November 2010

Valley Transitionz Tuesday volunteers year in review

Before


After

Nicola had been telephoning various organisations asking whether they have got any voluntary work that needs doing and as a result the volunteers that go to Valley Transitionz offices on a Tuesday have been busy working pretty hard throughout the year and having lots of fun!!
 
Alan has been taking a group of volunteers to the Pomare Community House, Alzheimer’s Society and the Women’s Refuge Gardens. They have been tidying up the gardens, weeding, and planting herbs.
 
A group of volunteers has been putting flyers on car windscreens for Te Omanga Hospice and Arthritis Society at the car parks at  Riverbank, Waterloo Station, Hutt City council and TheNewDowse. The Arthritis Society flyer was a fundraiser held with  a Lower Hutt Pizza company, with every pizza bought on a certain day a dollar from each pizza went to The Arthritis Society. The Te Omanga Hospice flyers included a flyer asking for collectors for their annual street collection and a flyer promoting the Annual Te Omanga Hospice Strawberry Fare fundraiser. Volunteers also put Te Omanga Hospice flyers promoting the opening of their new shop in Petone in letter boxes in Alicetown and Lower Hutt.
 
In March Alan and Nicola took volunteers to Taita and Pomare to put the Great Start Community newsletter in people’s letterboxes. The Tuesday volunteer group helped Sport Wellington put together five hundred Goodie Bags for the annual Sport Wellington Buggy walk around the Wellington Botanical Gardens. The Goodie Bags were handed around a group of people around the table; each person would put one or two items in bags. 
 
Alan has also been taking a couple of volunteers to the Wainuiomata skateboard park. They have been painting over the graffiti throughout the skateboard park. In the Valley Transitionz offices volunteers have been putting together mail outs of the Take 5 monthly newsletter, Take 5 Art Exhibit invites, Alzheimer’s Society Newsletter and Media Matters Newsletter. Volunteers have also been going into  cafes, shops, libraries and galleries asking if they would like free TheNewDowse pamphlets, postcards and posters. 
 
Valley Transitionz also took part in the annual Beautify New Zealand Campaign with the Hutt City Council in October. Volunteers picked up rubbish in a park near Melling Bridge. Special thanks to one volunteer who has cleaned the telephones, the computer monitors, the keyboards, tabletops  and the kitchen drawers at  the Valley Transitionz office throughout this year.      
 
By Colin J Stephen
 

Another Successful Work Placement



Eseta had been working as a cleaner in a gym in Wellington since the beginning of 2009 and was sorry when that contract ended. She wanted to continue to work and joined the Valley Transitionz programme in June 2010. Valley Transitionz staff were impressed with Eseta’s eagerness and were able to offer her a contract position at Transpacific Industrial Solutions in Seaview. 
 
Eseta currently works 2 hours a day at Transpacific Industrial Solutions as the depot cleaner. She enjoys her job tremendously. She is conscientious and methodical and ensures that everything is spick and span before she leaves everyday. Sometimes, she even cleans the lunch dishes!!
 
Kamielle Tauaneai, the Administrative Manager is extremely happy with Eseta’s work ethic and dedication and when asked how Transpacific Industrial Solutions felt about the work placement, she said “The role of depot cleaner can be demanding at times due to the high volume of staff coming and going from the depot and includes all aspects of cleaning, including rubbish, toilet blocks and general cleaning.”  “The key to our
successful relationship with Valley Transitionz has been the supportive framework provided by the staff and the open communication.” “The Valley Transitionz staff train all workers, carry out follow up visits and weekly inspections and provide a replacement worker should Eseta require leave.”
 
“We recommend the services of Valley Transitionz to all prospective employers and encourage you to consider this service alongside other “conventional” methods of employment.”
 
Thank you!
Valley Transitionz would like to thank all our employers for your continued support throughout 2010 and would like to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.