maintenance at irene homes

Description

Providing life-long residential care to mentally disabled ladies is the ethos of Irene Homes. Irene Homes began in 1902 and now cares for 82 residents in eight houses on the tranquil grounds in Irene. Each House is cared for by precious house-mothers. Many residents have families and friends who they often go to visit over weekends and during holidays. Sadly thirty of the adult residents have been orphaned, neglected or abandoned by their families – Irene Homes being their sole career and financial supporter. 

The organisation needed assistance of volunteers to help them repair, sand and re-paint nine wooden garden benches. Beneficiaries include eighty-two mentally disabled ladies who reside at Irene Homes and forty mentally disabled men and women who attend the protective day care centre. The patients will benefit by having a nicer cleaner environment when they go to sit outside.

The AVI Team

Carmen Joubert - AVI HR Shared Services
Tania Naude - AVI HR Shared Services
Caroline Shaw - AVI HR Shared Services
Tracey Gould - AVI HR Shared Services
Sbongile Ngcobo - AVI HR Shared Services
Nanet Passmore - AVI HR Shared Services
Yolandi Smit - AVI HR Shared Services
Pavendri Naicker - AVI HR Shared Services
Cas Pillay - AVI HR Shared Services
Natasha Halim - AVI HR Shared Services
Chanel Soma - AVI HR Shared Services
Tanisha Pillay - AVI HR Shared Services
John Schippers - AVI HR Shared Services
Johannes Joubert - AVI IT Shared Services

Feedback from the project

Thirteen people volunteered on the day to repair, sand and re-paint nine wooden garden benches. The volunteers sanded and painted bench parts that had already been disassembled by the estate staff. They also assembled bench strips that had been already painted and varnished. 

The rain poured down from early morning, but the enthusiasm and interest of the volunteers exuberated. They were all so keen to participate in helping the Homes and were very interested in the services that Irene Homes delivers. We were asked as to what other volunteer services they could assist with in their private capacities - which is wonderful news to us. The Homes has an ‘adopt-an-orphan’ programme. We ask volunteers to be a friend of an orphan, remembering to call them on their birthday, sending a Christmas card ... just to make someone feel loved and special.

We thank AVI for encouraging their team members to be involved in such a day. Most of all we thank the employees, who with all their enthusiasm, made the day such a success. And as always, thank you to GreaterGood SA for co-coordinating the day.