Hope and Care: My Involvement 12 Months On With This Trusted NDIS Provider.
I don’t know about you, but I simply cannot believe just how quickly the past year has flown by!!
As we welcome the month of August, 2020, I actually had to double check my diary to confirm that this ‘new’ website is now over 12 months old, and while I am on the subject, I want to thank all readers and followers for your positive feedback especially with regard to the various stories.
More importantly, I also want to take the opportunity to wish you all EID MUBARAK.
May Allah bring you joy, happiness, peace and prosperity at this blessed time and may Allah also flood your life with happiness, your heart with love, your soul with spirituality and your mind with wisdom.
It was also a year ago – and I think non-coincidentally – that it was during Eid when I received my first communications from a remarkable lady whom I now consider a great friend.
HOPE AND CARE CO-FOUNDER
Mona Salem is the inspirational co-founder of trusted NDIS provider Hope And Care, whose registered office is in Bankstown.
Mona reached out to me initially through this website and both her personal story and the story of the early months of Hope And Care can be found in two separate articles here at stevedabliz.com (see Mona Salem: Surviving The Death Of Two Children and Hope And Care: Helping Dozens Of Lives Per Day).
I had never met Mona before she reached out to me through the website to let me know about the work she was doing and to invite me to have a chat about the best ways to let the community know more about Hope And Care.
Twelve months on, I find myself devoting more and more time to Hope And Care and I can tell you that I enjoy every minute of it – it’s definitely a labour of love and something that I was meant to do. Alhamdulillah.
I can remember the first day I drove to Bankstown and met with Mona like it was yesterday.
I was immediately impressed by her drive and passion to help those less fortunate and to give back to the community….as well as being touched by her personal story in tragically losing two of her beautiful daughters, Jenan and Sarah.
That first day, I visited the homes of a number of Hope And Care clients with Mona and felt an instant connection with them….and it was a warmth that they reciprocated.
Indeed, I am not ashamed to tell you that as I drove home, I had tears in my eyes, thinking about everything I had heard about and witnessed – and the bonds that I had already formed – on that day.
SO JUST WHAT IS THE NDIS?
Before we go any further, it would be remiss of me not to let you know about what the NDIS does and the services that Hope And Care provides.
The NDIS or National Disability Insurance Scheme is a Federal Government-funded initiative which has been operating in its current format since 2013.
It provides support to 4.3 million Australians with disabilities, as well as their families and their carers.
Just some of the many ways Hope And Care assists its clients (or ‘participants’ as Mona refers to them) are:
- Occupational therapy;
- Speech therapy;
- Physiotherapy;
- Household tasks such as cleaning, cooking and personal care: showering, dressing etc;
- Community participation such as movies, expos, fishing, bowling etc;
- Community nursing care; and
- Assisting in travel and transport such as taking participants to medical appointments, shopping, or just the everyday commute.
And a little later in this article, we will let you know of some of the great new, fun initiatives that the participants now look forward to so much each and every week!
Commenting on Hope And Care’s growing role in the community, Mona Salem had this to say.
“We opened our doors in April last year with only a handful of participants on the books, but the numbers have grown considerably. Mashallah.
“I have never looked at my role as a job – it is something that I love to do.
“I have never looked at my role as a job – it is something that I love to do.”
“It’s an honour to be able to assist the community and at the same time it is my personal tribute to both Jenan and Sarah.
“It is wonderfully satisfying to be able to help the participants achieve their goals, whether it is to find employment, to live independently – or whatever their aspirations may be.
“And it’s been fantastic to have you along as part of our journey, Brother Steve, as you are an integral part of our growing team.
“And it’s been fantastic to have you along as part of our journey, Brother Steve, as you are an integral part of our growing team.
“Personally, I love building relationships with the carers and families as well as the clients themselves, but there is no doubt about you, Steve, you are much loved by all of us here at Hope And Care, and especially by the participants.
“You have very much become the public face of Hope And Care and there is no doubt that your involvement has led to much of our wider recognition within the community, along with our increased client base.
DEDICATED STAFF
Mona paid tribute to her hard-working employees including the many support workers that Hope And Care has on the books.
“There is no doubt that you have to have a certain quality or ‘X-factor’ to work in this industry,” she explained.
“I put a lot of thought into matching new participants with support workers who will be best equipped to understand their individual characters and help them most appropriately.
“At Hope And Care, we are all about integrity, respect and transparency and I am really proud of the great reputation we have built in just 16 months in this industry.”
Rouba is one of many who typify Hope And Care’s ethos.
ONE OF A KIND
Rouba is Hope And Care’s Administrative Assistant and one of the smiling faces you first meet on arrival at the Bankstown headquarters.
“I have known Mona for around five years and she is one of a kind,” Rouba said.
“It’s a joy to work for and with such a beautiful, amazing lady in such an incredible, loving environment that we have here at Hope And Care.”
“It’s a joy to work for and with such a beautiful, amazing lady in such an incredible, loving environment that we have here at Hope And Care.”
From my own perspective, I heartily endorse the comments of both Robyn and Rouba.
Mona Salem is a great lady and Hope And Care, as well as being a tribute to the memory of her two beautiful daughters, it is a testimony to her hard work and dedication.
As Hope And Care continues to grow, the various programmes grow with it.
For example, prior to COVID-19, many participants spent time learning the finer points of cooking from that incredibly generous humanitarian Bashar Krayem and his phenomenal team at The Culinary School in Punchbowl.
We have physical fitness pencilled in every Thursday, which is tough and sweaty work but with lots of laughs also on the agenda.
While the six week adventure program which is currently well underway has been an absolute “Smile-A-Thon” every Wednesday, as we have already had visits to an orange orchard, Sydney Harbour, the Blue Mountains, the amazingly beautiful and picturesque Fitzroy Falls and the Australian Reptile Park!!
FOOTNOTE: No mention of Hope And Care’s great staff and participants would be complete without me telling you about Ibrahim.
A participant in the Hope And Care program, Ibrahim was offered a job by Mona doing the company’s accounts, and when it comes to bookwork, I can tell you that he really is “Ibby The Whiz”!! Ibrahim suffers from some debilitating health issues but you wouldn’t know it as he has a golden smile and the kindest heart….he’s an inspiration to all who know him.
Please take your time to enjoy the following video….you will be smiling too….
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