By Mikayla van Loon
Christmas can be stressful at the best of times but with the added pressure of the cost of living, present donation drives like that from the Rotary Club of Lilydale will go a long way to making the festive season a happy time for more people.
After such success last year, Gerry and Anne Van Horrick decided to organise the Wishing Tree donation drive again to support two local organisations in Anchor and the Yarra Ranges Proactive Policing Unit.
“We had over 800 presents worth over $16,000 and we had about $2,000 in gift vouchers,” Ms Van Horrick said.
This year Mr Van Horrick said the age bracket for gifts has been raised to help provide for more teenagers, up to the age of 18, across the local area.
Yarra Ranges Crime Prevention Officer, Leading Senior Constable Linda Hancock said because the Proactive Policing Unit supports a cohort of young people at local high schools, it would be lovely to include them in this year’s donations.
“There’s a lot of kids in mainstream schools that don’t get something like this…we’ve got that next level of where they are engaged with mainstream schools but they’re those silent ones who are doing it tough,” she said.
“The teenage cohort is very difficult to buy for and anyone who’s had a teenager will know that but some of these teenagers even if they got a Target voucher or Kmart voucher or JB Hi Fi voucher, something so they can go and get what they need.”
As one of the recipients last year, Anchor’s Partnership and Development Lead Lauren Gordon said the Lilydale office was incredibly grateful to be a part of the Wishing Tree once again.
“We are so proud of the way our own community is once again responding directly to the families and children we support this Christmas,” she said.
“Lilydale Rotary is setting a fine example of what an enormous difference community spirit can make. Contributions both large and small make what is quite often a stressful and triggering time for so many, an enjoyable occasion for many of the communities most vulnerable.”
Leading S/C Hancock said between four schools across Mooroolbark, Lilydale and the Upper Yarra she would think there would be at least 200 students who could benefit from a gift at Christmas.
“We’re just like Anchor, we have a cohort of people that we know we deal with and we think they need to be thrown into the mix because they’re usually people that don’t want to be identified.
“You go into a house and there’s no heating on and there’s three teenagers. It’s pretty sad. And you know the heating is not on because it’s unpaid but no one’s talking about it and they don’t ask for help.”
Ms Van Horrick said it wasn’t until last year’s Christmas period that she began to understand the need in the Lilydale area.
“We never really knew a lot about this until we started doing this just how much need there is in the community,” she said.
“People close their doors at night. They are warm, they’ve got the TV on, lights on, but there’s a lot of people not like that but we don’t know about those people until you start talking to [Anchor or the Proactive Policing Unit].”
The partnerships now formed with Lilydale Rotary, Anchor and Yarra Ranges Police are only expected to strengthen beyond this project.
“I’m really glad it’s another project we can do with Rotary. We’ve done a few others but it’s another one where Rotary is branching out to be inclusive of as many people as possible,” leading S/C Hancock said.
“We hadn’t done much with community policing before but with a more local focus, we’re glad we reached out to Linda because she knows of the people who are falling through the cracks,” Mr Van Horrick said.
From just 14 businesses who participated last year, it has now expanded to 22 in and around Lilydale.
Where to donate:
Fully Promoted, Factory 4/115 Canterbury Rd, Kilsyth
Fully Promoted, Unit 1/105-111 Ricketts Rd, Mount Waverley
Gami’s – 51-59 Anderson St, Lilydale
Eastwood Golf Club, 332 Liverpool Rd, Kilsyth South
Children’s House of Early Learning, 47 Chandler Rd, Boronia
Children’s House of Early Learning, 32 Monbulk Rd, Mount Evelyn
Stockdale and Leggo, 281 Main St, Lilydale
Mingarra Retirement Village, 2 Chevalier Dr, Croydon
Lakeview Kindergarten and Childcare, 24 Lakeview Dr, Lilydale
Swinburne Children’s Centre, 435-437 Maroondah Hwy, Lilydale
Eastern Regional Library Building L5 Box Hill Institute Lilydale Lakeside Campus Jarlo Drive, Lilydale
Chirnside Park Community Hub, 33 Kimberley Dr, Chirnside Park VIC 3116
Yarra Junction Community Hub, 2463 Warburton Highway, Yarra Junction.
CIRE Head Office, Level 1 7/9 John St, Lilydale
Genesis Health and Fitness, 446 Maroondah Hwy, Lilydale
Harrow and Harvest, 42-44 Castella St, Lilydale
Interact, Lilydale Heights College, 17-19 Nelson Rd, Lilydale
The Running Company 242 Main St, Lilydale
MiCare – Beatrix Village, 843 Mt Dandenong Rd, Montrose
Evelyn Ridge Retirement Village, 120 Clegg Rd, Mount Evelyn
Physica Yarra Valley, 237 Maroondah Hwy, Chirnside Park
Maz’s Hair and Beauty, 6 Snowball Ave, Mount Evelyn
Manchester Rd Dental Surgery, 27 Manchester Rd, Mooroolbark
“Times are a lot different this year, lots of people are struggling,” Mr Van Horrick said.
“It’s probably more important this year than what it was last year,” Ms Van Horrick added.
Donations are being collected until 2 December, with some businesses collecting children’s toys and books, while others are focusing on the older teens to ensure everyone can receive a gift.
