
Mary contacted Pop In via our website asking to make an appointment with one of our caseworkers. An appointment was made, and it became clear that Mary was seeking advice regarding her daughter Jane (24), who was in an abusive relationship. Mary and her husband had been supporting Jane and her 3 children, however, Jane was pregnant and likely to return to her partner following the birth of the child.
Pop In worked with Mary to bring Jane into Pop In for a casual catch up, where caseworkers were able to engage with Jane and offer immediate support in the form of attendance at Play and Chat, which connected her with peers who had similar experiences. At this time, it was also identified that a Child Protection Report needed to be completed. Caseworkers worked with Mary and Jane to explain why this was required as the children were at risk of harm, this was completed with their full knowledge and understanding of the process.
After attending Play and Chat for 3 weeks and having several “soft” conversations with caseworkers, Jane decided to engage more formally and was linked to medical, legal, financial and housing support and was referred for mental health support.
Throughout this time caseworkers has also worked with Mary (mother) to ensure she had supports in place for herself and her partner as they had been placed under enormous pressure. This included material aid in the form of Oz Harvest, referral to a grandparent’s support group, referral to Centrelink to identify what financial assistance was available to them in their role as carers and the opportunity for individual counselling and support.
Sponsor Thank you
In anticipation of Mother's Day this year, Springett's Arcade organised a Sweepstake with Heart campaign. For every $10 spent in a Springett's Arcade store, customers were entered into a draw for a chance to win a $250 voucher. Springett's Arcade generously contributed $250 to further aid women in the Southern Highlands while raising awareness for Pop In within our community.
If you would like to raise awareness of domestic violence and partner with Pop In, get in touch and we can look at the different ways you can support.
Important Information
Our direct deposit bank details for donations have now changed. If you were planning on making any EOFY donations, please use the Bendigo Bank Donations Account for Pop In Southern Highlands Limited details which are now:
BSB: 633 000
Account Number: 200 104 925
As part of Pop In's growth, we have been working at streamlining our back-end donation systems and are moving to a platform called Supporter Hub. We anticipate this move will improve how we manage our communication and receipting processes and thank you for your patience during this time.
