By Danielle Kutchel
The Indian Association Cardinia Casey is gearing up for its glittering night of nights.
On Saturday 29th June the Association will host its Annual Gala Ladies Night in Berwick, an opportunity for mothers to enjoy a carefree night of fun.
“Half of our team is mums with young kids and we hardly get time off for ourselves,” a spokeswoman for the Association said.
“We thought there would be other mums out there wanting to enjoy a carefree night where everything is about them and that’s all. Ladies Night is all about women to celebrate themselves, be themselves and enjoy a night without any worry of taking care of anyone.”
This year’s sold-out event will be extra special, with the launch of a new support program for women in the community, 4VR Women.
“Most ladies need a support, someone to talk to, someone to guide them and support them, and someone to encourage them to be who they are and were before having children. It is important for them to feel valued and acknowledged and sometimes even a cup of coffee can change lives,” the spokeswoman said.
The program is based on the idea that if women are happy and feel valued, their life and that of their whole family will change. In a world where many young families struggle financially and work long hours, it is hoped the program will help mitigate stress and frustration and potentially, domestic violence as well.
Already, many local businesses have come on board to support the program.
“If you open one knot, it’s a step forward to untangling the mesh,” the spokeswoman said.
“Through this program, we aim to reach out to women who are in need of being heard. We will hook them up with mentors who can guide them through their issues, help them upgrade their skill sets, mentor them for work and dealing with situations at home and make them independent even with kids.”
The program is not specific to any part of the community, the spokeswoman added – all are welcome to use the service or partner with it.
Anyone interested in contributing to the program or who knows someone who might benefit from it is asked to get in touch with the Indian Association Cardinia Casey through Facebook.
