The Path of Hope Foundation, in collaboration with the Rotary Club of Perth and an anonymous donor recently remodelled one of the spaces for women affected by domestic violence.
Inspiration for the project came from an earlier collaboration between Path of Hope and the anonymous donor, completed in 2015, which was a renovation and refurbishment of an early learning centre. The centre was a place for children to play and be tutored after school and to build a live of resilience and empowerment away from family and domestic violence.
The IKEA-Rollout Project was carried out by volunteers from several Rotary Clubs in Rotary district 9455 and Path of Hope volunteers. Planning for this mammoth project started in mid-2016, when Rebecca Tolstoy, Chairman of Path of Hope, noticed the cluttered space youth workers were working in.
“I thought what could I bring to the table, how could I help Sam and Sarah, two of the youth workers who utilise the room, to improve their work environment so they can provide a better service to our children and their mums,” Rebecca Tolstoy said.
As a result she organised a team of volunteers and staff who put together a wish list of items they would require to clean up the room. Ikea came on board and kindly donated $80,000 worth of furniture, making the wish list a reality.
“Dare to dream, let’s put all we want on the list and then whatever we can get will be great, even if it is just a few things,” Sarah-Jane, one of the many invaluable Path of Hope volunteers, said when she took charge of the rollout.
A lot of amazing volunteers came on board to help with the rollout and donated their time to make the Hangout not just a room but a place to feel comfortable in.
“Sarah-Jane’s loving caring way and her amazing ability to listen and work with people to find out what they want and need was crucial to the success of this project. She took the time to sit down with youth workers and the manager for the Center providing support to women and children - victims of Domestic Violence, Captain Naava, and together they came up with solutions for the learning centre,” Rebecca Tolstoy said.
The day was a huge success thanks to all the staff and volunteers who donated their time. A big thank you goes out to everyone who made this day possible.
To view the photos of the day click HERE