AN EASTER MESSAGE FROM OUR CHIEF EXECUTIVE, LIZ
Dear Cara Community
Easter looks very different around the world this year and it’s certainly different for our customers, families and staff in the Cara Community.
The COVID-19 Pandemic has affected every aspect of our lives. Around the world, it has caused great sorrow with tragic loss of life and devastating impacts on health, social, educational and economic systems.
As we all play our part to flatten the curve of COVID-19 infections in Australia, most of us have swapped seeing our family and friends face-to-face for virtual catch ups. We’ve swapped travel for staying home. And we’ve swapped a meal out for a takeaway or home delivery.
But it’s what has not changed that is really important:
• Our connections to the people who matter to us,
• Our support for the people in our households, and;
• Our patronage for our favourite small businesses, like cafes and restaurants.
At Cara, we have the great privilege to work alongside incredible customers. Each person is an individual with their own hopes, fears, dreams and goals. We recognise and celebrate every customer as the unique person they are. We encourage their connections to family, friends and other important people and we celebrate them as valuable members of the South Australian community. Now, we’re supporting these connections in more creative ways, like video calls, phone calls, emails and even letter writing.
We also recognise that we work alongside some very vulnerable South Australians and we have had to make difficult decisions in order to prioritise their ongoing support. This means we have had to temporarily suspend some of our services. As Chief Executive, I sincerely apologise to everyone who has been affected by Cara’s service suspensions. I, and everyone at Cara, look forward to welcoming you back to these services as soon as possible. Thank you for your understanding in these extraordinary times.
If your circumstances change and you are experiencing hardship, please contact our team at Cara Connect on 08 8347 4588 or email contact@cara.org.au to discuss how we may be able to support you.
We also recognise the dedication and ingenuity of our staff of Possible People in times like these. We know that our support workers work with Cara because they are passionate about the opportunity to make a difference in people’s lives. That’s true now, more than ever, as we find new ways to create fulfilling routines in our customers’ everyday lives.
Cara exists only because of the power of our humanity – customers, families and our staff who make up our Cara Community.
We are stronger than ever in times like this because we can work together.
On behalf of everyone at Cara, I wish you good health, strong connections and a hopeful outlook for the coming months. I wish you a happy Easter, however you choose to celebrate it. And I thank all of our staff of Possible People who are working so very hard in all areas of our organisation. A special shout out to everyone working over the long weekend.
Yours sincerely
Liz Cohen
Cara Chief Executive
