VOLUNTEERING - DONATIONS - ASSISTANCE
VOLUNTEERING
Over the years Lady Tradies have been involved in many volunteering projects. I guess it started from how I was raised.
From as far back as I can remember, my family were always involved in something or helping someone.
My parents have been part of Lions Clubs for over 40 years, hosted multiple International Exchange students, assisted 2 blind girls from Indonesia regain their sight, helped Meals on Wheels, the Cord Blood Appeal, McGrath Foundation & many more.
I was a part of a lot of that, & it's certainly rubbed off.
Nova for Women & Children (Trisha House Refuge) - Newcastle:
I came across this project by sheer accident & right from the onset, I loved it.
What they were doing & the fact that it was a major reno, instantly struck a chord with me.
It started out as a one off working bee for a few hours on a Saturday with many other people to help create a women and children's refuge.
My job that day was to paint the high ceilings in a large dining room of what was a large and very run down house. I got it cut in & 1 full coat on, but it desperately needed a 2nd coat. I overheard two of the women also there that day mention they may come back mid week (on the Wednesday Night) to do a bit more, so I asked if it'd be ok if I came back to do the 2nd coat on this ceiling.
They jumped at the chance of me helping some more, so did I.
Wednesday night came & I got my bit done while they worked on the other areas, but as I looked around close to leaving, I said gosh there's so much more to do here, & asked if they wanted me to help some more. YES!!!
That turned into nearly every Wednesday night for about 14 months, & we soon became known as the Wednesday night crew.
Along the way we recruited a few other helpers & our group of 3 became 6. To put it bluntly, we renovated the guts out of that massive property, that consisted of 3 separate buildings containing: 13 bedrooms, multiple bathrooms, living areas, 3 kitchens, courtyards, veranda's, offices & meetings rooms & the outside gardens.
We turned up rain, hail or shine. It stifling heat & freezing cold, always with music on to keep us going. We'd be up ladders laughing, dancing with painting poles, & our knees ached from kneeling on hard floors. We found muscles we never knew we had, & did things we'd never done before, but it was so much fun & along the way great friendships were formed that are still going to this very day.
That project has been finished now for over 6 years now & I can happily say, has provided emergency accommodation for well over 1000 women and children who have either experienced homelessness or were fleeing domestic violence.
It warms my heart to go there, knowing I've helped provide women and children with a safe place to stay, while getting the support they need from Nova's amazing Case Workers.
DONATIONS
Aside from donating time to Nova, I've also donated financially, not just to them, but a numbers of other local and national charities such as:
The Red Cross, Salvation Army, OzHarvest, the RSPCA, Soul Cafe, and Westpac Rescue Helicopter to name a few.
I support causes close to my heart, or where needed when possible.
Cancer appeals, Animal Rescue, Mental Health, and causes empowerment and/or providing safety to Women and Children and more.
This year I'm also going to add a donations link through this site, that go directly to assist causes supporting women, and I encourage you to donate with me.
ASSISTANCE
From time to time people approach me for various forms of assistance & I'm happy to help where possible & practical.
Be it over the phone, in person, providing links to information or referrals to others I know can help.
If you're in need of some support or assistance, the best way to get in touch is to send me an email, - as I can't always grab the phone. Outline what, where & when you need help with & I'll do my best if I can. Be sure to let me know what state & area you are in, as that makes a lot of difference.
If you are looking for work of any kind, the best place to start is our Positions Vacant Page & to follow us on Facebook, as all positions we know about are posted there.
Over the years Lady Tradies have been involved in many volunteering projects. I guess it started from how I was raised.
From as far back as I can remember, my family were always involved in something or helping someone.
My parents have been part of Lions Clubs for over 40 years, hosted multiple International Exchange students, assisted 2 blind girls from Indonesia regain their sight, helped Meals on Wheels, the Cord Blood Appeal, McGrath Foundation & many more.
I was a part of a lot of that, & it's certainly rubbed off.
Nova for Women & Children (Trisha House Refuge) - Newcastle:
I came across this project by sheer accident & right from the onset, I loved it.
What they were doing & the fact that it was a major reno, instantly struck a chord with me.
It started out as a one off working bee for a few hours on a Saturday with many other people to help create a women and children's refuge.
My job that day was to paint the high ceilings in a large dining room of what was a large and very run down house. I got it cut in & 1 full coat on, but it desperately needed a 2nd coat. I overheard two of the women also there that day mention they may come back mid week (on the Wednesday Night) to do a bit more, so I asked if it'd be ok if I came back to do the 2nd coat on this ceiling.
They jumped at the chance of me helping some more, so did I.
Wednesday night came & I got my bit done while they worked on the other areas, but as I looked around close to leaving, I said gosh there's so much more to do here, & asked if they wanted me to help some more. YES!!!
That turned into nearly every Wednesday night for about 14 months, & we soon became known as the Wednesday night crew.
Along the way we recruited a few other helpers & our group of 3 became 6. To put it bluntly, we renovated the guts out of that massive property, that consisted of 3 separate buildings containing: 13 bedrooms, multiple bathrooms, living areas, 3 kitchens, courtyards, veranda's, offices & meetings rooms & the outside gardens.
We turned up rain, hail or shine. It stifling heat & freezing cold, always with music on to keep us going. We'd be up ladders laughing, dancing with painting poles, & our knees ached from kneeling on hard floors. We found muscles we never knew we had, & did things we'd never done before, but it was so much fun & along the way great friendships were formed that are still going to this very day.
That project has been finished now for over 6 years now & I can happily say, has provided emergency accommodation for well over 1000 women and children who have either experienced homelessness or were fleeing domestic violence.
It warms my heart to go there, knowing I've helped provide women and children with a safe place to stay, while getting the support they need from Nova's amazing Case Workers.
DONATIONS
Aside from donating time to Nova, I've also donated financially, not just to them, but a numbers of other local and national charities such as:
The Red Cross, Salvation Army, OzHarvest, the RSPCA, Soul Cafe, and Westpac Rescue Helicopter to name a few.
I support causes close to my heart, or where needed when possible.
Cancer appeals, Animal Rescue, Mental Health, and causes empowerment and/or providing safety to Women and Children and more.
This year I'm also going to add a donations link through this site, that go directly to assist causes supporting women, and I encourage you to donate with me.
ASSISTANCE
From time to time people approach me for various forms of assistance & I'm happy to help where possible & practical.
Be it over the phone, in person, providing links to information or referrals to others I know can help.
If you're in need of some support or assistance, the best way to get in touch is to send me an email, - as I can't always grab the phone. Outline what, where & when you need help with & I'll do my best if I can. Be sure to let me know what state & area you are in, as that makes a lot of difference.
If you are looking for work of any kind, the best place to start is our Positions Vacant Page & to follow us on Facebook, as all positions we know about are posted there.