Santa Has a Secret
A: SShhhh! Santa has a secret! Santa has a secret!
P: Tell me, tell me!
A: Promise you won’t tell anyone?
P: I promise, I promise!
A: Pinky promise?
P: Pinky promise.
A: OK, well you know how Santa always says, “HO, HO, HO”, and looks very jolly? Well really, he is quite sad, and he is really saying, “ho, ho, hope things get better for you real soon”.
P: But why would he say that? We are all OK.
A: Yes, we are all OK, but there are hundreds of thousands of other girls and boys who aren’t OK. Their Mums and Dads don’t have decent jobs and they don’t have decent homes where they can sleep safe at night. Some even sleep in their cars. We might not always be able to see that, but Santa sees everything.
P: That is very bad, and sad. So what can make Santa happy?
A: He wants to open a special Santa’s Workshop, just like he’s got at the North Pole, in Queensland.
P: Why Queensland?
A: ‘Cause that’s where the problem is really bad. He is joining up with the Fuller Center for Housing and is going to call his new workshop the Fuller ReBuild Center, because it is all about rebuilding people’s hopes and dreams.
P: What will people do there?
A: They will be able to learn some new jobs and help Santa recycle building materials, furniture and appliances that shops and building companies give him. There will be people who can learn to be carpenters, or cabinet makers, or painters, or welders, or handymen. Some of them might learn to make teddy bears. Others will learn how to make cakes and cookies and coffee. Others will learn how to make toys. Some of them might even learn how to become business people. And there will be a shop where people can buy things for their homes really cheap.
P. Wow, Santa will be busy.
A: Well first of all Santa needs to get enough money to build the ReBuild Center, then he needs to hire some trainers to teach the people, and he needs a truck to pick up the things that companies and people donate.
P: So how do WE help Santa?
A: We will donate whatever we can though his crowdfunding campaign. I want to be one of his Foundation members, so I have to get $1,000 together. But if you don’t have that much you can start with $25, or $88, because you are a girl and you will be able to get involved with women only projects, or maybe $200, or $500. We could talk to the man at the hardware store about maybe donating $5000 as a platinum sponsor. Wouldn’t that be cool? Santa has some surprises for every good boy and girl, mum and dad who helps him..
P: Wow, wow, wow! I can’t wait. I wonder what he is going to surprise US with.
A: Check it out: for each level of our donations, he has got some really good rewards, but I don’t care all that much about the rewards; I just want to help him make the dream come true.
The Dream.
1. 1,000+ square metres of retail space holding good-quality building supplies, furnishings, appliances & décor at ReBuild Center.
2. 2 x Workshops – one for restoring furniture, repairing appliances, re-purposing building materials and the other for converting shipping containers into modular homes
3. Mezzanine Office Space for Fuller Foundation of Australia/ Rebuild Center/Center for Housing administration and for business training
4. Café for public and staff and as a training centre for hospitality trainees
5. ReBuild’s most important role is to provide a safe space for marginalised people to explore employment options & get the training opportunities they need.
Shopping at ReBuild will be a socially conscious decision; funds generated will be used to fund Fuller Center for Housing home-building projects. Furthermore, shopping at ReBuild will be an environmentally conscious decision; much of what is sold will be new, gently used or customer returns that would otherwise end up in a landfill.
The Purpose.
The ReBuild Center will serve several purposes:
1. It will provide a space where we can welcome refugees, intellectually and physically challenged individuals, homeless, work for the dole people, parolees, seniors and community service people as well as volunteers and social services interns. They will be trained in construction industry related trades and skills, hospitality and retail. Some may progress on to do business courses.
2. The Center itself is a place where building companies, hardware stores, white-goods retailers and furniture stores can divest themselves of excess stock, second hand or used stock, slightly damaged or "unsaleable" items which can be lovingly restored, repaired or renovated and resold.
3. Profits from this social enterprise will be used to support Fuller Center for Housing and other charities in the social housing sector.
This is our way of living out Matthew 25:35-36:
"For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me."
The first step is to build the building and staff it with passionate people, volunteers and interns. That's what we need a million dollars for.
Our Story and Why You Should Support Us.
Fuller Center for Housing Queensland Australia (soon to be Fuller Foundation of Australia) consists of an awesome group of people, We are all soldiers in the war on poverty housing - fighting for a world in which everyone has a safe, secure and decent home where they can live in peace.
Recognising that being poor doesn't mean being ordinary. Because when systems are broken, like the ones that we're seeing around the world, it's an opportunity for invention and for innovation. It's an opportunity to truly build a world where we can extend services and products to all human beings, so that they can make decisions and choices for themselves. This way we can rebuild communities by rebuilding homes; rebuild people by rebuilding hope. By working closely with marginalised members of our communities we can truly build responsive, supportive, productive communities where people are respected. We will see a lessening of violence and crime.
The Team
Rod Hyatt, Pauline Hyatt, Colin Thandrayan and Mal McKenna are all ex Habitat for Humanity and have worked in the trenches repairing homes after the Brisbane floods of 2011. Pauline and Rod led teams of volunteers to Vietnam in 2010 and 2011 to build homes there. Jason and Lisa Loakes run a homeless shelter at Waterford - just south of Brisbane. Gerard Beuers has run events to help homeless and isolated people as well as showcase mental health support groups.
Together we are an awesome team with a passion for helping those who don't have a decent place to lay their head at night. We are also passionate about addressing employment issues for those who have "dropped through the cracks" and need a safe space and an opportunity to get tailor made training and practice so they can become useful productive members of the community.
We have around 100 dedicated followers/members/volunteers/equally passionate people in Brisbane.
Sponsors.
We have one major sponsor so far - more are welcome!
Jerome Dalton heads up Dalton Hospitality - recognised as one of only three companies in Queensland by the Australia Restaurant and Catering Association as a Gold License Caterer - secret weapon of the Wallabies and Reds Rugby Teams. Jerome said that what we are doing "ticks all the boxes" for him and he is happy to not only feed our staff and volunteers but also to sponsor the setting up of a training school in our cafe to teach people barista and bakery skills.
Fuller Center for Housing has been active since 2005 in Americus, GA, USA and is now in 17 countries worldwide. We have only just started in Australia.
We are through thinking "small". This is a big project because we want to make a big impact.
We are ready to break rules and break records
BTW, Rod used the 1,000 people x $1,000 formula, way back in 1981 (The Year of The Disabled) to raise more than $1,000,000 for organisations helping physically and mentally challenged people. That is one record we aim to beat with your help.
Use of Funds.
Tipping Point goal
With $250,000 we can build one workshop section of the ReBuild Center, employ one General Manager, and rely on good volunteers and interns. We would be limited in the number of people we could serve as trainees and we would be limited in training subjects. Our impact would be meaningful, but not quite what we envisage.
Ultimate goal
With $1 Million+ we can do the whole building with a second workshop and mezzanine office space above the central retail section, hire 7 division leaders and a general manager. We can activate more training, including hospitality and business. We can have a huge impact.
The Fuller ReBuild Center will become a reality in mid 2016 with your help.
Pledge your donation now. $1,000 for Foundation level membership or any amount from $25.
Pledge Levels.
Onyx - $25:00 – Our heartfelt thanks, a smile, a badge and a receipt.
Sapphire - $55:00 – T shirt or cap or mug (your choice) – Blue I.D. lanyard, access to volunteer training and projects, newsletter, badge.
Ruby – $88:00 - Women Only – Special Pink Tool Apron + T Shirt or cap or mug (your choice), Pink I.D. lanyard – access to volunteer training, Discounted White Card training, access to Women’s Build projects, newsletter, badge.
Jade - $500:00 – T shirts, caps or mugs (your choice), jade green I.D. lanyard, plus Discounted White Card Training, Discounted First Aid Training, access to projects, newsletter, badges, window decal, certificate of appreciation plaque, Sponsor ID on project sites and events, website logo placement.
Diamond - $1,000:00 – 2 x T shirts, or 2 caps or 2 mugs (your choice), 2 white I.D. lanyards, plus 2 staff x Discounted White Card Training, 2 staff x Discounted First Aid Training, access to projects, newsletter, 2 x badges, window decal, gold appreciation plaque, Sponsor ID on project sites and events, website logo placement. Special Foundation Member Extras – Coffee Club VIP Card and Billy Bear (month 3) and Ruby Bear (month 6), 2 x Foundation Badges and 2 Gold wrist bands to attend the sod busting ceremony and celebration of the ReBuild Center. An invitation to apply for Board Member status – 28 positions available
Platinum - $5,000:00 – 5 x Polo Shirts, 5 caps, 5 platinum coloured I.D. lanyards, White Card and First Aid Training for 5 staff members, access to volunteer training and projects, newsletter, 5 badges, window decal, gold appreciation plaque, website logo placement and advertisement, Sponsor ID on project sites and events.
Foundation Member Extras
Band4Hope bands supplied by a separate social enterprise: http://band4hope.com/
* Images are for illustration purposes. Actual rewards may vary slightly
Special Foundation Member Extras – 4 x Coffee Club VIP Card and 2x Billy Bears (month 3) and 2x Ruby Bears (month 6), 2 x Foundation Badges and 4 Gold wrist bands to attend the sod busting ceremony and celebration of the ReBuild Center. An invitation to apply for Board Director status – 7 positions available Rewards
Please Share Our Campaign:
- Over social media using our share buttons
- Blog about us!
- Reach out to friends in a personal email
Follow us at ReBuild Center’s Facebook page “Hope ReBuilders":https://www.facebook.com/groups/hoperebuilders/