Guest Speaker -
Guest Speaker- Carlie Ryan and Lisa Renato
It was great to welcome back Lisa, the CEO of the Lifeline Loddon Mallee Region, to our meeting. Carlie has a background in Philanthropy and is currently supporting Lifeline in developing a fundraising strategy.
Lifeline has Call Centres in Bendigo and Mildura. The National number takes about 20,000 calls per year for the region and is set up in a way in which callers are not getting support from their own area.
The new Call Centre in Roh's Road is providing the necessary privacy for calls to be conducted in a respectful and confidential way. In addition to the service provided through the Call Centres Lifeline provides on ground support for critical incidents such as the Harcourt bushfires.
Suicide prevention is a key focus of Lifeline. There are growing numbers of suicides among males over the age of 85. Loneliness is a key factor in deteriorating mental health among this age group. As Rotarians we are acutely aware of the importance of reaching out and offering support to those living alone especially if there is evidence of little contact with others. The Region has 130 volunteers working on the crisis line, some have given up to thirty years service. Volunteers receive comprehensive year long training at a cost to Lifeline of $3.5K. Whilst Lifeline is in receipt of Federal funding 75% of the training costs is met through fundraising.
Calls in recent times have increased by 51%. There is every indication that demand will again rise sharply in the next twelve months. Administrative staff now number 14. A Business Manager has been engaged and there is an increased focus on future proofing.
The Lifeline Opportunity Shops, as well as raising much needed funds, have been set up to support low income families with quality goods at a reasonable price. The Stores in Bendigo in Long Gully and Strath Village are the only two in the region. Places like Echuca and Mildura are possible locations for new Stores in the future. This is a good income stream with some 13% of income coming from this source.
The Lifeline story is an inspiring one. Low cost quality support is continuously available to people suffering from mental illness and loneliness. It was great to hear of the developments in our region and we congratulate Lisa and Carlie on their leadership of this very important service. We appreciate them giving up their time to be our guests.
Lifeline Help Starts Here PH: 13 11 14 Text: 0477 13 11 14
