Soft Landing graduation packed with inspiration

Eight trainees from Mission Australia’s Soft Landing Mattress Recycling program in Bellambi celebrated the completion of their 12-month traineeship last week at an on-site graduation ceremony.

Funded by the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations’ Jobs Fund, Soft Landing is a social enterprise that takes discarded mattresses destined for landfill and recycles them - tackling a significant environmental problem while providing training and employment opportunities to long-term unemployed people in NSW’s Illawarra.

At the graduation event, staff and guests acknowledged and praised the outstanding achievements of each of the trainees, who in the space of 12 months have achieved Soft Landing’s three-year goal of processing more than 20,000 mattresses.

“In our first 12 months of operation, Soft Landing has been extremely successful. We’ve won new business and experienced exciting growth - and it wouldn’t have been possible without the effort and dedication of our trainees,” said Bill Dibley, Southern NSW/ACT CS Operation Manager.

During the celebration, Mr Dibley announced Mission Australia’s Trainee of the Year award, which deservedly went to trainee Graeme Lamb (both pictured).

Graeme was honored last week at the NSW Training Awards dinner, being short-listed in the category of Waste Management and winning the category of Certificate II in asset maintenance.

His achievements are particularly outstanding given that only three years ago he was socially isolated and drinking heavily.

During his traineeship and after 13 years of not holding a driver’s licence, Graeme has not only obtained his licence, but also gained his truck licence as well as occupational health and safety, forklift, Certificate II in asset maintenance, first aid and fire safety qualifications.

Mr Dibley said Graeme is a truly inspirational person who captures everything that Mission Australia is about – transforming lives.

“Since completing the program he has been offered a permanent position in the program and will stay on to complete his Certificate III and be a mentor to other participants in the program,” said Mr Dibley.

During the NSW training awards dinner, Graeme said it was his third awards night he had been invited to since being in the program.

Mission Australia’s Soft Landing Mattress Recycling program works in conjunction with our Big Heart retail enterprise, which diverts more than 100,000 tonnes of clothing from landfill through seven Big Heart op shops in the Illawarra and south-western Sydney.

Last week Mission Australia’s Soft Landing program received more good news as the Minister for Employment Participation and Child Care, Kate Ellis and Federal Member for Cunningham Sharon Bird, announced funding of $600,000 from the Innovation Fund program for a new Feather Weight project.

This project will train and employ up to 11 job seekers with disabilities in recycling services, giving them the support they need to achieve accredited training in Certificate II in waste management.

You can read more about Graeme’s incredible journey, and view a video about Mission Australia’s Soft Landing Mattress Recycling program, here.

Westpac staff warm our hearts

Mission Australia wants to send a warm thank you to all the generous Westpac staff who donated clothes as part of the recent Winter Warmer Appeal.

Fifty wheelie bins’ worth of jumpers, jackets and other warm clothes were collected from six Westpac sites in the Sydney area - George Street, Martin Place, Market and Kent Street sites in the city as well as Concord and Parramatta to the west.

The team at Mission Australia’s Big Heart collection warehouse at Bellambi, NSW, is always in need of good-quality clothes to sell from its seven op shops in Shoalhaven, the Illawarra and Campbelltown. This year the need is even greater, given that much of the warehouse stock was destroyed by fire in March.

“We lost so much in the fire so we desperately need to restock,” said NSW Service Manager Social Enterprise Andrew Douglas. “At this time of year people traditionally give away their summer clothes, having donated winter garments around Christmas – but of course the need during the colder months is for warm jumpers and jackets that keep out the chill.

“If you have good-quality clothing in the back of the wardrobes that you never wear we’ll gratefully accept them to help people in need.”

Anyone in the Illawarra and Shoalhaven areas who would like to donate good-quality warm clothes can drop them off into a local Mission Australia Big Heart donation bin or at any of the seven stores.

Other ways to help this winter
You can also support Australians doing it tough by making a donation to Mission Australia’s Winter Appeal – if you act today you’ll still be able to make a tax deduction for the 2010-11 financial year.

Mission Australia has already raised more than $663,000 thanks to community generosity, but we still need you help to reach our $860,000 target this winter. Every dollar makes a difference to the lives of struggling families and individuals.

Another great way to support Mission Australia this winter is to host a Winter Sleepout event. Whether you get your workplace together for a small gathering and have a gold-coin donation or you throw the event of the year, every dollar counts.

Big Heart Bellambi bounces back!

Good news for op shoppers in the Illawarra. Mission Australia’s Big Heart store at 16 Bellambi Lane, Bellambi, is back in action!

Today’s re-opening signals a major turning point for the store since it was damaged in a devastating fire in March of this year.

As well as being the site of Mission Australia’s Soft Landing mattress recycling social enterprise, the Bellambi Big Heart retail store acts as a sorting and distribution depot for the six other Big Heart stores in the region as well as a bulk sales outlet.

As a result of the fire, much of the Big Heart stock as well as the mattresses were either destroyed by fire, smoke or water damage caused by sprinklers triggered during the blaze.

This necessitated a major drive for donations of goods suitable for sale at the Big Heart shops.

“We are so happy to finally re-open our doors,” Bill Dibley, NSW Operations Manager for Social Enterprise, said.

“The local community have been extremely supportive and our volunteer team have been unbelievable in cleaning up after the fire.”

“I thank them all for their comment and dedication.”

Clothing sold from Bellambi outlet is still only $7 a kilo, shoes $2 a pair and books can be purchased 5 for $2.

As ever, the Mission Australia is calling out for volunteers at all of its Big Heart sites in the Illawarra region – Warilla, Dapto, Wollongong or Thirroul – or even the Nowra and Campbelltown outlets. According to Mr Dibley, there are several volunteering opportunities available at some of the retail outlets including retail assistants, drivers, offsiders and sorters.

To find out more about volunteering opportunities, please call 1800 110 578 or email volunteering@missionaustralia.com.au.

Further reading

• ‘Big Heart rises from the ashes’
• ‘Big Heart cleans up after weekend fire’
• Soft Landing - a Mission Australia social business working towards sustainability
• Find the location of the Belambi store at the Google map below.
  

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Big Heart rises from the ashes

A new IMB-funded initiative for Mission Australia’s Big Heart Enterprises will help the Bellambi operation to bounce back after last month’s warehouse fire.

The Bags for Rags project, which is likely to create new employment opportunities as well as work experience and training for Illawarra residents, has been set up thanks to a $24,000 fast-tracked community grant from the building society.

This project joins Mission Australia’s other local environmental enterprise - Soft Landing - which strips mattresses of recyclable parts such as metal, foam and timber and in the process diverts some 140 tonnes of waste from landfill.

It will also work in conjunction with our Big Heart retail enterprise, which diverts more than 100,000 tonnes of clothing from landfill through seven Big Heart opportunity shops in the Illawarra and south-western Sydney.

Clothes, mattresses and televisions stored in the 4,000 square metre warehouse that is home to our Big Heart and Soft Landing businesses were destroyed when a stack of mattress frames caught alight on 6 March.

Mission Australia NSW Operations Manager Social Enterprises Bill Dibley told today’s Illawarra Mercury that the IMB grant could not have come at a better time.

"It was a huge bonus for us that they were prepared to move the funding forward." he said.

Bags to Rags is the brainchild of Project Manager Justine Fitzgibbon, who saw an opportunity to provide waste material to service stations, mechanics, manufacturing and hardware businesses.

"I would like to see Bags to Rags up and running by the start of the new financial year," she told The Illawarra Mercury. "Initially we will be utilising volunteers and providing work experience through schools, job services and from anyone wanting to volunteer their time.”

Ms Fitzgibbon added that as the program grows it will hopefully employ people through a traineeship scheme.

In recent weeks Big Heart Enterprises volunteers have been working from a site in Fairymeadow, but it is hoped that all staff and volunteers will be able to return to Bellambi next month.

Volunteer or find out more:

• Big Heart is always looking for volunteer retail and warehouse workers as well as truck drivers. If you would like to donate your time to support Mission Australia in the Illawarra, including as a Bags to Rags volunteer, please call 1800 110 578 or visit volunteering@missionaustralia.com.au.
• Watch this short video to find out more about Mission Australia’s Soft Landing social enterprise

Big Heart cleans up after weekend fire

Forty staff members and volunteers at Mission Australia’s Big Heart Enterprise centre in Bellambi, in the Illawarra, are taking part in a large-scale clean-up following Sunday morning’s arson attack.

The Bellambi site houses a warehouse, opportunity shop and the Soft Landing mattress recycling program, which strips old mattresses of recyclable parts such as metal, foam and timber.

The 4,000 square metre warehouse also stores thousands of items of clothing that supply seven Big Heart opportunity shops in the Illawarra and south-western Sydney.

The fire, which began when a stack of mattress frames caught alight around 4.30am on Sunday, triggered the internal fire system. While this helped to extinguish the fire, it also flooded most of the factory.

“Without the internal system we probably would have lost the full factory,” said Mission Australia’s Social Enterprise Operations Manager Bill Dibley.

Given the damage, the warehouse is currently not able to receive donated items.

Mr Dibley estimated that up to 200,000 items of clothing and 1,300 mattresses sustained smoke and water damage, complicating the usual recycling process.

“We’re now working hard to separate the foam that has melted into the springs,” said Mr Dilbey. “And because of the fire the process is taking about three times longer than usual.”

He added that his team spent the whole day on site on Sunday, taking five truckloads of burnt rubbish to the tip and cleaning the building in order to resume normal operations and fulfil contracts.

Police believe the blaze was deliberately lit and are examining CCTV footage captured at the store.

Official launch of groundbreaking Illawarra job program

Mission Australia’s Soft Landing Mattress Recycling – a groundbreaking approach to tackling a significant environmental problem while also providing training and employment opportunities to long-term unemployed people in the Illawarra – was officially launched yesterday at its headquarters in Bellambi.

Funded by the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations’ Jobs Fund, Soft Landing takes discarded mattresses destined for landfill and recycles them – an operation that currently provides jobs for eight trainees and four casual staff.

Special guest at the event was Sharon Bird, Federal MP for Cunningham.

Soft Landing’s manager, Lyn Watkins, said the initiative was a first for the area and it had big plans for the future.

“All the beds delivered to us get pulled down and broken into four key areas. The springs go to scrap metal recyclers, the foam is used as carpet underlay, the pulp fibre is used by a sporting goods manufacturer for punching bags and the timber frames are used for timber mulch or donated to a local men’s shed program where they are turned into kids toys,” Ms Watkins said.

“Over the next three years our plan is for Soft Landing to divert more than 78,000 mattresses from landfill – that’s 2,739 semi trailer loads!

“But Soft Landing is not just about sustainability. Over the same period we aim to create 20 ‘green’ jobs for the Illawarra. This includes 14 traineeships for Aboriginal and long-term unemployed job seekers.”

“Australia – and our own region – faces unprecedented environmental challenges that demand our urgent action. Australia sends 1.25 million mattresses to landfill each year. Each individual mattress consists of 12.5kgs of steel, 2kgs of wood and 1.5kgs of foam.

“We also have some serious issues in the Illawarra with unemployment. Despite the overall health of Australia’s economy, Illawarra’s unemployment rate is 6.6 per cent while the unemployment rate for 15-19 year olds looking for full-time work is 22 per cent.

“So Soft Landing is a unique approach to both these issues. We not only want to make a difference locally to our environment, we also want to help transform the lives of people who need our help,” said Ms Watkins.

You can find out more about the project at www.softlanding.com.au or for the warehouse location visit this link

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A new video has been released about the program, which can be viewed below or at our Youtube channel

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Landing a second chance in life

In the year it has been operating, Mission Australia’s Soft Landing mattress recycling program has provided 15 jobs for people in the Illawarra region of New South Wales.

Among them is Graeme, who works full-time at the Soft Landing warehouse in Bellambi. He uses pliers and an angle-grinder to strip old mattresses down to their raw materials, which are then put to good use rather than going into landfill.

For Graeme, the job is not just about earning a wage and helping the environment – it represents a second chance at life after many years of struggling with a drinking problem, unemployment and isolation.

“Twenty years ago I was injured in an underground mining accident and broke several bones in my back,” he said. “My marriage broke up and I was left to raise two kids. Then I was caring for my dad, who had bowel cancer. When he passed away I hit the grog badly – I was drinking four litres of wine a day.”

“Due to the drinking, the way I was feeling about myself, I wouldn’t even collect my mail unless I was drunk. I was drinking myself to death…

“To improve my life I did a warehousing course at the Mission Australia warehouse and haven’t looked back since.”

In 2009, Graeme was offered a casual position within the mattress recycling project pilot, which tested the viability of the business model. This year he was offered a full-time traineeship in waste management at Soft Landing, and has been passing his knowledge onto his new colleagues.

The bed springs he removes from the mattresses go to scrap-metal recyclers. The foam is used as carpet underlay. The pulp fibre is used by a sporting goods manufacturer for punching bags, and the timber frames are used for timber mulch or donated to a men’s shed program where they are turned into toys. The coconut husk used in some mattresses is currently being tested as weed matting.

“There’s much more to this than just cutting mattresses up,” Graeme said. “It’s good to help people in the community who are down on their luck. It keeps you connected with different types of people and you realise that people aren’t all bad. You’re happy to come into work every day.

“I’ve got my life back,” he added. “Life is improving day by day. I’ll be here until retirement – if they can put up with me!”

This week, with the help of the Soft Landing team, Graeme regained his car licence. “I have dreamed about this day for years. I am very grateful. This is a big deal for me.”

The participants working at Soft Landing were selected as they had multiple barriers preventing them from entering the labour market. Ninety per cent of the trainees are Indigenous, three have disabilities and all are long-term unemployed. The program will also offer 20 work experience positions for job seekers looking to gain skills in asset maintenance or waste management.

Over three years, the Soft Landing program will divert 78,260 mattresses – or 2,739 semi-trailer loads – from landfill. It is one of several social enterprises being housed in the new Mission Australia Bellambi warehouse.

You can find out more about the project at www.softlanding.com.au or for the warehouse location visit this link

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A new video has been released today featuring the program, which can be viewed below or at our Youtube channel

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Media Release: Mission Australia opens its heart in Campbelltown

Mission Australia has launched a new Financial Education, Counselling and Community hub in Campbelltown this week.

This new support service gives locals the chance to buy brand new clothes and furnishings at a fraction of the retail price and access a range of community services from financial education and general counselling services, to training opportunities for the local unemployed.

Citi Australia provided the seed funding for the new hub, meeting the substantial cost of setting up the new programs and the facility. Stephen Roberts, Citi Country Officer for Citi Australia, officially opened the hub today.

“Financial education and supporting the Australian community are ongoing priorities for us at Citi,” said Mr Roberts.

“We are delighted to be working with Mission Australia on such a worthwhile project. Supporting people with financial education and access to affordable everyday items will make a big difference to many lives in the Campbelltown area. Supporting Mission Australia is a way we at Citi Australia can really help at a grass roots level – we look forward to working together.”

Mission Australia Operations Manager for Social Enterprise Bill Dibley said that the new hub incorporates a Big Heart retail store and would have many benefits for the local community – both those simply looking for a bargain as well as people in need of a helping hand.

“With increasing pressure on individual and family income from rises in interest rates, utilities and the cost of food, the availability of affordable clothing and furniture in the area will greatly assist locals. And since the lion’s share of clothing we sell is surplus stock from the major retailers, this means we have brand new clothes on offer at a fraction of the retail price,” said Mr Dibley.

“But the real beauty of this new hub is the social impact for the local community.

“The money from the Big Heart retail sales will directly fund the financial education programs we offer in the hub, so for example a parent can be taught how to develop an effective budget to avoid the situation of struggling to meet their bills.

“There is also a counsellor on-site to assist people with personal issues such as a relationship breakdown, or the loss of a loved one. In our experience people are often facing multiple issues so by taking a holistic approach, the outcome is better.

“And importantly in an area like Campbelltown, which has a higher than average rate of unemployment, the retail store provides a volunteering, training and employment opportunity for people who are unemployed. We are currently training and up skilling our 30 strong team of volunteers, and we’ve already taken on one of the volunteers as a Mission Australia employee.

“Whether someone is unemployed, has just gone through a relationship breakdown, or is in financial difficulty – by dropping in to the community hub here, we will be able to help you,” Mr Dibley concluded.

The Big Heart Enterprise was established in the Illawarra region 20 years ago to help raise funds for a local Mission Australia Youth Accommodation service. Over the years, Big Heart has grown to include six retail outlets, 13 full-time staff, and about 180 volunteers. Each store provides high quality, low cost clothing and furnishings to the public.

All money raised at the Campbelltown Big Heart store will fund the financial education and counselling position – ensuring the profits are 100 per cent returned to, and directly assisting, the local community. The new hub is located at: 5 Harbord Road, Campbelltown.

For further information about the services come and visit the site or call Big Heart on Tel: 02 4620 0007 or Financial Education, Counselling and Community Hub on Tel: 02 4620 0201.

Media contact: 
Sally Popplestone
Mob: 0415 547 626
email: popplestones@missionaustralia.com.au

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About Citi

Citi, the leading global financial services company, has some 200 million customer accounts and does business in more than 100 countries, providing consumers, corporations, governments and institutions with a broad range of financial products and services, including consumer banking and credit, corporate and investment banking, securities brokerage, and wealth management. Citi's major brand names include Citibank.

Find out more about Citi’s support of Mission Australia here.

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The Homeless Street Soccer program is alive and kicking in Wollongong

Mission Australia's Big Heart Enterprise in Wollongong is proud to support this unique, life-changing initiative. Last Tuesday, Big Heart presented the coach of Wollongong's team, Lee Robinson, with new team jerseys.

The Community Street Soccer Program, known as Street Soccer uses the power of sport to promote social inclusion and personal change for homeless, marginalised and disadvantaged people. It helps to transform lives while building community interaction across Australia.

The llawarra Mercury recently ran a story on Lee's Wollongong Homeless Street Soccer team - read on at the Fairfax website.

Youth think outside of the box with Artstart 2009

As part of the NSW Government's Artstart 2009 initiative, Mission Australia has provided school students across the Kiama region with the opportunity to provide Mission Australia's Donation Bins an artistic 'makeover'.

Artstart 2009 is managed through local councils and aims to encourage youth aged 12 to 24 to design and direct creative projects with the assistance of community service organisations like Mission Australia.

The students involved used Mission Australia's donation bins as the 'canvas' for their designs. Kiama Municipal Council's senior youth worker, Andrew Chatfield, said as part of the creative process, teachers at each school integrated the project into visual arts studies, enabling them to completely manage the project's design.

The students have redecorated the bins following the theme of Mission Australia's Big Heart Stores - Reduce, Reuse, Recycle - and have come up with some fantastic murals and designs to emphasise the theme.

"The project gave the young people taking part an opportunity to express their creativity, build self esteem, and develop leadership and teamwork skills, while being involved in a worthwhile cause to promote and educate people of all ages on the importance on recycling, reducing, reusing," Mr Chatfield said.

We hope that the Kiama community will support the project by helping us fill the six bins before they are collected by Mission Australia and distributed throughout the region.

The students' artworks/donations bins are on display in their usual locations for anyone donating unwanted clothing, shoes and blankets to Mission Australia.  Check out our bin locations at his link

Big Heart is moving to Campbelltown!

Mission Australia’s social enterprise retail outlet, Big Heart, is due to open its first Sydney location in Campbelltown this November.

Big Heart was established in the Illawarra 19 years ago to help raise funds for local Mission Australia services.

What originally began as a traditional 'op-shop' venture has grown into five retail outlets (throughout Illawarra and Shoalhaven), ten full-time staff members and more than 150 volunteers that provides more than just high quality, low cost clothing and furnishings to the public.

Big Heart also gives unemployed people on-the-job training in industries including warehousing, upholstery, retail and administration.

Big Heart’s Campbelltown branch will incorporate Mission Australia’s south western Sydney financial counselling services in the one location to ensure long-term sustainability of the service.

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The proposed location will be on the corner of Campbelltown Road and Harbord Street.

Final contact details will be updated in October.

Please visit www.missionaustralia.com.au/big-heart for further details.