CHAPTER 1 – Let’s Play
When Olivia passed away in November 2006, John and Justine Perkins had no words, no answers, no idea. Just indescribable sadness. They knew the disease Olivia had been diagnosed with was life changing, but never had it occurred to them that it would be life taking. Olivia was 8-months old when she died. She was John and Justine’s second child, and baby sister to their first born Will. She had been a healthy baby until about 7 months when her lymphatic system decided to go into battle against her. Her diagnosis of Lymphatic Malformation at 8 months old was too late and she spent the last 2 weeks in hospital and didn’t come home.
Justine can only describe the time after Olivia’s death as being driven by an unrelenting grief to find hope and joy. A time that is usually cherished with summer and Christmas festivities approaching, became a time to dig deep and mask happiness as every living breath became focussed on building Olivia’s legacy to find a reason for their indescribable loss.
Olivia’s life had meaning and the Perkins were determined to bring hope to others through their loss. Within 6 weeks of Olivia’s death, they had created Touched by Olivia – a charity in Olivia’s memory. Thanks to her little life, the charity has spread its wings across thousands of people and has changed the lives of families around Australia.
It has done this by connecting with families through play with the creation of its Livvi’s Place National Network of Inclusive Playspaces. It also continued its association with the Sydney Children’s Hospital, Randwick, in investing in medical support to help other children living with similarly rare, medical conditions. We are very proud to say that equipment purchased for the Hospital and clinical trial and research conducted have leveraged the Hospital as a Centre of Excellence in the area of Vascular Malformations, the family of diseases that took Olivia’s life.
In the play arena, Touched by Olivia’s work has really taken flight. The Livvi’s Places that have opened around Australia have shone a light on the importance of play, as not only a fundamental building block in a child’s development, but as a medium by which people of all ages can connect. With social connection so important to a person’s well being, these spaces are happy places where difference is not a factor. Everyone can play!
Touched By Olivia has partnered with developers, corporates and recently with Variety – the Children’s Charity (NSW/ACT) , to create in excess of 35 inclusive playspaces across Australia. The final piece of our plight has now come with the NSW Government’s release of the Everyone Can Play guidelines which mark the standard for inclusive play in NSW, of which other states are following suit.
Our adventure has had many ups and downs. Luckily for us more ups, and despite the tears, we’ve had lots of laughs, as love has always shaped our work.
We’ve fundraised our little hearts out with gala balls, family fun days, running events and sausage sizzles. One of our most memorable events, in addition to our annual butterfly balls, was taking 30 runners to compete in the New York City Marathon in 2016. Now that was an adventure and a memory to cherish! Running through the streets of NYC pink and proud was definitely an unforgettable way to honour our little Livvi’s 10 year anniversary.
WATCH AS WE SEE THE START OF OLIVIA’S LEGACY IN THE MAKING
CHAPTER 2 – Let’s Partner
Just as Olivia would have grown in years, so is Touched by Olivia and its reason for being. With that comes constant evolution. By spreading its beautiful butterfly wings, that are in the image of Olivia’s hands, Touched by Olivia mission is drawing on its drive to help bring inclusion to communities around Australia. The catalyst that enabled this was the play partnership Touched by Olivia forged with Variety – The Children’s Charity. Like Touched by Olivia, Variety is just as passionate about giving all kids the right to play and has taken the lead in delivering inclusive playspaces around Australia, under the aptly named “Variety Livvi’s Place” co-brand.
WATCH THE ANNOUNCEMENT HERE
CHAPTER 3 – Let’s go Big, Really BIG!!
Touched by Olivia’s next chapter builds upon the incredible learnings of inclusion through play. By recognising that all people, no matter their age, ability, or background, have the right to belong, feel connected and valued, we, as a community, need to be doing more! And so, Touched by Olivia’s coming of age is all about driving community communities!
There is so much to do in this space to support communities and we are excited about what we have in store! Our work is focussed on combatting mental health issues, social isolation and the barriers that prevent us from being a truly inclusive community. True to form, it is super ambitious and involves a collective of charities and causes, the likes of which we haven’t seen before.
The Living Room
The first project will kick off at Five Dock, Sydney and is called The Living Room which will be an activated space incorporating our social enterprise Livvi’s Cafe and a supported meeting space.
Livvi’s Cafe, Five Dock has been operating for about 7 years now and offers people with disabilities meaningful work experience in the hospitality business. We are so proud of the success of our Livvi’s Cafe in Five Dock where students come and train on a daily basis to gain skills and confidence. Expanding this offering with a community hub will enable us to bring collective impact to the people who need it most. The Living Room is a partnership with The City of Canada Bay – go here to learn more and have your say!!
Community Circles
Our second project is called Community Circles Australia.
Communities are facing a massive recovery phase as we start to emerge from this pandemic. For purpose organisations are a critical element of this recovery and we are seeing many charities going over and above to provide basic human needs, as the well-being of people, particularly those most vulnerable in our community, continues to decline. Touched By Olivia is adopting an internationally proven model called “Community Circles” into Australia. Currently in its pre-production stage, Touched by Olivia is currently seeking funding to expedite the augmentation of the model for the Australian market as a best practice model that supports people within communities to live better lives.
Traditionally in Australia, people seeking care will typically be referred to a service provider. A package will be prepared, that may cover only a small percentage of that person’s needs, and the person will be required to fit in with the schedule of the service provider based on a pre-determined funding allocation. Schemes which follow this model, such as MyAged Care and NDIS, are now the subject of damning Royal Commission findings and changes need to be made to overcome these fundamental flaws.
Introducing Community Circles! The principle of Community Circles is very simple. It breathes life into the concept of ‘person-led’ care. Community Circles enables people to be, and to feel more, valued in their community by enabling dignity and choice and a sense of belonging, participation and inclusion. Blended well together, Community Circles helps create meaningful connections.
Community Circles can work across a range of ages, abilities and backgrounds. Anyone can have a circle! In its purest form, it brings two or more people together around someone who wants a little help to make a change in their life. That change can be anything – from getting out and about more, getting some help around the house, shopping for basic daily needs, or creating opportunities to spend more time with friends or family. As a person’s individual circumstances become more complex, such as where disability or ageing are factors, Community Circles works by adding more layers to a person’s circle. In short, Community Circles is a solution to the future of social care in Australia.
Due to the purposeful partnerships and community collaboration that Community Circles operates through, the positive impact of Community Circles is far-reaching. Circles not only allows people to self-direct their lives whilst improving their physical, emotional and social challenges, but it also empowers people within the community to join and participate, either as a paid facilitator of a circle or as a volunteer providing support. Informal care from family, friends and community is a crucial part of the social care system. They nurture, they support, they care, they advocate, and they speak up when something’s not right. The value of informal carers is difficult to overstate. The economic value they contribute, and the important care and support they provide is essential to a person’s well-being, not to mention that the volunteers also enjoy improved well-being simply by giving to others. Supported by a trained facilitator, the Circles are constantly evaluated to ensure the care is right. Overall, Community Circles lead to healthy, thriving and connected communities. Stay tuned as this initiative really starts to spread its wings!!
Phew – that’s a lot to digest!! But hey thanks for stopping by and reading about our work. Let’s keep in touch and let’s work together to really make a difference to the communities within which we live!!
