Lifeview Paying It Forward making a genuine difference in local communities

A new charitable program set up by Lifeview staff and aged care residents is making a difference in local communities.

The Lifeview Paying It Forward initiative is raising funds for charitable causes throughout the communities in which Lifeview operates.

All four Lifeview homes and the Lifeview corporate office have formed working groups involving staff and residents to determine how to raise money for a different cause every two months.

Staff and residents have been invited to nominate charitable causes close to their heart.

Yesterday, Lifeview’s Emerald Glades Social Support Coordinator, Marc Zywaczewski, attended Emerald Pre-School with Emerald Glades residents Elaine, Elisabeth and Janet to present the kindergarten a cheque for $1238.25.

The funds were raised throughout Lifeview communities earlier this year.

The kindergarten had to make some urgent, unplanned repairs earlier this year, which disrupted term one.

Marc, who takes Emerald Glades residents to engage with the pre-school class each fortnight, nominated the kindergarten as the first beneficiary of Paying It Forward and it was approved.

Lifeview CEO Samantha Jewell said the Paying It Forward program was about “supporting those causes that do not already get significant mainstream media coverage and promotional support”.

“There are so many wonderful charities and organisations that do great work but that don’t get much promotion. We are asking staff and residents to nominate which charitable causes mean something to them and then determining which cause to support each two months,” Samantha said.

“It is wonderful to see staff stepping up to be involved in the working groups in each home, and working closely with the residents so that they too are feeling ownership of this community initiative.”

Emerald Pre-School Parent Advisory Group President Kate Spencer explained what this funding would mean for the local children.

“This will make a huge difference for us,” Kate said.

“This funding will go towards a lot of the incursions we love to hold for the children each year.

“There are some music-based incursions and some wildlife and animal-based incursions that the educators love to run with both the three- and four-year-old groups.

“We weren’t sure if we would be able to run them this year, but this will definitely allow us to continue that curriculum for the children.”

One of the Lifeview residents who attended yesterday’s cheque handover, Elaine, used to be an assistant at the pre-school and has fond memories of her time there.

The community also remembers Elaine well, with parents visiting the pre-school recently and seeing Elaine there instantly recalling her as “Mrs Morris” from their time previously attending the kinder.

Similarly, Elaine’s husband, Doug, who also lives at Emerald Glades, is well known in the local community as a school bus driver and the current parents recall him as “Mr Morris”.

“The children get so much joy out of the residents attending and engaging with them, and so do the residents,” Marc said.

Lifeview is currently raising funds for the Women’s Spirit Project, a volunteer-led initiative aimed at inspiring and empowering women experiencing disadvantage to transform their lives through one-of-a-kind fitness, health and wellbeing programs in Melbourne’s south-east.