Doug PollardWant to play Santa?
Pic: Village Voice
Doug talks to Adam Wright of the Country Awareness Network about collecting gifts for kids affected by HIV/AIDS.
DOUG: It’s coming up to Christmas, I’ve been trying to avoid it but I can’t get away from it any longer. At Christmas people go out and start collecting for different charities, we’ve got wishing trees, we’ve got bikers with teddy-bears strapped to their handlebars, we’ve got all sorts of people collecting for the less-fortunate, at Christmas time. But this is one that’s probably a bit closer to our community than many others; it’s the 7th Annual Toy Drive for Kids affected by HIV / AIDS. It’s put together by Friends Alike of Bendigo [Central Victoria] (FAB-CV) – in central-Victoria; Country Awareness Network (Victoria) [Inc.] (CAN) and Adam Wright joins us on the line, now. Good morning Adam.
ADAM: Good morning, Doug. How are you?
DOUG: I’m pretty good, thanks. I’m ashamed to say I’ve never really noticed this toy drive before and here it says: 7th Annual.
ADAM: I know – I know, it’s become a regular part of our calendar and it’s hard to believe it’s been 7-years since it’s been running [laughs]
DOUG: Children affected by HIV / AIDS. Is that just kids with HIV / AIDS or is it children who’ve parents with HIV / AIDS as well – who is this for?
ADAM: Yes – well, all of the above. (and) As many of your listeners would probably know a chronic illness such as HIV can be life-changing for the person who has it and living with it. It’s not just the individual that it affects, it affects the whole family. The loved-ones, the friends and the partners. This is an initiative started about 7-years ago to address that need – you know, someone in a family living with HIV quite often has other priorities. Other issues. (and) Quite often that leads to - - -
DOUG: Difficulty working, for example.
ADAM: - - - yeah.
DOUG: Low income. All sorts of issues.
ADAM: So, the initiative that started between FAB and CAN 7-years ago we work closely with Melbourne agencies such as “Positive Women Victoria” and “Straight Arrows”.
DOUG: M’mm, m’mm?
ADAM: They provide us a list of needy families that would appreciate the helping hand and we do what we can – yeah, to fill-the-void. Around this time of year.
DOUG: What sort of numbers are we talking about, here – I mean, how many children are you delivering to?
ADAM: It varies from year-to-year - - -
DOUG: Sure but ballpark figure?
ADAM: - - - but – m’mm, yeah. Close to a hundred. 100-Families.
DOUG: Some of them may have more than one child, of course.
ADAM: Exactly.
DOUG: Indeed.
ADAM: Exactly and we do have a gift registry. We found it’s been a learning process, over the years. For the first couple of years we found it a bit difficult, people are very generous and donating lots of toys. But sometimes, it’s easier to pick the toys that are cute and cuddly and you might find that – you know, you get lots of donations of stuffed animals. Or things for the three, four, 6-year-olds. But we have young teens up to the twelve, thirteen – 14s.
DOUG: Okay; so, you’ve a gift registry so people can give an age-appropriate gift. So you don’t get swamped with teddy bears.
ADAM: [laughs] Well, we try and if someone’s interested, they want to donate they can ring and we can guide them and say, listen – you know, we short on this age bracket. Or this gender.
DOUG: How do they get hold of you?
ADAM: They can contact the CAN research centre, telephone number: 5443 8355. Or you can go to the CAN website: www.can.org.au – m’mm, we know it’s a busy time of year for everyone so we also accept cash donations and we’ll go out and buy a toy on behalf of someone. If they don’t have the time to go [and] purchase one.
DOUG: This is Country Awareness Network we’re speaking with here, it’s Friends Alike of Bendigo do you cover children in the Melbourne area as well or is it just country kids?
ADAM: No. It’s across the State. (and) Any of the city listeners if they’re interested in making a donation they can drop-it-off at the Positive Living Centre and we’ll collect it from there.
DOUG: If they do happen to be listening on line and they are in Bendigo they can drop-it-off at your resource centre which is at: 34 Myers Street. In Bendigo.
ADAM: That’s right.
DOUG: You said [that] sometimes you get strange or inappropriate gifts. Or you get overloaded with a particular type of gift – any particular offering in the past has made you smile?
ADAM: [laughs] We’ve had a – it wasn’t last year perhaps, it was the year before that but there was here in Bendigo a – women’s knitting group. Or craft group or something, they overloaded us with all these crocheted [laughs] animals and bits-and-pieces. Which was very, very sweet. But actually, we had a surplus and when that occurs we pass on any surplus or gifts as I mentioned if we have too many stuffed animals, those go to another worthy cause. That changes from year-to-year. We’ve given some to the Salvos, to St. Vinnies and we try to share any surplus.
DOUG: Yeah. So if you get more than you need people needn’t worry about over-donating because it’ll all always go to a good cause?
ADAM: Yes, that’s right and in previous years when we’ve had exceptionally generous years sometimes the kids on our registry get two gifts rather than just one.
DOUG: M’mm, that’s really nice. We are coming up to AIDS Awareness Week aren’t we? 24-November, 1-December and then World AIDS Day on the 1st; so, this is all part of that. What else have you got going with CAN for World AIDS Day?
ADAM: There’s heaps. Heaps on the calendar out here, in the country [laughs] we have our up-coming exhibition that’s becoming an annual event as well. This will be the 3rd year. Our red ribbon art competition where we invite local, regional rural artists to submit works of art. As part of AIDS Awareness Week, with the only proviso that it must include a red ribbon, somehow.
DOUG: Great.
ADAM: Incorporated in to the art work. The art work is quickly coming in, that’ll be launched on November 30th here in Bendigo.
DOUG: M’mm, m’mm.
ADAM: At Bendigo Pottery and the exhibition will continue to the middle-of-December. Many of these pieces of work while it’s great if you’re in the Bendigo area to stop by and look at them, many of the pieces are available for sale. With proceeds going to the Red Ribbon Campaign.
DOUG: Okee-doke. Well thank you for joining us this morning, Adam. I know it’s a really busy time for you with as I say, AIDS Awareness Week coming up [and] World AIDS Day coming up. Best of luck with all your collections and best of luck especially, with the toy collection.
ADAM: Thanks so much.
DOUG: You’re welcome. That was Adam Wright from the Country Awareness Network – just to re-iterate, they’re collecting toys for kids affected by HIV / AIDS. That is, kids with HIV / AIDS and also kids from families affected by HIV / AIDS. They are running a gift registry so that you can make an appropriate donation of – and it must be – a new toy. Or you may make a donation of money. If you’re in Bendigo you can drop-that-off at the CAN resource centre at 34 Myers Street. If you’re in the city here, you can make a donation or drop-off your toy to the Positive Living Centre. (and) If you want to know more about the gift registry – or whatever, you can give them a call: 5443 8355. Or you can look-up the CAN website, that’s: can.org.au. Worthy cause, there. (and) You get to play Santa.
