Dec 17, 2023 | Blog, Christmas Fest
Christmas Fest 2023: A Jolly Recap
On 2 and 9 December 2023 from 3 pm to 6 pm, Hands of Hope kicked off the Christmas cheer to our community at St Lucia and Willawong through our annual Christmas Fest (previously known as Christmas 4 Kids) tradition – an annual flagship community event that involves a whole lot of singing, dancing, and yummy food and drinks!
Despite rainy forecasts and unassuming weather the past couple days before both events, The weather held up beautifully on both event days, with sunshine and clear skies as the guests arrived at the venues. This year, we reached 1,054 residents – 296 adults and 225 children at our St Lucia event and 253 adults and 260 children at Willawong!
The first day of Christmas Fest was held at Guyatt Park in St Lucia amongst the grassy fields and a glimpse of the famous Brisbane river. And for the first time in our Christmas Fest tradition, we were fortunate to have held this event outdoors! Well the weather was a true representation of Brisbane’s summer heat, the outdoor location worked well as it provided a welcoming and seamless inviting environment for families and neighbours that walked by and/or were hanging out at the park. It was truly such a beautiful time of connecting – and the kids sure loved this time of outdoor activities!
The second day of Christmas Fest was held at our O.G. location for the past decade – Unidus Community Center in Willawong. This year, we were so blessed to have witnessed 533 registrations! We had some of our “old favorites” such as the petting zoo, tug-of-war, and face painting, as well as new activities such as inflatable axe throw and soccer darts. Everyone was treated with yummy free-flow butter popcorn, huge mouth-watering muffins and croissants, and much more! Furthermore, each child that visited that day went home with a Christmas gift. Needless to say, all the children (and even adults) loved their time here.
Some Highlights and Top Moments.. St Lucia
Some Highlights and Top Moments.. Willawong
We had the privilege to host Cr Angela Owen, Hon Leeanne Enoch MP, and Hon Milton Dick MP as our guests of honor. Their hearts for the community was also reflected through their generous donation of toys for the children attending the events. Above all, Hands of Hope extend our gratitude to our volunteers who earnestly helped in the events both prior to and on the day of the events. The time that you invested into making this event possible was not unseen!
Christmas Fest has been running for the past 25 years. While there were changes in the events throughout these years, our purpose for this event remained the same – to bring the Christmas cheer and generously bless the residents, families, and children in the southwestern suburbs of Brisbane.
As we approach the end of 2023, may our heart for others shown through these events remain steadfast for the upcoming year. Hands of Hope looks forward to seeing you in 2024!
Looking for ways to give back to the community? You can do that through our LOVE. GIVE. SERVE. (LGS) campaign, to make a lasting impact to the lives of people.
Want to find out more about LGS campaign? Click the button below!
Interested in Volunteering for Christmas Fest?
Christmas Fest cannot happen without our amazing volunteers who each play an important role in executing this event to its fullest potential. The most important thing though, is their willing hearts to serve the community.
You can also be one of the many volunteers to bring the joy of Christmas to the lives of people!
There are many ways you can play a part at the event. Join us to make a difference in the local communities by volunteering at the Christmas Fest 2024, an initiative by Hands of Hope’s “Love. Give. Serve.” Campaign.
Find out more about us (Hands of Hope) and our many volunteering opportunities below:
Jan 4, 2023 | Blog, Christmas Fest
Hands of Hope’s annual tradition of Christmas Fiesta (previously known as C4K) brings friends and family together to kick off the Christmas celebrations properly. These events have become a yearly tradition for many families in the community – with free food and drinks, and it’s impossible to stay away.
This year, we picked this up by running the Christmas Fiesta events in two locations – double the fun, covering more of Brisbane!
The first event ran at Unidus Community Centre in Willawong, where the event was run for almost a decade. Because this was the home base for the event, there was more opportunity to pack in the usual fun and games. There were many outdoor performances, a massive inflatable slide and heaps of carnival games. Tug of war may have gotten dangerously competitive, but petting the baby goats afterwards must have soothed a few losses a tad.
The second event ran the weekend after at the University of Queensland in St Lucia. In the beautiful Advanced Engineering Building, the events were held indoors. Despite the smaller location, the Christmas magic persisted. Esther Dai, who volunteered at both events, found that this worked well, creating a cosy environment for the families that attended. She said she “enjoyed seeing the community connect and have fun together – good vibes for both events!”
The Christmas Fiesta also held carolling after a big day of frolicking through the day’s event to ramp up the Christmas spirit. The program started with games, with families winning amazing prizes to kick off. Who knew frantically decorating your family like a Christmas Tree could get a bit ruthless? To fully wrap up the event, this was followed by a lot of carolling where kids and families sang along.
Having both events in different suburbs across Brisbane allowed different communities to celebrate Christmas in a more accessible way. The different locations made them unique in carrying on traditions, regardless of where families lived.
Now that Christmas 2022 is over… guess it’s time to count down to Christmas 2023 – have a happy New Year!
Written by Beatriz Polotan
Oct 5, 2022 | Blog, Meet our team
How time flies- we’re already in October!
We interviewed Jacyline Khor (Coordinator of Hands of Hope) about the various Hands of Hope activities held so far this year:
Tell us about the highlights of the year, Jacyline.
Jacyline – We’re grateful for the many opportunities to connect to and serve our local community. We’ve forged closer relationships with the many families in need who collect food parcels weekly from Hope Pantry.
Our Good Neighbour activities in Pallara have begun to yield fruit, with some local residents now volunteering with Hands of Hope.
The Circle of Security parenting course was a huge success. We have run it twice to date, with a total of 21 parents participating. Our special thanks to Relationships Australia for running the course in Unidus.
We’re proud of the 8 youths from the T2S (Transition to success) program who graduated in July. It was heartening to hear of their aspirations to make a difference in society. These at-risk youths received support and encouragement from this program to make important changes and decisions, enabling them to turn their lives around.
So what’s in store for Hands of Hope in the rest of 2022?
Jacyline – There will be heaps of exciting events, campaigns and opportunities to volunteer.
The “Love Give Serve” campaign will kick off in October. I won’t give away too much – look out for more announcements coming soon!
Some exciting news – This year, we will have C4K (Christmas for kids) with a twist – it will be Christmas Fiesta in Willawong and St Lucia. Watch this space!
by Maureen Yeow
Sep 13, 2022 | Blog
In Australia, Father’s Day is observed on the first Sunday of September. It is a day to honour fathers, with appreciation expressed through gifts, words and time spent together as a family.
Dads. Our silent saviours. Often unseen in the background of birthday parties, blowing up balloons, getting extra ice, putting up Christmas decorations, climbing up ladders to change lightbulbs. Who knows how many of their own fears they’ve overcome while doing something for the family? What goes on in a Dad’s mind is usually not foregrounded as much as what a Dad does. So, this Father’s day, how can we better support our Dads?
Some things we can do as a community to honour and appreciate the Dads in our midst:
1. Promote local community groups and events that support fathers:
- Dad’s Groups https://www.dadsgroup.org/dadsgroupabout
- The Man With A Pram is a fundraiser for perinatal mental health programs and research. Parents, kids, grandparents and friends and perinatal health representatives join for a social walk to celebrate and support fathers and father figures.
- Fathers of Girls https://fathersofgirls.org/about-us; This non-profit has annual fundraisers raising money for local organisations which support girls. One of their events is the “Give for a Goal”; charity netball day (Downey Park, partnering with Netball Queensland): Fathers and daughters shoot goals, receive tips from professional netball players and raise money for charity through sponsorship.
2. Survey the fathers – which speakers and workshops would appeal to them? Organise for such a workshop/workshops to run so that fathers can be empowered and equipped.
- mr.dad: A once-off, free antenatal and early parenthood class for expectant fathers. Many participants report having the same fears and anxieties about preparing for the labour, birth and early parenting. It aims to provide information that is both male-friendly and male-orientated.
- DadStuff, a free 2-workshop program for dads, father-figures and families. It tackles being a dad, relationship with your partner and connecting with your children. https://supportforfathers.com.au/dadstuff/
- Programs for parents include The Triple P Positive Parenting Program and The Circle of Security parenting program.
3. Acknowledge the importance of fatherhood: in our conversations, our social media posts, our community centres, our churches, et cetera.
4. Host an event to celebrate the fathers amongst us: family games days, sausage sizzles, et cetera.
Father’s Day is one day to appreciate Dads. Let us also consider investing in fatherhood in ways that empower Dads for the long term.
by Alia
Sep 13, 2022 | Blog
R U OK? is a charity that promotes suicide prevention by encouraging us to create deeper relationships with our classmates, workmates, friends and families by asking a very simple question.
Mental health issues may be easy to sweep under the rug as an outsider, but there are real and lasting impacts that can affect our overall health. It is very normal for sadness or loneliness to creep within and grow without us realising, so it is important to consider opening up when you feel this way or reaching out when you notice anything different. Simply asking if someone is okay can move the largest of mountains.
Here are some things to think about during R U OK? Week and to approach a friend that you think may need some support:
- Remove the stigma
- Depression and anxiety can happen to anyone, for a multitude of reasons or for no reason at all. This is normal, so seeking for help is also normal. Remove any preconceptions, assumptions or judgements to become a part of what could be a solution.
- Open the conversation
- Asking if a friend is okay, taking them out for a coffee, or even taking a workout class together can make all the difference. Remember to actively listen.
- Suggest seeing a health professional
- When your friend is ready, you can be there for them when looking for more help. There are so many limitations on how you can help when dealing with the complexity of mental health. Health professionals are clinically trained to support us in ways we won’t be able to.
- Go to your General Practitioner, request a referral to see a counsellor or a specialist that would be suitable for you.
- Speak with your school’s chaplain, your church’s counsellor or seek work’s mental health resources.
- Check on yourself
- All of the above applies to you. If you find yourself struggling mentally and emotionally struggling, reach out to a friend or a health professional. If you’re not ready to do any of these, that’s okay too. Just remember that what you’re feeling is normal and there are so many resources and people that can be there to get you through it. If you are feeling distressed or suicidal, you can call Lifeline Australia at 13 11 14 at any time of the day.
by Beatriz
Jul 7, 2022 | Blog, Uncategorized
Celebrating First Nations Australians this week and every week!
Happy NAIDOC Week, Brisbane/Meeanjin! We at Hands of Hope acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the land, and pay respects their Elders past and present. We extend our respects to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
NAIDOC is an annual celebration that stands for the National Aboriginal and Islanders Day Observance Committee. It’s the perfect time to recognise and honour the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians.
Non-Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians have the great privilege to learn about First Nation cultures and histories, participate in these celebrations, and support our communities.
Here are a few ways we can support our community:
- Attend a NAIDOC event – there are a number of events throughout Australia as listed on the website
- The 2022 NAIDOC Virtual Event is free to join and will showcase a variety of films about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander stories, culture and historic events:
https://www.naidoc.org.au/get-involved/naidoc-week-events/2022-naidoc-week-metro-north-health-virtual-event
2. Support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander businesses
- Chocolate on Purpose is 100% Indigenous-owned and sells a variety of delicious choccies to give as incredibly thoughtful presents (or to consume yourself, of course):
https://chocolateonpurpose.com.au/
3. Educate yourself – Listen to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voices by reading books by Indigenous Australian’s authors
- Growing Up Aboriginal in Australia by Anita Heiss is a beautiful anthology that showcases diverse stories and experiences from Aboriginal poets, writers, students about their identity. It’s an exceptional read and I highly recommend listening to the Audiobook or grabbing a copy:
https://www.blackincbooks.com.au/books/growing-aboriginal-australia
4. Donate!
- The Healing Foundation is an organisation that amplifies the voices of Stolen Generations survivors and their families
https://healingfoundation.org.au/donate/
There are so many ways to celebrate NAIDOC all week this week and every week!
by Beatriz Polotan
