Message from the Chair

I want to thank all our sponsors who continue to support our mission to find some form of employment for disadvantaged unemployed and isolated adults in the hunter region. The funding provided by sponsors enables us to deliver our programs to disadvantaged adults in our community. Our programs include interview skills, resume writing, mind skills, presentation skills career development assessments. Our administration costs are funded through our fund-raising activities, such as our trivia night, sausage sizzle at Bunnings and high tea event that attracted over fifty ladies. A portion of this money is retained in our administration account to cover costs such as insurance and associated necessary expenses to ensure our organization meets our legal obligations.

Looking back on 2024/25, there have been many highlights. We invested significantly in training unemployed and isolated Refugee women to establish a sewing cluster. Corporate sponsorship enabled us to engage a professional trainer who is also a designer and seamster to conduct the training. The overall program focused on women who represent over 90% of our applicants and was titled “Surviving the Future”. We have now launched our clothing alterations services incorporating a pickup and drop off customer orders. We now meet 2 days a week at “Survivors are Us” who were kind enough to provide their sewing room free of charge. Members of the sewing cluster rotate to attendance to ensure they all get an opportunity to utilize their sewing skills.

Visit our website for the business: https://www.clothingalterationservices.com

We are presently busy contacting all the school uniforms shops across the Hunter to offer our services to alter uniforms to be up cycled and new ones that needs a fitting. We are supporting designers who require some redundant stock clothing redesigned into other clothing that is in demand in the marketplace.

I am pleased to confirm that we have been successful in finding casual and full-time employment for over 20 women. The women had been unemployed for an extended period of time and were very excited to become part of the workforce. We had our AGM this week and Bridget McCall was elected to the deputy chair role. She takes up the challenge of driving our goal of becoming a registered social enterprise organization that will assist us in our mission to help unemployed, disadvantaged and often isolated women become part of the community through participating in some form of employment.

We mentored and provided some financial assistance for 4 microbusinesses during the last financial year and have now a lot of knowledge and expertise in the micro business space that will help us assist women who are unable to participate in full time employment given they are often sole parents and have school age children.

We welcome people who are interested in participating as members of our board. I thank our members and directors for their assistance during the year 2024/25. I look forward to even more outstanding achievements in the coming year.

Pat Chair
Mob 0416006048