From left: Casey Kidz Klub coordinator Amanda Stapledon, Cr Steve Beardon and Julia Welhamare are overjoyed at the donation of a bus by Cranbourne residents and Variety Charity’s Graeme and Marian Weekley.
By Sarah Schwager
AFTER-SCHOOL care service for teenagers with a disability, Casey Kidz Klub, has continued to receive community support despite still lacking the funding to continue.
Victoria’s only such service for intellectually disabled kids aged 12 and over, based in Cranbourne, last week welcomed the donation of a bus from the Variety Children’s Charity.
Program organisers and the children were over the moon when Cranbourne residents Graeme and Marian Weekley handed over the keys to the bus for the service to use for as long as it was needed.
The after-school service is also excited about its move to Berwick next term, after Beaconhills College offered the program a permanent home.
However, the program still lacks the funding needed to keep running, despite small amounts coming in with councillors Mick Morland, Brian Hetherton and Steve Beardon each donating $500 from their ward funds at the 7 August council meeting.
The program still needs $15,000 to keep going until the end of the year.
In May, Casey Council promised $39,000, a third of the program’s funding, if the State and Federal Governments matched the amount to enable the program to keep running until a political solution could be found for the service gap for an out-of-school program for teenagers with a disability.
Yet program coordinator Amanda Stapledon, whose son Peter, who suffers from severe autism, attends the program, said negotiations with the two levels of government were hitting a dead end.
“Neither Federal or State believe this is their responsibility,” Ms Stapledon said.
“If our children did not have a disability or their disability was only of a mild nature, we could access out-of-school care, however, because of the nature of their disability we need a specialised disability program.”
Thanks to community support, Casey Kidz Klub has now been running for 16 months with enormous benefit to those children and their families.
Flinders MP Greg Hunt has been working with the program organisers to try to obtain federal funding, while State MPs for Kilsyth David Hodgett and Hastings Neale Burgess have been trying to get the State Government to address this issue.
However, Ms Stapledon said she was disillusioned by the government response, particularly from the State Government.
“They have refused to assist us in any way,” she said. “I am still awaiting a response from the State Community Services Office and from the Premier John Brumby.”
Ms Stapledon forwarded an email and letter to the Premier on 14 and 30 July.
“They have turned their backs on those most vulnerable,” she said.
If anyone is able to offer support to the program, or for more information, contact Amanda Stapledon on 5996 0194 or Kellie Hammerstein on 0418 503 643.
