Year 9 CLC Program

Huge successes are being celebrated in our much-loved Year 9 CLC program, with our students having just completed their 3rd and 4th weeks of volunteering around the community.

Our Make-A-Wish Foundation crew of Hunter Boruch, Teagan Stewart and Jorja Vanbree ran a successful Bake Sale on campus during both breaks on Wednesday, with staff and students filing through buying goods such as cupcakes, brownies and cookies made by the girls themselves at home and in our CLC Kitchen. It was a great sight to see everyone smiling and chipping in to fundraise for such a powerful cause, with well over $100 raised on the day.

Up at Inner Wheel based at The Centre, Emily McMurray and Markus Mibini were again busy preparing, cooking and packaging meals for The Carevan to provide to Wangaratta’s homeless. They had extra cooks in the kitchen too in Week 4, with new group members Khara Reeve and Lia McKeown eager to assist. Again, dozens of meals were made by our empathetic Year 9s.

The group at Iloura Aged Care Home continue to return to CLC each Wednesday with glowing faces and stories to tell. Stevie Driscoll, Luke Macklan, Alec Armstrong and Hamish Tanner are having a ball interacting with and assisting the residents in any way they can. Alec had a great story of helping a resident write a letter to a family member, as well as finding a box of chocolates for him which were thought to be lost. Some apparently epic card games were the highlight of Week 4, and the photos clearly display both sides having as much fun as each-other.

In the junior classrooms of both the Wangaratta & District Specialist School (Zoe Taurega-Green, Sharni Hepworth and Meagan Young) and Wangaratta West Primary School (Ethan Rhodes, Marcus Iley, Faith Mayer-Young, Zoe Jeffries and Aurelio McIllroy), our 8 Classroom Helpers have been returning with stories of their own, and that unmistakable CLC Glow the kids routinely return to CLC Headquarters with.

The two Clinic Taker groups at Wangaratta West PS have continued running lessons for both Grade 5-6 and Prep P.E students. With both Newmo & Wang West P.E Specialist Demi Walker mentoring them, the 9 CLC kids (Billy Hiskins, Gus Jayet, Kade Hadley, Lachy Pensak, Jackson Bell, Jayla Keys, Xavi Bennett, Parker Lappin and Callem Box-Corsini) are improving all sorts of skills including lesson planning, communication & behaviour management, all while having a heap of fun. Again, the Wang West kids are telling their families all about it at the Dining Table, and remembering our kids by name, such is their adoration of them.

In the Wang West PS yard, our Grounds Crew have again completed numerous jobs, with school leadership thrilled at their contributions. The results of their weeding, gardening, whipper-snipping & blowing work outside their Out of School Home Care Centre in Week 3, was so impressive that apparently a number of guests at an event held there the following day commented on how beautiful it was. In Week 4, our boys (Jayden Laxton, Brando Moore, Ryley Yorke, Noah Simmons, Levi Smith & Seth Williams) managed to solve an issue with their Green Wheelie Bins which had been hampering the school for a number of weeks, again delighting leadership. Levi Smith has routinely been a standout in terms of his work ethic.

Our weekly Reflection Circle closes each Wednesday, with everyone in a circle sharing their highlights from the day. It is so powerful to hear the stories and see the pride they feel in having helped others. The best photos of them in action get added to our Photo Wall, which they love to look back on and celebrate. Very powerful scenes.

As you can imagine, extremely positive feedback is coming in from those organisations hosting our kids, and we thank them all for being willing to be involved in the program. Of course, congratulations to all of our CLC kids for their efforts.

• Jud Mullins