By Mikayla van Loon
Children and families who have already been doing it tough and may have gone without anything for Christmas this year will no longer have to worry thanks to the work of Rotary.
The Rotary Club of Lilydale has for the last month been collecting donations of toys for children in need with the help of local businesses.
On Friday 10 December, Rotary members dropped off the first half of toys to local organisation Anchor which will then be handed out to families currently living in transitional and social housing.
The other half was donated to OzChild on Monday 13 December for children in foster care.
Gerry and Anne van Horick have been organising the collection of toys from 13 partnering businesses in Lilydale and surrounding suburbs.
“All the businesses we went to, they didn’t hesitate,” Gerry said.
Having not done this before, Gerry said he wasn’t sure what kind of response Rotary would get and whether they might have been “spreading themselves too thin” but they were blown away by the number of donations received.
“We estimate, because we’ve still got some in the pipeline, that 700 would be about right.
“We tried to sort it out so there was a representation of all ages rather than [Anchor or OzChild] ending up with 50 of the same thing. Anne and I tried to divide it a bit evenly so there was even representation across the board.”
Everything from stuffed toys to cricket sets were donated as well as monetary donations, with people really taking care in ensuring all age brackets and interests were covered.
Gerry said one of the most touching moments was the enthusiasm of Beaux Glenn from DynamiCardio in Lilydale, with the kids also stepping up to donate from their own pocket money.
Cheryl Mackay from Children’s House of Early Learning in Boronia and Mount Evelyn, and Rotary member, also said one of the important and lovely things about donating toys at the childcare centre was the lessons it taught the children about giving.
“There’s a lot of positives that come out of this sort of thing. It’s teaching children that there are other children that aren’t as well off. They understand that the toys are going to people who haven’t got a lot and it teaches the kids to give.”
Gerry and Cheryl agreed the feeling of giving these presents to children who are coming from distressing situations is incredible but it also shows how much other people are willing to help.
“I think that’s one of the best things about humanity, you are just constantly blown away by what people are willing to give,” Cheryl said.
Anchor’s Partnership and Development Lead Lauren Gordon said at the peak of the Covid lockdown Anchor had over 65 families at any one time in motel and other crisis accommodation. Across the region more than 230 families accessed crisis response programs throughout the first stage four lockdown alone.
“The financial impacts of the last two years are being felt across not only the lower socioeconomic group but also median income families due to loss of jobs and loss of business. Because of this and the rising cost of housing in the outer east, families struggle to put food on the table as well as pay their rent” she said.
“When it comes time for Christmas, when children should be happy, laughing and celebrating; the families that we support often really do struggle. Donations like this, from community, which is just outstanding; make all the difference in the world to us and these children.
Lauren said caseworkers will go and chat to parents, guardians and carers to work out what interests each child has so that gifts can be matched to the individual.
“It’s so much more exciting when the kids open up something they can really engage with, and by the looks of the abundance of presents, Rotary and local businesses have provided there’s plenty of opportunity for them to find something they’ll absolutely love.”
Overjoyed and extremely grateful for the donations from every individual and business that helped, Lauren said “Rotary has outdone themselves and she is looking forward to the partnership Anchor and Rotary can continue to grow in the future.”
Gerry said if the Rotary Club can contribute just a little bit to making people’s lives better or the world a better place then they have succeeded in living up to their purpose as a group.
After having a successful first year in organising donations, Gerry said there’s no doubt that the Rotary Club of Lilydale will do this every year.
“I think it’s something everybody wants to be a part of.”
Special thanks to Gami, Dominos Pizza, Cold Rock Ice Cream, Stockdale & Leggo, Essential Treatments, Harrow & Harvest, Bubba’s Pizza, Hello Harry and DynamiCardio from Lilydale; Manchester Rd Dental Surgery in Mooroolbark; Children’s House of early learning in Boronia and Mount Evelyn; and Fully Promoted in Kilsyth and Glen Waverley.
Also to Rotary members Jamie Jochetz-McDowell, Ian Darvell, Judith and Des Shiel, as well Tony Hanegraaf for lending a hand.
