Doing some good in the 'hood…

Last weekend we had the pleasure of revealing an exciting project The Sebastian Foundation has been working on over the past 6 months – a brand new playground for the Winmalee Neighbourhood Centre in the Blue Mountains. As we all know, the Blue Mountains suffered terribly over the past year because of the bush fires that hit in October 2013. As a result, 186 homes were lost in the Winmalee, Yellow Rock and Springwood area. On the day of the fires and for the weeks following it sent the community into a 10 day long battle of fear, anxiety, disruption, impaired sleep and total physical exhaustion. Thankfully, the Winmalee Neighbourhood Centre (WNC) began its support of the families and residents in their community as soon as the fires hit and kept their doors open continuously for 8 weeks straight organising clothes, food, toiletries,, linen and practical items. The centre became and continues to be a place of refuge for all those affected. The Manager (or Angel of Winmalee – as the residences refer to her as) of the (WNC), Morna Colbran, has spent tireless and countless amounts of hours at the centre, making it a place where the community can find counselling and any other life needs they may have. She is a hard worker and given up so much of herself to make provide happiness for others. We thought it was only fitting to honour this wonderful woman and name the playground ‘Morna’s Playground’ after her. We at The Sebastian Foundation saw a need at the centre, a bare yard with nowhere for the children to go an be entertained while their parents were seeking help and counselling. Having our own children, Guy and I know the importance of having a place for them to run in the sunshine, exert energy and have fun. We thought, what better way to inject some fun and brightness into the families of this community than to build a playground for them to enjoy. This is a central place for families to come and the centre plays such an integral role in the lives of so many. We are honoured to be a part of such a beautiful initiative and are so grateful to the donations of the public to our foundation which has enabled us to build this playground. Our reveal on Saturday was an amazing day! We had our fantastic ambassador Sam Moran come and sing a few songs followed by the lovely Guy Sebastian who belted out a few tunes too. It was so great to have so many smiling faces come to say hello and to support the foundation. The best and most rewarding part of the day was seeing all the kids playing on the playground and the adults enjoying the parents retreat. The sun was shining and it was so fun meeting everyone who came out for the day! Once again – it is because of the generosity of everyone who donates to The Sebastian Foundation that allows us to help families and communities like this. We are forever grateful for all the support. If you would like to make a donation so we can continue to help families please head to www.thesebastianfoundation.org  Jules x

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