A Logan senior who has sewn, knitted and weaved over 500 items for children in need is putting the call out to the local community to provide similar assistance this Christmas.

73-year-old Sally Spurgin is a resident at Tall Trees Rochedale, and became involved with the Project Love and Care charity in December 2008—just one month after she moved permanently to Australia from the UK.

Project Love and Care was started in 2005, and aims to provide children and teenagers in foster care with some of the basic necessities in life, such as clothes, toiletries, stationary and toys.

While some of the products such as toiletries and underwear need to be purchased new, other items such as clothes and toys can be donated second hand or made from scratch. All donated items are sent to the Department of Communities or to the police to be distributed to children up to the age of 17.

In her time volunteering with the charity, Mrs Spurgin has made knitted animals, fabric dolls, shirts, shorts, dresses and pajamas. She says that there’s a side to the festive season that necessitates an increased volume of donations for the charity.

“Things happen over Christmas that should never happen at this time of year—but they do, anyway,” she says.

“There really is an added need for assistance to make a difference to the lives of young people who may be going through a rough time this holiday season, particularly when for others it’s a time of such happiness.

“Currently, the charity is aiming to pack five to six hundred assistance bags per week, so they will need all of the donations they can get.

“It’s a great opportunity to assist those less fortunate, and will in many cases help to ensure that young people in difficult situations are getting the best start to life possible.”

Mrs Spurgin is a resident at supported living neighbourhood Tall Trees Rochedale. The village’s lifestyle coordinator Michelle Pashen says that Mrs Spurgin’s commitment to helping the charity serves as an inspiration to the community.

“Sally is very dedicated to Project Love and Care, and the fact that she joined this charity so soon after moving to Australia is a true testament to her character,” Mrs Pashen says.

“She has dedicated so much time to making many fantastic items for children in need—some of these toys she makes would fetch top dollar from a retail store.

“Being able to spread the word about the charity is very important to her, and particularly so at this time of year. It’d be fantastic if more were able to follow her lead and donate to this or any other worthwhile charity over the festive season.”

In addition to Mrs Spurgin, contributions to the charity have also been made by Tall Trees residents Vi Hasseltine, Jacquie Morland, Thelma Heather, Dorothy Swile, Jill Hutchinson and Barbara Organ.

http://www.australianageingagenda.com.au/2011/12/15/article/Its-beginning-to-look-a-lot-like-Christmas/GQVTWADFXW.html

A new initiative between Tall Trees and U3A will see residents at the supported living neighborhood having regular all-in ukulele jam sessions.

U3A was formed in 1986, and provides leisure and educational courses to local seniors. The Brisbane chapter is one of many around Australia and runs over 190 courses per year.

U3A’s first ukulele demonstration will be on 24 November at Tall Trees Tanah Merah, which is open to the supported living neighbourhood’s residents as well as other U3A students.

Tall Trees Lifestyle Coordinator Kay Colenso says the initiative provides myriad benefits for participants.

“It’s a great opportunity to get involved even if you aren’t musically inclined, because the ukulele is quite an easy instrument to learn,” Ms Colenso says.

“Gathering the residents and the public for music lessons is a fantastic way to further build social interaction while ensuring motor skills are being exercised.

“It’s well known that learning a musical instrument helps to stimulate brain activity and can positively affect other areas of learning—we feel this is a simple and fun way of ensuring the ongoing mental health and happiness of our residents.”

Ms Colenso says she believes many residents will be excited to participate—particularly given the popularity of previous courses at the neighbourhood.

“Teachers from U3A already visit the neighbourhood holding classes for cryptic crosswords, canasta, and Mah Jong among many others,” she says.

“Whatever it may be, their classes consistently bring a lot of happiness to the residents of Tall Trees Tenah Merah—we expect the ukulele classes will be big a hit both with our residents and the seniors from the community.”

http://southcitybulletin.com.au/page8.html