STAFF at services organisation Connecting2Australia (C2A) have spent the past few weeks moving into their new space on Fifteenth Street, which is set to offer more opportunities than ever to the company’s team in Sunraysia.
C2A employs more than 50 people with disabilities in Sunraysia in a number of ventures.
C2A Mildura facilitator Angela Halton said the move to the new location opened up more options for supported employees.
“We can only give them jobs to their ability,” she said.
“Having this new shop, we can offer them a lot more opportunities to do what they’re capable of.”
The new shopfront houses an op shop and a showroom of upcycled furniture.
“It’s beautiful – recycled Australian wood, made by people with disability in Australia and sold here,” Ms Halton said.
C2A also offers cleaning, gardening, car washing and recycling services, as well as selling locally made candles and diffusers.
But while the organisation offers an impressive range of services to the community, Ms Halton said the key motivator was uplifting people with disabilities.
“We’re keeping people with disability in a job and in the mainstream,” she said.
“We offer employment and an opportunity to upskill. We set them goals. If they want to work in retail, we can achieve that goal with them.
“The great thing here is it keeps people with disability in employment, and the money we make all goes back into research and equipment for them to have the best chance to work with disability.
“We’ve had new counters made out of the recycled wood that you can fit a wheelchair under. So if someone with a wheelchair wanted to learn to serve, we can do that.”
Staff member Sarra Napoli is among those who was keen to work in retail.
She had almost given up hope of getting a job before she started at C2A.
“I was at breaking point, thinking I’m not going to do this anymore, but I picked it up and it’s really great,” she said.
Now, Ms Napoli is enjoying the new premises – and the company.
“I like the people,” she said.
According to Ms Halton, that’s a common thread among C2A’s supported employees.
“It just gets them out in the community – that’s the main thing,” she said.
“A lot of people won’t see anyone until they come here that day to come to work and talk.”
The move has been keeping the team busy, but after just a few days in the new premises, Ms Halton said it was already looking like a success story.
“We’ve been very, very busy,” she said.
“We’re really happy.”
