After a hectic first day at the show I felt more confident about organising and managing the rest of the week. I had lots of help running the stall from the range of volunteers I had recruited for the week with some volunteers being younger and providing a fun and energetic vibe to the more experienced volunteers and therapy focus staff who were excellent at working with the children and providing information about therapy services available to children.
The most popular activity for the duration of the show was the sunflower planting activity which was the activity provided for visitors following the IGA Follow the Yellow Brick Road, where children got a small pot (or cup) where they filled it up with soil and sunflower seeds, watered their seeds and decorated to take home and plant in their gardens and watch it grow. The other most popular activity was the face painting which proved to be a bit of a challenge as not all volunteers, including myself, had the artistic ability or were game enough to attempt to paint the children’s faces. Although we were lucky to get lots of talented face painters on most days!
The other activities that were provided included the arts and crafts table, where kids could choose out of 3 pictures they wanted to paint to stick up on the art wall named “my special ability” that would demonstrate the various abilities of the children participating. There was also a wheelchair race/obstacle course where people could come and have a go on a wheelchair and see what it’s like for people living with a disability that constrains their mobility. Another disability awareness activity where children’s eyesight was impaired was also planned but we had our hands full with the other various activities and decided this activity was not needed.
The last attraction provided was enthusiastic volunteers got to dress as the Therapy Focus mascot ‘Sunny the Sunflower’ and roam the showgrounds to raise awareness of the organisation and encourage people to visit our stall. Sunny was very popular with the children, although it was not always the most pleasant experience for the volunteers in the hot weather!
For the duration of the show I only encountered a couple of minor issues, the main one being volunteers cancelling or changing their shifts at the last minute. Luckily I had organised enough volunteers that we were able to manage when replacements couldn’t be found. I also found a couple of time I was running out of materials, which was solved simply by obtaining cash to buy more. The only other issue I encountered was dealing with a lost child at our stall which was dealt with through the help of event staff.
Overall the show was very successful with over 8,000 people visiting the stall to plant sunflower seeds and take part in other activities. I have just had my last official day at my internship, and have thoroughly enjoyed my time working with Therapy Focus. I am very thankful for being given the opportunity to work in an organisation such as this and work on rewarding events like the Royal Show where I was able to meet and interact with the people that benefit from their services. I am grateful for all the help I was given while I was interning and will miss working at Therapy Focus!!
Kate Evans
14263143
kate.l.evans@student.curtin.edu.au
The most popular activity for the duration of the show was the sunflower planting activity which was the activity provided for visitors following the IGA Follow the Yellow Brick Road, where children got a small pot (or cup) where they filled it up with soil and sunflower seeds, watered their seeds and decorated to take home and plant in their gardens and watch it grow. The other most popular activity was the face painting which proved to be a bit of a challenge as not all volunteers, including myself, had the artistic ability or were game enough to attempt to paint the children’s faces. Although we were lucky to get lots of talented face painters on most days!
The other activities that were provided included the arts and crafts table, where kids could choose out of 3 pictures they wanted to paint to stick up on the art wall named “my special ability” that would demonstrate the various abilities of the children participating. There was also a wheelchair race/obstacle course where people could come and have a go on a wheelchair and see what it’s like for people living with a disability that constrains their mobility. Another disability awareness activity where children’s eyesight was impaired was also planned but we had our hands full with the other various activities and decided this activity was not needed.
The last attraction provided was enthusiastic volunteers got to dress as the Therapy Focus mascot ‘Sunny the Sunflower’ and roam the showgrounds to raise awareness of the organisation and encourage people to visit our stall. Sunny was very popular with the children, although it was not always the most pleasant experience for the volunteers in the hot weather!
For the duration of the show I only encountered a couple of minor issues, the main one being volunteers cancelling or changing their shifts at the last minute. Luckily I had organised enough volunteers that we were able to manage when replacements couldn’t be found. I also found a couple of time I was running out of materials, which was solved simply by obtaining cash to buy more. The only other issue I encountered was dealing with a lost child at our stall which was dealt with through the help of event staff.
Overall the show was very successful with over 8,000 people visiting the stall to plant sunflower seeds and take part in other activities. I have just had my last official day at my internship, and have thoroughly enjoyed my time working with Therapy Focus. I am very thankful for being given the opportunity to work in an organisation such as this and work on rewarding events like the Royal Show where I was able to meet and interact with the people that benefit from their services. I am grateful for all the help I was given while I was interning and will miss working at Therapy Focus!!
Kate Evans
14263143
kate.l.evans@student.curtin.edu.au
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