Geelong Foundation highlights the work of women working in the community

The Geelong Community Foundation is proud to again highlight some of the incredible women in the community working in the for-purpose sector on International Women’s Day.

Chief executive officer Gail Rodgers said that the opportunity to work with some amazing women in the sector was inspiring and led to a multitude of benefits.

These include diverse perspectives, role modelling, empathy and a strong collaborative approach.

“Their success can also motivate and empower other women to pursue leadership positions and achieve their goals.

The strength of many organisations in our region is the result of the women who lead them with great passion and skill, benefiting employees, stakeholders and the community at large.”

Laura Harvey, a speech pathologist, is the founder of Tiny Dots, an organisation that screens babies, toddlers and young children for free in its community care clinic.

“We provide speech pathology and occupational therapy assessments to babies and toddlers needing expert therapists to detect subtle development differences, and provide short-term therapy bridging the waiting time for families on therapy wait lists,” she said.

“This year we will begin visiting childcare and community centers assessing babies and toddlers for free, helping families unable to access our Belmont centre.”
Tiny Dots simplifies and accelerates access to therapy for babies and toddlers, giving them the best start in life, built on the philosophy that they have the right to therapy in their most important years.

“Since starting Tiny Dots, we have screened and assessed 151 children, almost all of them needing therapy.”

Laura said they are glad to help children and guide their parents on where to go and what to do to help their child.

For Laura, Internation Women’s Day means celebrating the strength and balance of women.

“Women have the strength to achieve incredible feats but their ability to balance other aspects of their lives, the needs of their loved ones, careers and community is what makes them extraordinary.”

Maud Clark is the CEO and co-artistic director at Somebody’s Daughter Theatre (SDT).

SDT is a company of artists whose mission is to work with those who are the most marginalised in our community, empower them and give them a voice.

Maud’s been in this role for over 20 years, with the two core areas of her work being with women in prison, and Nobody’s Fool Theatre (NFT) in Geelong.

“SDT artists conduct a weekly program of theatre and visual arts workshops with women at three prisons, the intensive program culminates in the annual presentation of a new theatre work and exhibition.”

Maud said NFT is an education program for marginalised young people in Geelong who are ‘school refusers’, with many coming from a range of situations, including poverty, violence and abuse.

There is no one story to sum up the work of SDT but that the magic of production is always a gift.

“There are the hours, days and months of working with a group that begins with so little confidence, no voice, thinking they can’t sing, they dare not speak up never dreaming that they would ever perform,” she said.

Maud said Internation Women’s Day it is a time to celebrate women everywhere.

“It’s a time to remember those women who have supported, guided, inspired and worked with me, past and present,” she said.

“Without the support, guidance, friendship and collaboration, there would be no Somebody’s Daughter Theatre.”

“For all at Somebody’s Daughter Theatre, we love the work we do and know that it has real impact on both a personal and systemic level.”

For more information on the work the Geelong Community Foundation do, head to geelongfoundation.org