Breakaway staff attended a Nutritional Professional Development session on Wednesday, 27 October 2021. Digestive Dietitians delivered the session.
Digestive Dietitians are dietitians who understand the incredible complexity of the gut and its importance to our overall health. Their purpose is to help those seeking digestive health and sustainable weight management advice achieve better health through tailored advice.
Breakaway received an Easternwell Community Grant to conduct a training session for our staff to learn about nutrition and general health. The session included information, recipes, and a demonstration of two healthy recipes.
This training session helped to increase the staff’s knowledge on nutrition and general healthy eating. This session aimed to introduce staff to healthy meal options which they can take to the houses and share with the clients.
Our house leaders from Supported Independent Living and Specialised Disability Accommodation houses attended the session with a few Community Participation support workers. They work with numerous clients who will indirectly benefit from this session as staff can use the knowledge to inform clients of healthy choices and mealtime alternatives.
The clients in the houses can use the recipes to prepare shopping lists and cook healthy meals, which helps to develop their independence and promotes healthier lifestyles.
Steph from Digestive Dietitians made Pumpkin Mac and Cheese with bacon as well as Rainbow pasta salad. The staff got to see how to prepare the meals and got some cooking tips. We even got to taste the delicious healthy meals.
We want to thank Easterwell for making this training possible.
Easternwell specialises in providing drilling, well servicing and camp management services to the mining, minerals, oil, and gas industries.
The Board and staff of Breakaway are pleased to announce the appointment of Jennifer Inglis as the Chief Executive Officer of Breakaway Toowoomba Inc. Jennifer officially commenced the role 08 September 2021.
There was no one as intimately connected or committed to Breakaway’s vision and mission as Jen, who started with Breakaway in October 2020 as Operations Manager. Jen brings to this role highly relevant experience and knowledge. Jen has a passion for the disability sector and particularly Breakaway.
“I am privileged to be bestowed the role of CEO for Breakaway Toowoomba. From my nearly 25 years in the human services industry, disability has always been an area of passion for me, inclusive of people living with mental health conditions. Breakaway has been part of my working career since 2006, so I am so excited to be leading an organisation with such a strong local track record. I am looking forward to building on the work of my predecessors.” – Jen Inglis
Jen’s passion, experience, and knowledge, coupled with her warm and caring nature will drive the Organisation to new heights. Under Jen’s leadership and together with the existing team, Breakaway will continue to move forward and ensure that people with a disability and their families are valued, respected, and included in the community.
We want to congratulate Jen on her recent appointment as Chief Executive Officer and welcome her as Breakaway takes this next step in our journey.
We want to thank everyone for coming along to the Breakaway’s R U OK Day BBQ. It was great to see so many smiling faces.
We had good catchups with some of our participants and families. We heard from our CEO, Jen Inglis, she welcomed everyone to the BBQ and talked about the reason for R U OK DAY. Jen emphasised that people are the reason why we do what we do. Our focus is on customer services, and we are committed to delivering good quality services to our participants. We value the community where we have served over the last 35 years, and we look forward to the next 35 years.
One of our participants, Phil made a speech, he thanked everyone for coming to the BBQ. Thank you Phill, it is always good to hear from you.
We did an activity where we asked everyone to write down something they are grateful for and something that made them smile today. Gratitude helps people feel more positive emotions, relish good experiences, improve health, and build strong relationships.
The purpose of R U OK Day is to inspire and empower everyone to meaningfully connect with people around them and start a conversation with those in their world who may be struggling with life.
You do not need to be an expert to reach out – just a good friend and a great listener.
Use these four steps and have a conversation that could change a life
Ask R U OK?
Listen
Encourage Action
Check-In
Support is available
If you are finding life tough or need some extra support, it can help to talk about how you’re feeling with someone you trust.
If you need immediate crisis or emotional support, you can contact:
Every month we shine the spotlight on one of our staff members.
This month the spotlight is on Trusha Vasdevani. Trusha is a Registered Nurse and House Team Leader. Trusha has been working for Breakaway for almost three years, she started as a support worker, followed by the Registered Nurse and House Leader position.
We have asked Trusha a few questions to get to know her a bit better
What is your favourite part about working for Breakaway?
My favourite part about this Organisation is that I get to learn new things each day. I get the opportunity to improve myself with the feedback that I receive from the staff and clients, which helps me build my confidence and results in a better outcome. It certainly makes me satisfied to know we make a difference in people’s lives. Additionally, including my nursing experience in my new role has made a huge impact in providing quality care.
Any random facts you could share with us?
I would like to share a short story today which provides the rationale behind my intent to work in this industry. As I am an immigrant, I was 17 years old when I arrived in Australia. I was a very introverted person who considered herself to be easily vulnerable. I was staying with an Indian family in Perth (WA), they had a two-year-old boy who was born with cerebral palsy. I had never seen such an adorable little child before, and I got very attached to him, and I loved being around him always. So, when I moved to Toowoomba due to my sister residing here, I realised that I was missing something every day. It gave me a thought to work in this sector and assist people in need. Breakaway was my very first job in the disability sector.
Do you prefer sweet or savoury food?
I prefer savoury and spicy food.
What advice would you have for prospective Breakaway candidates?
I would like to say that it is extremely important to work with compassion, honesty, and adaptability in the entire healthcare sector. Consequently, if we all follow our duties/responsibilities with dedication and care, then the clients/patients would feel valued and respected.
If you could only have three apps on your smartphone, what would they be?
I would like to have Facebook, Twitter, and Gmail on my phone.
What did you do before you joined the Breakaway team?
I used to work in the customer service and hospitality sectors.
What is the first thing you would buy if you won the lottery?
Since childhood, I have been saying to my parents that I would become independent, self-sufficient and get them tickets to travel across the globe. Therefore, that would be my first choice to get tickets to a world tour for my parents.
Landri and Maddy attended the official launch of The Business disABILITY Awards of Australia on 26 July 2021.
The Business Disability Awards are hosted to recognize businesses and individuals across Toowoomba and the Darling Downs who support, educate, and employ people with a disability.
The keynote speaker and MC were announced at the launch. The keynote speaker will be Kath Koschel and the MC, Ian “Lofty” Fulton.
Kath Koschel is one of the youngest CEO’s and founder of the global movement and not for profit organisation Kindnessfactory. Kath broke her back on two separate occasions and if learning to walk for the third time in her life wasn’t enough, she lost her partner, the love of her life to suicide. Through astounding resilience, Kath was able to create joy out of sorrow. Now known worldwide for her kindness adventures, Kath shares her journey of how she turned adversity into triumph, with the thoughts that lead her to leave her home with nothing but the clothes on her back in an attempt to prove that you really can survive physically, mentally and emotionally on kindness. An outpouring of support and offers of food and shelter on social media had Kath travelling around Australia on nothing but the kindness of strangers, spreading her message of hope.
Ian “Lofty” Fulton is an Australian voice-over artist. He knows what it’s like to have the odds stacked against him. Born with achondroplasia, which is a form of dwarfism, his grandmother thought he should be locked away from the world. At school he suffered years of relentless bullying, believing the lie he would never be loved or good enough. At age 15, Lofty’s voice broke giving him a unique gift that paved the way for his future. His is a story of what’s possible when you have courage. Starting out in radio at 17, he moved to freelancing at 28 and has worked for some of the biggest names in advertising, from McDonald’s to Toyota. Lofty has been the branding and promo voice for major radio and TV stations. In recent years, as the narrator of MasterChef Australia, his voice is heard in more than 180 countries. Chances are you’ve heard him and don’t even realise it. (www.toowoombadisabilityawards.com.au)
Want to attend the Business Disability Awards, book your tickets on The Business Disability Awards Website. Date: Thursday 9 September 2021 Time: 6.30pm for 7pm Venue: The Goods Shed, 73A Russel Street, Toowoomba City Ticket price: $90 per ticket – award entrants $130 per ticket – general guests
If you would like to nominate an organisation for one of the event categories, visit their website. Nominations/Applications close 27 August 2021.
