b'Our Christmas AppealWe are so grateful for our supporters who dug deep and gave a gift of hope to those in need last Christmas.The generosity of our supporters is the reason we were able to assist many families facing crisis and struggling through tough times over the Christmas period. For more than a decade, Uniting Family Services Senior Practitioner, Raeleen, has made it her mission to help families navigate and avoid heartbreaking circumstances. Raeleen generously shared her time and insights, reflecting on what supporters donations mean tothose on the ground running services, and those whoaccess them.Donations and fundraising help families to provide and maintain that consistency and stability, and allow them to sometimes forget about where they are in the cycle, she said. "My role at Uniting is to get care teams together and put support systems in place so childrencan stay living with the people who love them, says Raeleen.I often say to families youre the bird, youre flying, we are just under there helping keepyour wings up so you can soar.Our Winter Appeal A year of heartfelt, The cost-of-living and housing crisis is placing unprecedented demand on our crisis support services. community compassionWinter is the coldest, loneliest and most challenging time of year for many. Whether someone is facingIn the past year, individuals, families, congregations, workplaces, homelessness, mental health challenges, financialschools, and community groups have raised $1.1 million for Uniting hardship or family violence, knowing your community cares can make all the difference. through community fundraising events, proceeds and donations. So, the way in which Victorian and Tasmanian communitiesBy challenging themselves to run, cycle, give upNo matter how small or large the event, responded to our Share the Warmth Winter Appealtechnology, through to hosting events such ascommunity fundraising is such an integral has been incredibly heartwarming. Their donations havePancake Day, community barbeques or a schoolsupport to our work. These contributionsallowed us to continue providing crisis support and ongoingdisco, as well as fundraising in celebrationsquickly add up and can make such a big advocacy for those in our community who need it most. such as birthdays and weddings, our Unitingdifference to the people we support throughIn July, our Appeal was featured on Nine News television across Victoria. This story showcasedcommunity is crucial in funding and supportingour many programs.the incredible work of our Hartleys Community Meals program, Prahran Emergency Relief andour vital services. This incredible boost to our funds provided by Op Shop teams.Many of our services rely on the compassionUnitings caring community means we can offer Thank you to Jim, Glennie, Bryce, and all the volunteers and staff from Hartleys and Prahranof their local churches, schools, businesses,even greater practical help to those in their for letting us visit, film and chat. Their passion and professionalism shone through. And it iscommunity groups and individuals, says Daletime of need, continue to expand our services the donations from our supporters that help the team give immediate assistance to peopleHarrington-Barker, Unitings Program Lead,and reach, and even discover new ways to facing crisis. Church and Community. advocate for change. 52 Uniting Vic.Tas and Uniting Housing Annual Report'