Sunshine Coast charity, Bloomhill Cancer Help is calling for donations of unwanted, saleable items to help restock its six Op Shops.

With more than 80 per cent of the charity’s funds raised through Op Shop sales, Bloomhill relies on generous donations from the community to continue providing its valuable services and support to those with cancer on the Coast.

Bloomhill President Mervat Thompson said jewellery was always sought after but any quality saleable donations were welcome, including furniture, home wares, clothing and bric-a-brac.

“Our Op Shops are seriously understocked and we are asking the community to dig deep to support cancer care on the Sunshine Coast,” Ms Thompson said.

Bloomhill is a long standing Buderim-based charity offering support and assistance to those affected by cancer and their families on the Sunshine Coast.

Operated by a team of dedicated staff and hundreds of volunteers, Bloomhill offers counselling, transport to appointments, respite care and a range of complimentary therapies and other practical help.

Bloomhill Op Shops are located in Buderim on Main Street, Nambour opposite the hospital, Maroochydore on First Ave, Mooloolaba on Brisbane Rd, Caloundra on Bullcock Street and Cooroy on Maple Street.

“All the money raised from the sale of items goes directly to fund Bloomhill and the services it provides to its more than 900 clients.

“To make it easier for people to donate, Bloomhill even offers a free pick-up service for larger items,” Ms Thompson said.

For more information about making a donation or to arrange a FREE collection, please contact the Bloomhill Distribution Centre on 5445 6858 (during business hours) or simply drop your donations into a local Bloomhill Op Shop.

The Buderim Foundation is on the lookout for worthwhile community projects and organisations that would benefit from its 2013 Community Grants Program and 2013 Youth Grants Program.

The program, now in its sixth year, awards sizable funds to eligible non-profit organisations and community groups that are able to provide services to residents within the 4556 postcode.

For the first time, two rounds of grants will be announced this year with applications for the first round opening on 14 June and closing on 26 July. Applications are also sought for our Youth Grants, which will follow the same timeline, with successful applicants announced at the annual 2013 Good News Night in September.

The Chair of the Buderim Foundation, Professor Paul Clark said there would be a larger amount available for grants this year due to the success of last year’s Community Challenge.

“The amount raised through the Community Challenge increased the funds in our investment account significantly, meaning we are able to increase the amount awarded for grants,” Prof. Clark said.

Since launching its Community Grants Program in 2008, twenty-four local organisations have received grants worth around $84,000. Grants have been awarded to all manner of projects and initiatives ranging from workshop equipment for the Buderim Men’s Shed, computers for the Maroochydore State Emergency Service Support Association and a fountain at Foote Sanctuary.

“The application process is relatively straight forward and we are more than happy to offer support to anyone experiencing difficulties with the submission process,” Prof. Clark said.

Applicants needing assistance in preparing their grant can contact members of the Grants Committee on 5445 2722 or 0417 282 293 for advice or call in at the Old Post Office in Burnett Street, Buderim every Thursday from 10.00am to 12pm.

Grant guidelines are available on the Foundation’s website, www.buderimfoundation.org.au/how-apply or from the OPO. Applicants will then need to complete an online form to lodge their submissions.

The Buderim Foundation is a philanthropic organisation that aims to enrich and enhance the quality of life for Buderim and its residents by generating income from donations and bequests and providing grants for worthwhile community projects.

For more information on the Buderim Foundation or the 2013 Grants Program, please visit, www.buderimfoundation.org.au.

Community transport and care organisation, ComLink will mark the launch of its new Bundaberg Region Community Transport Management Pilot Project with a special event on Monday, 27 May.

The launch event will be held at Cafe 1928, Bundaberg Botanic Gardens from 3.30pm for a 4pm start. Local ABC radio personality, Ross Peddlesden will MC the event and Bundaberg Mayor, Mal Forman will officially launch the project.

ComLink Chief  Executive, Feda Adra said the new transport scheme would mean better access and more affordable transport options for eligible residents.

The 12-month transport pilot project was developed in conjunction with the Bundaberg Regional Council, and in partnership with a number of local transport providers, and will see ComLink commencing a coordinated transport booking service across the region to assist transport disadvantaged people.

“The aim of the project is to provide improved transport services that meet the needs of those that are transport disadvantaged, including the frail aged and youth with a disability,” Ms Adra said.

“The services will address social isolation amongst these groups and will provide them with transport to medical appointments, shops and other social activities,” Ms Adra said.

“The success of this unfunded pilot project will be determined by how well used it is by the Bundaberg community,” Ms Adra said.

From 27 May, residents will be able to contact a central 1300 number for enquiries, to make bookings and to receive more information about transport services within their locality.

ComLink is a not-for profit organisation and charity providing community transport and care for the frail aged and younger people with a disability to attend medical appointments, shop and maintain their social inclusion from North Brisbane, throughout the Sunshine Coast and north to Bundaberg.

ComLink will also be launching its Kindergarten Transport Solutions Project in July 2013. The initiative aims to help ‘give children a flying start’ by offering transport to kindergartens within the Childers and Gin Gin districts.

For more information or to become a ComLink volunteer, please visit www.comlink.org.au or call 1300 761 011.

Sunshine Coast students and community will have the opportunity to discover and explore the vast and varied opportunities in the health sector at the Health Heroes Career Expo at Kawana Waters State College on Tuesday, 28 May.

Organised by Queensland Youth Industry Links Inc. (QYIL) in partnership with a number of Coast schools, education providers and Government departments, the Health Heroes Forum is designed to let Year 10, 11 and 12 students meet real health heroes – professionals working in the industry, employers and training providers.

QYIL Partnership Broker Kylie Gray said the Expo would provide a great opportunity for students from ten Coast schools to talk to professionals and gain an inside perspective of the industry, explore the various careers available in the health sector and discover the different pathways to achieve their career goals. This will be the third year that Kawana Waters State College has hosted this event.

“The health industry is a significant growth area for careers and has many diverse prospects for secondary school leavers, particularly with the new Sunshine Coast University Hospital soon to be opened in 2016 and expected to create thousands of jobs,” Ms Gray said.

Admission to the Health Heroes Career Expo is free. There will be three 80-minute sessions for high school students to be held at 9.30am, 11am and 1pm. Bookings for these school sessions are essential. The evening session for community and families will be held at 5.30pm to 7pm.

“The school sessions include a health scenario performance covering a patient’s progressions through the health industry and then students will have the chance to meet real health heroes,” Ms Gray said.

Kawana Waters State College Principal Kirsten Ferdinands said the Health Heroes Expo at Kawana Waters State College provided a unique opportunity for students across the Sunshine Coast to find out more about careers and opportunities within the emerging Health domain.

“This expo will provide our students with the necessary information and exposure in order to be in a wonderful position to capitalise on job opportunities now and into the future,” Ms Ferdinands said.

QYIL is the Sunshine Coast and Moreton Bay region provider of the Partnership Brokers Program, funded by the Australian Government, to build partnerships with schools, businesses and community groups and develop partnerships at a strategic level which influence the region’s response to Youth Attainment and Transition. The National Program consists of more than 1,450 active and self-sustaining partnerships involving more than 4,700 partner organisations. New Partnerships continue to form every week across Australia.

The Sunshine Coast Literary Association will host its annual Awards Presentation Night on Wednesday, 19 June, to announce the lucky winners of the 2013 SCLA Writers’ Competition.

The dinner will be held at the Fourth Floor Restaurant on the Mooloolaba Esplanade at 6.00pm for a 6.30pm start.

President of the SCLA, Kerri Jackson said we have had a great response to the competition this year, which has been open to writers from the Moreton Bay and South Burnett Council areas as well as the Sunshine Coast and Gympie.

“If last year’s entries are anything to go by, our panel of judges is certainly going to have a tough time deciding the winners,” Kerri said.

The Sunshine Coast Literary Association is a not-for-profit association dedicated to nurturing, showcasing and celebrating literary talent throughout the Sunshine Coast region.

“The Writers’ Competition was first held in 2007 and has been run every year since 2009 so it is a key part of the Association’s calendar,” Kerri said.

“The competition is designed to provide an outlet for talented writers to showcase their work to peers and receive valuable feedback from professional and accomplished writers,” she said.

“We have returned the Awards Dinner to the Fourth Floor Restaurant again for 2013. Last year’s event was a fantastic night and a great opportunity to celebrate the literary talents of writers in the region,” Kerri said.

Queensland author and journalist Matthew Condon is this year’s guest speaker. “Matthew will entertain guests with tales of this experience as the author of a number of novels and short stories,” Kerri said.

Tickets to the event are $50 per person and include a delicious three-course meal.

Numbers are limited, with the event selling out in the past, so book early to secure your place. For more information or to make a booking, please visit www.scliterary.org.

Community transport and care organisation, ComLink will mark the launch of its new Bundaberg Region Community Transport Management Pilot Project with a special event on Monday, 27 May.
The launch event will be held at Café 1928, Bundaberg Botanic Gardens from 3.30pm for a 4pm start. Local ABC radio personality, Ross Peddlesden will MC the event and Bundaberg Mayor, Mal Forman will officially launch the project.

More than 150 ladies will come together this Sunday, 19 May to celebrate the bonds of womanhood and raise funds and awareness for Bloomhill Cancer Help at its inaugural high tea fundraiser.

Tickets to the ‘High Tea for a Blooming Good Cause’ sold out within weeks with the event promising to be an afternoon of good food, sparkling wine and amazing company including WIN News weather presenter Hannah McEwan, Cr Jenny McKay and rising ‘acoustic-pop’ songstress, Lucy Hannah.

Bloomhill Cancer Help General Manager, Mervat Thompson said everyone at Bloomhill was looking forward to the event and spending the afternoon appreciating the relationships between mothers and daughters and the other important woman in their lives.

Guests will be invited to showcase their skills with a round of croquet and even capture a memory at the ‘natural’ photo booth, encompassing the spectacular Flaxton Gardens’ setting.

More than $2000 in raffle and lucky door prizes will be drawn, with all the money raised from the event going towards supporting Bloomhill’s more than 900 clients and their families affected by cancer.

Bloomhill Cancer Help is a Sunshine Coast based charity and provides support and assistance to those affected by cancer. Operated by a team of dedicated staff and volunteers, Bloomhill offers counselling, transport to appointments, respite care and a range of complementary therapies and other practical help.

In celebration of National Volunteer Week, from 13 to 19 May, Bloomhill Cancer Help i hosting a special Volunteer Day to show appreciation to the charity’s more than 500 volunteers.

The Volunteer Day will be held on Thursday, 16 May at the Bloomhill Cancer Help Centre, Ballinger Road, Buderim and invites Bloomhill’s volunteers to come together to celebrate the spirit of voluntarism.

Bloomhill Manger of Volunteer Services, Alexsandra Bert said the Volunteer Day was about acknowledging the volunteers for their commitment and support not only to Bloomhill, but also to those living with cancer on the Sunshine Coast.

“Volunteers are at the heart of Bloomhill and without them, the charity would not be able to continue to provide the high level of care to its growing number of clients,” Ms Bert said.

The Volunteer Day will begin at 10am with a workshop on Compassion Fatigue, followed by morning tea, a Share and Support Group Discussion, sausage sizzle and concluding with an afternoon meditation session.

“The day’s activities are focused on providing practical skills to the volunteers that they can apply both in their volunteer roles and also in their personal lives,” Ms Bert said.

Bloomhill Cancer Help is a Sunshine Coast based charity that provides support and assistance to those affected by cancer. Operated by a team of dedicated staff and hundreds of volunteers, Bloomhill offers counselling, transport to appointments, respite care and a range of complementary therapies and other practical help.

“Volunteering is a great way to give back to the community and can be really rewarding, knowing you have made a difference in the lives of others,” Ms Bert said.

If you are interested in becoming a volunteer, please contact Bloomhill on 07 5445 5794 or email admin@bloomhill.com.au.