Winter Edition
Winter is upon us and it’s getting mighty chilly in Melbourne. At the time of writing this newsletter Victoria is in the middle of its fourth lockdown, which can be a difficult time for many people for lots of different reasons. We will get through this together, and thank-you to everyone for doing their part to keep our community safe. Try and remain positive and active to safeguard your mental health. Now is the perfect time to slow down and do things that make us happy. Get in the kitchen and cook a delicious meal. Find a cosy corner and read that book you’ve been meaning to get through. Start crocheting the blanket that will keep you warm during winter. Find your latest binge-worthy tv show and get comfy on the couch. Sit down with your child and draw or colour-in together.
If you are struggling with lockdown and need help, please do not hesitate to reach out. You are not alone in how you are feeling. This link contains many different phone numbers and online resources to assist: https://www.coronavirus.vic.gov.au/mental-health-resources-coronavirus-covid-19.
If you need to get in contact with the hotline to book your COVID-19 vaccine the number is 1800 675 398. Please note they are currently experiencing a very high volume of calls. The Werribee Hospital Foundation and Werribee Mercy Hospital are not affiliated with the COVID hotline, it is a Victorian Government resource
We have a wonderful community and I am here for anyone that needs support. If anyone needs to reach out, or wants to find out how they can help the Foundation please contact us on 0412 701 987 or hello@whf.org.au.
I would like to thank everyone who has supported the Foundation by volunteering their time, or helped out with donations and events. We have lots of great things planned for the Winter season and appreciate any help or donations that are given. Read on to find out what we have in store! Stay safe and healthy, and take good care of yourself.
Yours Sincerely,
Leanne Down
CEO, Werribee Hospital Foundation
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Meet Stacey, our new Fundraising & Community Engagement Manager
The Foundation is very excited to introduce our new team member, Stacey Rocco. Stacey has a background in advertising and marketing, and is looking forward to connecting with our community and planning events to engage everyone.
In her spare time she is a Powerlifter. She started powerlifting in her 30’s after the birth of her daughter as a way to keep active. Training up to 6 days a week, she has a dedicated focus on her sport which translates to her work and personal life. Stacey is also a budding gardener who enjoys tending to her indoor plant collection. During 2020 she started expanding to outdoor gardening and although she has yet to master outdoor plants she does enjoy her fruit trees and will happily engage in all gardening conversations.
If you would like to get in touch with Stacey you can email her at: stacey@whf.org.au
TAX APPEAL 2021 – help us buy new renal chairs for the Werribee Mercy Hospital Renal Unit
Werribee Mercy Hospital’s Renal Dialysis Unit supports hundreds of local people each year, providing chronic haemodialysis for patients with end-stage kidney failure. The hospital currently has 12 dialysis chairs to serve Melbourne’s entire Western Suburbs – and every chair is in heavy use.
We’d like to improve the patient experience by replacing as many of the chairs as possible. Each new dialysis chair costs $5,954. That’s 100 people giving around $60 each. Can you help with a gift before June 30?
Any small amount will make a big difference. To donate, please do so by following this link: https://drct-whf.prod.supporterhub.net/donations/tax-appeal-page
Win a $500 Pacific Werribee voucher and help us raise $12,000 for a Palliative Care Bed
Werribee Districts Football Club are hosting their annual fundraising ladies day event to help raise money for Werribee Hospital Foundation to purchase a Palliative Care bed for Werribee Mercy Hospital.
Werribee Mercy Hospital provides palliative care to those in our community, including the management of distressing symptoms, as well as end-of-life care by providing physical and psychological care with the emphasis on improving quality of life. Each palliative care bed costs $12,000.
For as little as $5 you can help us achieve this target by the end of the financial year.
So be quick and don’t miss out as only 400 tickets are up for grabs! You can buy your raffle ticket here: https://drct-whf.prod.supporterhub.net/raffles/palliative-care
Werribee Hospital Foundation Mercy Cup
To help raise money for the Werribee Hospital Foundation the Werribee Districts Football Club are hosting their annual fundraising Ladies Day Event on Saturday 26th June 2021. This Ladies Day Event is held prior to the Werribee Hospital Foundation Cup (previously known as Mercy Cup) seniors football game between Werribee Districts Football Club and Point Cook Football Club.
In 2019 we raised over 12,000 for the Paediatric Unit and this year we are raising funds for the the Palliative Care Unit. Werribee Mercy Hospital provides palliative care to those in our community, including the management of distressing symptoms, as well as end-of-life care by providing physical and psychological care with the emphasis on improving quality of life. Our aim is to fund one new palliative care bed, each palliative care bed costs $12,000.
If you would like details on how to purchase tickets for this event please email: hello@whf.org.au
Easter Raffle Hamper Winners!
Our annual Easter Raffle was a success with $2,800 raised and 100% donated to the Werribee Mercy Hospital. A big thank-you to everyone who supported us by volunteering their time at the stall, Coles who donated over $1100 worth of Easter eggs for the hampers and also for the children on the wards at Easter, as well as those donated goods or bought a ticket.
A special thank-you to Wyndham Cache for selling tickets from their cafe.
Here are photos of some of our lucky winners collecting their fantastic hamper!
Bunnings generous donation to refurb Emergency Department garden area
Bunnings Werribee and Bunnings Hoppers Crossing banded together to kindly refurbish the Werribee Mercy Hospital’s Emergency Department garden area. The project involved erecting a gazebo and paving the area. Bunnings also donated equipment and materials for the hospital to use in the future. Thank-you Bunnings for continually supporting your communities!
A special thankyou to;
Antonette, Amber, Kev, Shaun, Jason and Anthony – Bunnings, Ray Donohue, Shaun & Kevin Hartley – Men’s Shed, Leon Bozinovski – Mercy CCU, John Campbell – Volunteer, Yen – Volunteer, Mercy CCU.
We appreciate you donating your time and skills to make this project a success, we couldn’t have done it without you
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Volunteers are needed! Can you help?
We are always looking for volunteers because without these amazing people, we simply cannot achieve the goals we aim for. Volunteering with the Werribee Hospital Foundation can take many forms. You can donate financially, grill sausages at a fundraiser bbq, help at an event, crochet goods to sell at a market stall or even assist with admin tasks. There are so many different ways you can get involved and it’s personally tailored to suit your expertise and the level of commitment that you are comfortable with.
Any amount of your spare time is received with gratitude and your help means we can do so much more for patients and staff at our local hospital. Helping out is also a great way to meet other like-minded people, and who doesn’t love a good soul? As the saying goes: ‘teamwork makes the dream work’. And here at the Foundation we have a beautiful dream to create a fantastic medical resource, our local hospital, for all to benefit from.
If you would like to be a part of our team, or even join us for just a one-off event, we would love to hear from you. For more information and ways to connect click here: whf.org.au
Can your business help support our Foundation?
Our Corporate Partners share our passion for health and work closely with the Werribee Hospital Foundation to build a happier, healthier future for the people of our community. By partnering with one of largest local health services, our partners proudly display a supporter badge which highlights their commitment to investing in the health of their community.
The Foundation proudly works directly with our partners to determine the best fit as we know there is no one fit for any organisation. Partnerships range from donations of goods and services, percentage of sales, event sponsorship and corporate donations and much more.
How can your business positively impact the lives of locals through charitable activity?
If you would like to find out more or reach out to assist, please click here:whf.org.au
Mother’s Day Gift hampers
Thank-you to Pacific Werribee for donating over 50 hampers full of goodies to give to Mums celebrating Mother’s Day in the maternity ward. Over 5000 babies are born at the hospital each year and that number continues to grow. Werribee Mercy Hospital is able to provide Maternity and Newborn services to support Mum’s in our community.
We had lots of fun meeting some of the mums and their gorgeous newborns as they left the ward to take their precious bundles home to start their new journey into motherhood.
Book Sale Success!
We raised $1635.70 at our April Book Sale! We will be holding another book sale in Spring once the weather warms up, so stay tuned for details.
A huge and heartfelt thankyou to Volunteer Cheryl Coghill and Kathleen French for organising and hosting this event. A special thankyou to Wilma Seymour for storing all of the books in her garage for a year after our 2020 Book Sale was cancelled due to to COVID-19, and Heather Brett for helping to relocate the books. A big thank you to Karen and Richard Hawkey for assisting with the sale over the weekend, and everyone who provided tables. We could not achieve this result without everyone’s generous support. It’s very much a group effort and we are grateful for our fantastic community. And thankyou to everyone who donated books. We hope lots of you scored a bargain and a great read!
Easter Eggs donated for the kids on the Paediatrics Ward
11 Coles stores within the Wyndham region kindly donated $1,100 worth of Easter eggs to gift the children staying in the Werribee Mercy Paediatrics Ward over Easter. We were also able to pop some in our Easter Raffle Hampers.
These gifts lightened up the day of children throughout the hospital.
Thank-you Coles for your generous donation, sometimes it the little things that make a big difference.
Calling all creative people – Photo & Drawing Competition!
The Werribee Hospital Foundation invites entries into our ‘Brighten up my day’ photo & children’s drawing competition. We are looking to brighten up the walls in the ICU and Paediatrics units at Werribee Mercy Hospital with photos of our local area & children’s drawings. If you are a budding photographer or have a passion for drawing, we would love to see your artistic side.
The competition has 2 categories.
- Children’s drawings for the Paediatric unit (entries under the age of 18)
- Photography for the ICU unit (open to all ages)
In both categories will receive vouchers. First prize winners will receive $100 voucher, second prize $75 voucher and third prize is $50 voucher.
We endeavour to use as many submissions as possible to brighten up the walls of our local hospital, so we invite you to get together with your school or social group to help put a smile on the faces of patients and staff at the Werribee Mercy Hospital.
The competition closes on July 16th, all entries must be submitted with a signed entry form. Please contact hello@whf.org.au for an entry form and the terms and conditions.
Funds for new Bariatric Chair generously donated by Sarah Eldridge
Sarah Eldridge, Founder of Point Cook business Trinity Bookkeeping Services, was inspired to help end-of-life patients after losing her father in recent years. She felt a strong drive to want to ease their discomfort, and hopes the Bariatric Reclining Chair will make patients comfortable while receiving treatments.
Health journeys differ for each individual, and like Sarah, when we reflect upon our own experiences we often wonder “How can I make a difference?”.
Sarah’s $2,000 donation is very much appreciated, and on behalf of the Foundation and Werribee Mercy Hospital we’d like to thank Sarah for her kindness and generosity, we know that this new chair will add to the comfort and experience of patients in the hospital undergoing treatment. Thank you Sarah!
Lorraine Lea Linen – Adopt a Bear
We have partnered up with Rosemary from Lorrain Lea Homewares with a promotion to make you go “Awwww”. Every $33 PJ Bear purchased will be making a double impact meaning that $3 from every Bear purchased will be donated to the Kids Cancer Project and the teddy bear itself will be donated to us for the children in Paediatrics & Special Care Nursery at Werribee Mercy Hospital.
To purchase a bear please email: hello@whf.org.au
