Although Mick Wells has moved on as CEO of Shine for Kids to settle amongst the penguins, the Club and Community retain a strong interest in this wonderful organisation. Set up to support kids with a parent in the criminal justice system, they are still adjusting to the loss of Mick's drive and commitment. They have moved from Footscray into a small office in Ross House in Flinders Lane.
A couple of recent visits show that they are clearly under resourced , though tackling a number of labor intensive programs. They were overjoyed on Wednesday when Sue and I were able to deliver 80 pairs of brightly coloured pairs of new thongs and shoes donated by the Club's old friends Caprice, and 45 assorted balls collected by the Have a Ball Foundation, founded by Rohan Duncan. Most of these were new and consisted of footballs ( rugby, soccer and AFL ), basketballs and volleyballs. We should be able to keep up the supply through Duncan in the future. Monetary value is probably $1500, but more importantly we hope this puts smiles on a lot of faces as we approach Christmas.
RCM will continue the smile initiative for the kids through the TREE OF JOY program in December.