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 Cornerstone Drop In and Contact Centre. Aims of Cornerstone. In the context of a Christian welfare service model to provide:
To provide meals for the people living on the fringes of our society. Each Wednesday and Friday to have the Drop In open from 9.00 a.m. - 1.00 p.m. so that people may have a safe place to gather to meet others and to receive assistance and counselling as requested. To meet an immediate physical need by providing food. To have food available to those refered from Centrelink etc who need immediate assistance in the way of a meal or a food voucher or parcel. At 11.45 am - 12.30pm on Wednesday and Friday to provide a nourishing meal. To provide a safe haven for people at risk on the streets. To allow people at risk, especially the mentally ill, a place where they can be safe from street violence, intimidation, stigma and ridicule. To eventually assist these people to rejoin society through employment and/or providing adequate coping skills. Brief History: Cornerstone was the vision of a member of the Dandenong Baptist Church, Mrs Barbara Siddall. With the assistance of her local church and christians from a number of christian backgrounds Cornerstone opened on a Saturday Night in May 1992 aimed at meeting the needs of homeless young people. From that time onwards Cornerstone, as a faith mission, has seen the development of programs that minister to fringedwellers of all ages. In 2006 it is anticipated that over 17, 000 people on the fringes of the diverse communities that make up the cities of Greater Dandenong and Casey will come to Cornerstone for assistance. In General: The 2006 year has been a year of rapid growth at Cornerstone. During the year over 17,000 meals were distributed at our Friday and Wednesday luncheons. The average attendance at the meals has jumped from 80 in 2000 to 150 in 2006. Cornerstone continues to meet the needs of the fringe-dwellers, the homeless and the needy in the City of Casey and the City of Greater Dandenong. Over 500 people a week visit Cornerstone. This year Cornerstone has concentrated on providing a safe place to be for people at risk in the City. Despite not being funded for material aid assistance Cornerstone has been able to assist many during times of crisis with food hampers vouchers and/or referrals. As a faith mission Cornerstone has continued to receive wide support for its programs and a special thank you to the Rado family for their continued sponsorship through the provision of the building on the corner of Mason and Walker Streets Dandenong. Cornerstone has been adopted as a worthwhile addition to the life of Dandenong and receives wide support from Dandenong and Casey Councils, a number of local churches, Dandenong, Springvale and Endeavour Hills Lions Clubs, Dandenong Central Rotary, local and federal politicians, local businesses, the Andrew's Foundation and many individual supporters. Cornerstone has increased its involvement with local welfare agencies and works closely with Centrelink, Hanover, Casey North Information Service, Doveton Salvation Army Depot, Dandenong and Springvale CAB's and ERMHA. Cornerstone is now open on most days. A new program has been commenced on Mondays in the afternoon and this has seen growth. Cornerstone is fortunate to have 50 faithful volunteers who make the openings possible. Each program has recorded growth in 2006. The programs are: Monday afternoon Drop In, ,Wednesday Drop in and lunch, Wednesday afternoon occasional small group program based on their needs indicated by the people at the Drop In. Friday the Drop in and luncheon program and Saturday Night the Drop In program. Programs have been run on a number of Sundays in 2006. These included an Easter Sunday morning Breakfast, barbecues and two video evenings combined with meals. A program run in conjunction with the Department of Corrections operates on Wednesday, and Friday. The work with patients at Dandenong Psychiatric Hospital on a Tuesday morning is very popular. and patients attend other Cornerstone programs. Counselling has been provided to many this year by Pastor Max Walker and Pastor Don Cameron. However, as Cornerstone sees its vision to provide a safe place for people to meet at the Drop In many referrals have been made to specialised agencies. As one of the main partners in the Dandenong Material Aid Network Cornerstone assisted in the planning and staging of a major welfare forum in Dandenong in October 2001. Over 75 people from a wide cross section of the welfare industry attended and ongoing initiatives are being developed. Cornerstone has also been strongly involved n the Dandenong Drug Committee and Max Walker is an inaugural member of the Middway (Mental Illness Doesn't Discriminate, What About You!) Board of Management. and a member of the Dandenong CAB Board of Management.Cornerstone, through MIDDWAY is one of the organising committee of the annual Mental Health Walk and festival through Dandenong during Mental Health Week in October. Cornerstone has seen a strong period of growth in 2006 meeting the needs of hurting people and looks forward to continued support in 2006 as Cornerstone celebrates its fifteenth year of operation in Dandenong and District.
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| Cornerstone operates under the business name Cornerstone Contact Centre Inc. (AOO29459A) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
