Newsletter for the Rotary Club of Greater Geraldton - Issue No.: 782 Issue Date: 29 Apr, 2024

Guest Speaker Jan Adjuk, Regional Co-Ordinator Variety Mid West WA,

introduced by Terry Stewart.

The following is Jan Adjuk’s presentation, which kindly forwarded to this humble reporter.

Thank you very much for inviting me today to be your guest speaker and tell you all about my favourite topic of conversation Variety WA Midwest.

Variety is a worldwide children’s charity dedicated to empowering children to live, laugh & learn

I thought I would give you an insight into where and how Variety started.

Variety started when a young girl baby who was left on the steps of a Sheridan “Variety” social theatre group in America.  They decided to foster the girl, named her Catherine Sheridan then called out for donations and support for her, which soon flooded in from all over the country, on the generosity of the country the group then continued their good work supporting other children in need all over the world under the name “Variety”. And that good work is continued on today across the world, as for Catherine she was adopted and lived her live helping disadvantaged children and passed away peacefully in 1994.

Variety WA commenced in Geraldton in the mid 1990’s and then grew so that the Midwest branch was formed just before 2006 after a group of Geraldton Bash cars decided that they would form the branch and support Midwest kids directly. Variety WA Midwest covers from Jurien Bay to Mullewa up to Carnarvon and all that is in between.

It was in 2006  I attended my first Getaway, leading to me joining the committee, followed by 3 years as President and now in my fourth year as Regional Coordinator.

In my role as Regional Coordinator I have had the opportunity to deal with the children and their families first hand. I deal with the local agencies that assist our kids in a professional forum who deal with their everyday day needs and seek ways in which they are able to assist them in the everyday living.

I work hard on developing relationships with these agencies and educating them on what Variety does and can do for the children.These agencies are my link to the families, to spreading the word that there is assistance there for them, they only need ask. That is the hard bit at times, getting the families to allow us into their lives for a period of time where we can offer some form of help which they are all so desperately needing at times.

We need to break down the barriers of “charity” and educate our families in their understanding that people just wish to help and quite often don’t know how and sometimes for them it is as simple as giving money through an organization such as Variety and assisting us to reach the kids through our grants program.

I also have the chance to become not just a Variety support link, but I personally get to know our families and in particular the kids, it is very important that the families know that we care and we want to make a difference in their lives.

By giving practical equipment, programs and experiences, Variety helps children overcome obstacles they face - and helps kids be kids.

Assistance is provided through three core programs:

Caring for Kids providing essential medical and care equipment for families at home and for other organisations like schools and hospitals

Future Kids Helping kids who are disadvantaged or have special needs to fulfil their dreams and reach their fullest potential in education, the arts and sport, while also providing fun event and play experiences.

Freedom Enabling children with physical disability to participate in activities alongside their families by providing wheelchairs, custom tricycles, walking frames and more.

Variety WA Midwest has joined as a Diamond partnership with the City of Greater Geraldton in the redevelopment of the West End of the Foreshore, we granted a wheelchair accessible carousel and 2 net wings.

The carousel allows 2 wheelchairs or be it prams to be pushed onto the carousel, a levered bar will secures them in place so as not to move, there are bench seats for other siblings and children, Mum, Dad, grandparents so that they can all enjoy the ride together as a family, the way it should be.

The net swings are designed for all children of all ages, more than one child at a time can lay/sit in the net swing and relax, children in wheelchairs with difficulties sitting upright without supports will be able to lie in the net swing and have the same sensations as other children and siblings and friends can join them as in the carousel.

It’s not just about learning programs, constants therapy sessions, parents taking every opportunity to develop their child, sometimes it’s about the simple pleasures in life that we all sometimes take for granted, or just be like all the other kids and having fun just because they can, our aim is to enrich their lives and those of their families. Some days are tough, very tough, but then again not all of them have to be with wonderful facilities like the wheelchair accessible carousel & the net swings.

Since the net swings have come to use, we have been able to grant a net swing for 2 wonderful little boys – brothers – both boys have Cerebral Palsy - Quadriplegia Spasity. Microcephaly Global Delay & Epilepsy. They are both non-verbal and communicate by body gestures, eye contact and making sounds.

These 2 little boys aged 9 & 3 are able to enjoy their own swing in their own backyard, without having to travel to and from home and then waiting their turn or getting off early so that other kids can have a turn, but besides the fun of the swing, it also provides invaluable therapy, in that when they are on the swings, they relax their muscles and they are not in a constant state of being tense and stiffness, they also enjoy the sensory feeling of the swing.

After a hectic week at camp in Darwin – then home to Geraldton then back to Perth in less than a week to volunteer at a Variety WA fundraiser at the Crown Casino, I used it as a good excuse to detour on the way home via Coorow to meet a loveable little boy of 3 and his big brother and family, is a quick reminder of why we do what we do, this loveable little boy has Tuberous Sclerosis, he also has Epilepsy and Global development delay......this means he has or may have tumours through his major organs and may have problems with his eyes, teeth, nail, heart, kidneys, skin etc....

He is still in nappies, can't feed himself yet and can't talk yet.....

He has ongoing appointments with speech, Occupational therapy,  physio, dermatologist etc....as well as heart scans, EEGs, MRIs....

Although he is delayed he has come a long way and is a very happy 3 year old, he is very happy to do is own thing in a day, loves balls, balloons and bubbles.....and food is the way to his heart....

Variety WA Midwest were able to grant him a special travel bed, that he hopefully shall not grow out of, as he has done with his travel cot, to best describe it is like a swag/tent, it is padded with four walls and a ceiling and lays close to the ground, so that when he has seizures he cannot hurt himself or fall out of bed, this bed enables the family to travel to Perth doctors appointments, stay in hotels without the worry of where he will sleep, they have been able to regularly visit family in Geraldton and go on a holiday knowing that their boy is safe when he sleeps and will not necessarily hurt himself if he seizures during the night.This simple travel bed, which came especially from America, has made a life changing difference to this little boy and his family, plus big brother thinks it’s the best cubby ever.

Last year we had 2 children from the Midwest attend the Motor Mouth Camp and this year I have the privilege of attending in October to learn more about how it is run and the benefits to our children.

The Variety Motor Mouth Camp is a four day, program for school aged children who have limited speech and rely on augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) aids to express themselves.

Combining fun, intensive therapy and training for Motor Mouth Camp children, parents, siblings and carers, Campers receive one-on-one support from volunteer speech, occupational and physio therapists – opening up a whole new world of communication and much needed support.

The Camp is a fantastic opportunity for children using AAC to get to know other children in the same situation, share experiences and make new friends. The primary aim of the camp is for children using AAC to improve their system use and become more competent communicators in a fun and relaxing environment           

Each year, there is The Goanna Park Adventure Camp for teenagers with special needs from around Australia.  As part of the adventure experience, campers sleep in large screened tents and participate in various activities such as abseiling, motor bike riding, Rock Climbing, zip Lining, horse riding and so many more fun interactive activities. The Goanna Park Adventure Camp program is designed to assist participants gain self-esteem and confidence, to challenge their comfort zones, develop life skills and promote friendships with other participants with whom they can empathize.

Each year Variety WA Midwest sends approximately 2 campers and their carers, this varies depending on applications, and one year saw us send 7 campers with carers and this year 3. I personally have been in 2015 and again just this July, it is a week camp that leaves you totally exhausted, shattered physically & emotionally and I can’t wait to go again with another group of teenagers hopefully next year.

The benefits of myself attending these camps is so that I can promote these fantastic events through our agencies for children with disabilities and their families, to know firsthand is to give them the insight and knowledge of the benefits to the kids, it also gains me more needed training on how I can understand, relate and communicate better not just with the families, but in particular the kids themselves. It is so easy to be apprehensive on how we talk to our Variety kids, being that they are non-verbal, are on the Autism spectrum and communicate in different ways, but to realize that they are just kids and they just want to be talked to, they have a mind, an intelligence and an incredible sense of humour, we just need to be brave enough to reach out and discover it.

Variety WA Midwest has assisted many families in Geraldton, we approximately grant over $100k to Midwest kids and organizations in the Midwest each year. We have assisted schools with books, IT equipment, play equipment, hospitals with needed medical equipment, i.e.: de-fibulators and individuals with iPads, trampolines, nebulizers, wheelchairs and the list goes on.

Variety has 3 banners for which we support kids in need, children who are sick, disadvantaged or who have special needs, I believe I have explained how we assist kids who are sick and who have special needs, 5 years ago I wanted to reach out and find a way to assist our Midwest kids who are disadvantaged, a walking mind field, I came up with the concept of holding a ladies luncheon where up to 150 ladies come together to enjoy good food, good company and a glass of champas or 2. The ladies are requested to contribute essential personal Items and school equipment to the value of $10 for Midwest kids in need from alist supplied from that years beneficiary, we distribute these goods via local organizational programmes assisting our kids at risk, we have assisted In the Flexible Learning Centre, Westview Residential Group, Stay to name a few. These basic items like deodorant, shampoo, conditioner, writing pads, pens etc. are items our kids at risk have limited access to, it is important to show that we do care, we do want to make a difference in their lives and hopefully in this very simple way we believe we do, to see the smiles and appreciation on their faces when they open up all the goodies in the bags is reward enough, and if I may say, the ladies spend far more than $10, it was a simple request to the ladies, spend $10 on items from the supplied list and help disadvantaged kids in the Midwest, hey what lady would only spends $10 - the winner here is the kids.

Then there is our favourite day of the year, the Kids Christmas Party, we invite nearly 100 families with children with disabilities, that’s over 200 kids and parents plus nearly 100 volunteers and entertainers that's nearly 500 that come to the Turf Club for a morning of fun, entertainment and food, It is a morning where the families can simply enjoy themselves in a caring, safe non-judgmental environment, where the kids are kids and they are a family having fun and our volunteers get to interact with the kids and their families and see first-hand the difference they are making In their lives, and the best thing Iis every child gets to meet Santa, have a photo with him and get a present, they show incredible patience whilst waiting for their name to be called out, so once we have worn them out on rides, fed them with ice cream and parents with coffee, we send them home hopefully to an afternoon sleep.

Now to run all these programmes takes money - Variety is a non for profit organization, we receive no money from the government or any other organization, except some small funding from Lotteries WA, all our monies spent on the kids needs to be fund raised, and this we do in many different formats, we run our 3 day Getaway, the Ladies Luncheon, Santa Fun Run, Melbourne Cup Sweep and this year is the Moresby dinner - Motown on Moresby on Saturday 19th August,  I still have some tickets available. I am a paid part time employee where I am paid from our Perth office, no monies raised at Midwest events are used to run our branch all that is done from Perth office, all monies raised in the Midwest are utilized through our grants program and spent on Midwest kids.

We have the most amazing group of members, volunteers who I like to call our Variety family, with their generosity of their time and skills we are able to run these events professionally and very successfully, then I have to give credit to the wonderful community minded local business's, we all know how tough it is for them at the moment, they generously give what they can in goods and services, from labour, to vehicle equipment, discount on products, and more, without these amazing business's backing us, we simply could not do what we do and for that we are eternally grateful.

So I hope I have been able to shed some light on what Variety WA Midwest does and the difference we are making on Midwest kids who are sick, disadvantaged or who have special needs, Variety WA Midwest are very proud of who we are and what we do and we hope we can continue on helping kids for years to come. So if you know someone that you think we could assist please pass on my name and tell them to give me a call.

Video presentation of Addison’s Story. END

Guest Speaker thanks was done by Jim Dillon