By CAM LUCADOU-WELLS
A TEDDY-bear, a blanket, pyjamas and a few comforts – it’s a little significant something to help the thousands of kids taken out of the family home.
Backpacks 4 Vic Kids founder Sally Ritter has delivered more than 1600 packs in Victoria and parts of NSW to kids going into foster care and emergency housing since she started the charity.
Such is the demand she’s moved the business out of home to a Camms Road factory – along with new $2500 monthly overheads.
She says the not-for-profit charity is in desperate need of donations for babies and children up to 17 years old – new soft toys, blankets, sleepwear, backpacks, baby bathing items – as well as cash.
In a bolt from the blue, South Eastern Masonic Centre arrived like a knight in shining armour.
It rang and offered to stage a rock-and-roll dinner dance to raise funds for the charity.
“It was just amazing,” Ms Ritter said. “Someone rings and says we hold this thing – can we raise money for you?
“That would be great!”
Ms Ritter, a former foster carer, started the charity when she made inquiries to donate to a similar Queensland-based group.
When she found out some of the proceeds were wasted on shipping backpacks to Victorian kids, she forged her own organisation within eight weeks.
The backpacks give a child – who is in a situation of upheaval – a “sense of ownership”. It allows child protection workers and foster families to also focus more wholly on the child as they settle in.
The packs are distributed by the Department of Human Services, Victoria Police, foster care agencies and crisis accommodation providers.
Ms Ritter hopes to expand the charity to kit out thousands more children in need who don’t get a backpack – such as children at-risk and those in transitional homeless accommodation.
“There’s so many children to reach – more than 3000 children placed in out-of-home care a year just in Victoria and tens of thousands that haven’t gone through the system yet.
“I just want to give them a soft toy and a blanket to cuddle.”
Giorgio Migliaccio, secretary of the SEMC, said the organisation said “it was an opportunity too good to miss” to back such a new, worthy charity.
“It’s helping children in those situations. It’s just something we had to support.”
The masonic centre wants to back worthy charities with further events in coming months.
“Each time, we’ll pick a local charity. It’s something where people can enjoy themselves and throw in money for a local charity.”
The dinner dance includes music from The Kingpins, a three-course dinner, pre-dinner drinks and nibbles and a monster raffle and auction.
It is at South Eastern Masonic Centre, Hutton Road, Keysborough on 3 September from 6.30pm; $35 a head.
Bookings for tables of 10 or individually: Mike Jenner, 0421 251 299 or Denis Henry, 0409 112 381.
More details, go to ‘Backpacks 4 Vic Kids’ Facebook page.
