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July 23, 2008
Alcoa supports burns survivor camp
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A group of Point Henry and Anglesea Alcoa employees are heading to Queensland next month to volunteer at a camp for burns survivors.
Alcoa supports the KIDS Foundation’s Camp Phoenix through the Safety 4 KIDS program, where for every week the Alcoa Point Henry and Anglesea sites are recordable injury free, $1600 is donated to the annual event.
The two Alcoa sites have supported the camp for the past four years donating around $200,000 to the KIDS Foundation’s recovery programs and the camp has been attended by around 30 employees.
148 people are set to attend including burns survivors, their families, KIDS Foundation staff and a group of dedicated volunteers, 10 of whom are local Alcoa employees.
Chris Doulis, who was hospitalised for four months after playing with a tennis ball doused in methylated spirits when he was 14, now works for the KIDS Foundation delivering key safety messages within Alcoa.
Chris said Camp Phoenix was invaluable in his emotional recovery and it is an opportunity for people to meet other survivors recovering from injury, build new friendships and share personal stories.
“It’s important that while burns survivors receive treatment in hospital that they also receive support when they leave hospital to assist with the rehabilitation process and Camp Phoenix assists those to recover and adjust emotionally and physically in order to move forward in life,” Chris said.
The ten Alcoa representatives have been selected to attend the camp in recognition of the positive contribution they have made to health and safety in their work areas.
Alcoa Point Henry’s Francis Bourke, who has been in various safety and peer support roles at Point Henry for 18 years, can’t wait to attend the camp.
“The Alcoa volunteers will be assisting with activities and mentoring with the burns survivors, alongside KIDS Foundation staff and other volunteers,” Francis said. “It will be a great learning experience for me and I look forward to sharing the experience with my workmates on my return.”
Camp Phoenix
Established in 2005 Camp Phoenix is the signature event of the the KIDS Foundation Burn Survivor Network – the largest in Australia. Camp Phoenix is a national four-day family camp held 1-4 August 2008 for Australian burn survivors and their families that aims to provide a safe, fun and supportive environment to develop friendships and connect with individuals facing similar challenges.
Through experiences that encourage family participation the Camp provides opportunities to facilitate communication, understanding, emotional support, the sharing of information and skill development.
For more information about the KIDS Foundation visit www.kidsfoundation.org.au or phone 1300 734 733.
Together Safety 1st
“Together Safety 1st” is the partnership focus for KIDS Foundation and Alcoa where securing a safe environment and working towards injury prevention are shared core values. These principles are the enduring basis for a genuine partnership which has shaped the success of both Alcoa’s internal safety drive and KIDS Foundation’s community safety outreach programs initiated in 2005.
The partnership is dedicated to helping childhood injury prevention, supporting burns survivors and improving safety education through three core programs:
- Primary School Safety Clubs, a safety education and leadership program for upper primary students.
- Camp Phoenix, a camp providing inspiration and support to burns survivors.
- National Injury Free Day, with involvement focused around Primary School Safety Clubs. Other programs include Safety4Kids in Victoria and Alcoa support of the KIDS Foundation Annual Ball.
For further information contact Alcoa Point Henry’s Kate Betts on 5245 1406 or 0400 209 497.
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