Helen’s Story
Helen has been part of Involve for a long time – both as a participant and a dedicated volunteer with CRCS. Years ago, while enjoying a coffee at the Social Bean Café, she noticed that the space could use some more life. After chatting with the manager, her volunteer journey began, as she started creating beautiful flower arrangements at the Belconnen Community Centre – a project she continues today. Although it’s not an easy task, as she arrives early to ensure everything is ready for the day, Helen is committed and appreciates the positive feedback from her peers and CRCS employees. “Plants don’t always do what you would like them to,” Helen says, remembering a time when a snail visited and ate one of her beautiful blooms. Despite these little challenges, she always does her best.
Helen was first introduced to the Involve program by a friend during a difficult time in her life, and found that Involve offered her connection and a chance to build new friendships. Involve filled a gap and broadened her outlook and interests. Activities like the “Walkie Talkies” group left her feeling brighter and with a different attitude.
“It’s been an absolute blessing for me to discover it [Involve].”
Helen feels that through Involve she has grown as a person, stepping outside her usual circle to learn about the diverse cultures and perspectives in her community. Now, she finds herself starting up conversations with people experiencing homelessness, curious about their story, and talking to them without judgement.
For Helen, Involve is all about connection and belonging, and she even organises meetups outside of Involve to keep the friendships going.
“Involve means enjoyment and life. It’s like belonging to a bigger family and we all care and share our happy times or our sad times.”
Recent News Stories
Following on from the signage placed around the Belconnen Community Centre and notices distributed to participants, we are sharing this update to confirm that the Swanson Court carpark has now permanently closed as of Tuesday 2 April 2025, due to a new development at the site by JWLand.
Young people in Belconnen now have easier access to free, confidential health and wellbeing support with the arrival of the T25 Clinic at Belconnen Youth Centre. Every Thursday from 2pm to 5pm the T25 Clinic van, Mini Pat, will be on-site offering a safe and welcoming space for young people aged 12 to 25. There’s no need for an appointment – just drop in when you need support.
The Canberra Day Appeal 2025 has wrapped up for another year and we are grateful to everyone who contributed, either by making a donation or helping to spread awareness. Thanks to the generosity of our community, employees and corporate supporters, we raised an amazing $6,736.40 – an increase from $5590 in 2024. These funds will go directly towards recruiting, training and supporting more volunteer transport drivers, ensuring people in our community can get to their essential medical appointments for chronic health conditions such as cancer and kidney disease.
Patsy is a lifelong storyteller and a creative spirit. For nearly 20 years, she was a storyteller at early childhood education centres, captivating children with her tales – sometimes using handmade props to bring them to life, other times sharing stories she wrote herself. Creativity has always been second nature to her, and when she’s caught up in a project, time flies by often leading to late nights. Though she recently stepped away from storytelling, she continues her creative pursuits, including a quilt project through Involve (stay tuned!).
For Therese Beckmann, sewing isn’t just about fabric and stitches – it’s a way of telling stories, bringing people together and creating something meaningful. After 30 years of working in sewing, dressmaking and teaching, she realised she wanted to take her skills beyond the retail space and into the community. She had always felt drawn to the senior age group, especially after hearing students in her art classes say, “This is better than therapy.” Hearing it over and over made her realise just how powerful creativity could be in bringing people together and improving wellbeing.