Watch out Wollongong – the Kickstart ‘Party’ Bus has arrived!
A big thank you to our friends at IRT Group who donated the bus and officially handed over the keys yesterday at a special breakfast for our Community Connect volunteers.
The volunteers have been receiving gardening training from IRT Facilities Management learning basic gardening and land care skills and transforming gardens at IRT Five Islands and Kemira at IRT Kanahooka.
As part of the partnership between the two organisations, IRT recently donated a bus to Greenacres to be used by the Community Connect volunteers and the participants of the Kickstart program.
IRT Group CEO Patrick Reid says it’s a great example of two community-based, not-for-profits working together to benefit both organisations and the people of the Illawarra.
We really enjoy it when the Greenacres gardeners come to IRT sites and work their magic on our gardens, Mr Reid said.
What’s most exciting is observing how much our residents enjoy the Greenacres crew. They have big warm personalities and our residents find a lot of joy in watching them work and having a chat while they do.
Our residents also get the pleasure of having some truly beautiful gardens to spend time in, thanks to the work of our Greenacres friends.
Greenacres General Manager Heather Marciano says the gardening group has not only learnt new skills but have developed meaningful friendships with employees and residents at IRT communities across the Illawarra.
We hope this project will provide a space where IRT residents can come to mentor our young people and share their gardening knowledge, or just come to enjoy the gardens and pick some herbs or veggies to take home, Ms Marciano said.
We see this project as providing opportunities for young and old to connect, share ideas and create an inclusive space for all to share.
