Will you champion the Rainbow Tapestry?

We are once again partnering with Metropolitan Community Church Sydney to host a table for Christmas Day Lunch at Petersham RSL

GiveOUT Day was a day where the focus was on funding LGBTIQA+ organisations because, as the image above illustrates, more than half of our organisations, do not have paid staff. Shining a spotlight on this fact, and growing the pot of gold under the rainbow, was really important - including for MCC Welfare Services. It is with a heart full of gratitude that I am pleased to say we raised $475.00 in donations. If you were able to donate, I sincerely say thank you. This money will help us respond to assistance requests and save for our goal to employ a social worker / counsellor to help build social connection. Again, I say thank you - for GiveOUT Day and for your continued support.

Before I talk further about this day, I wanted to share something that happened to me personally last week - well more to the point, what happened as a result. Y ou may or may not know this but earlier this year I moved from Sydney to a regional city. Life has generally been really positive and has fed my soul, being surrounded by mountains and open blue skies. That all changed last week when something happened (the exact details don't matter) and the gloss came off. F or days I was very much in shock. I didn't want to get out of bed and in fact stayed there for longer than I can ever remember doing. I just wanted to hide. Y ou know what was interesting though? My experience of volunteering for MCCWS, reading and talking about loneliness, kicked in. My thought process kept me coming back to what I say regularly, its important to maintain connection to community. It was not easy but I did it. I made sure that each day I had something to look forward to doing. I went to a dinner group even though I had a nervous knot in my stomach that wouldn't release. I connected with family members and friends. S o GiveOUT Day means a lot - to me, to MCC Welfare Services, and in fact to every other organisation who has a project to be funded. G iveOUT Day was set up because LGBTIQ+ communities have access to less than 5c in every $100 of available resources. That's not even one percent! Give OUT is matching donations for the first $1,500 raised. If we raise this amount, it will automatically become $3,000 - or 30% of our target^. Can you donate? If it's possible, could you make a donation? If you are able to, please use the following link to donate. https://giveout.org.au/t/mccwelfareservices/

Please join us in congratulating Nic, who won our Friendship Day raffle.

Jackie Loeb, David Smiedt, Alex Jae and Sam Bowden form the line-up for our Comedy for a Cause event. Tickets available at https://comedyforacause.net/mccws Doors open at 7pm. If you cannot make the event, help us promote it by sharing this email, liking and sharing our posts on Facebook and Instagram or create your own social media post using the above link. Remember to include the hashtag #happyfriendshipday. 

Win a games hamper, valued at $300, this International Friendship Day.

Comedy For A Cause presents a showcase of some of the best comedians from the Sydney and Melbourne International Comedy Festival in support of MCC Welfare Services. Corral your favourite fans for a night of fun and frippery - it's International Friendship Day after all! Buck the trend that, since the pandemic, no one wants to hang out in person anymore. Join us at Comedy for a Cause on Saturday, 30 July to celebrate International Friendship Day. Secure your tickets today at: https://comedyforacause.net/mccws .

Looking to be with others on Christmas Day? Come, join us at Petersham RSL. MCC Welfare Services is organising a table for Christmas Day Lunch. There is no need to be alone Christmas Day. Friends are welcome. What do expect Enjoy a 3-course meal (entrée, mains and dessert) from the Bistro menu. Children's, vegetarian, vegan and gluten free means are available. You order on the day. Music will be provided by Ron Ashton. Drinks can be purchased from the bar. How much are tickets Members: $80 per person - membership number required to book Visitors: $90 per person RSVP Bookings close: 19 December 2021. Sponsor or be sponsored Want to help someone else attend Christmas Lunch? It's as simple as making a donation. Click the 'book now' button and then select the 'sponsor' ticket to enable the donation field. You can set the amount you would like to donate. If you have need assistance covering the cost of lunch, email contact@mccws.org.au

Entries close this Friday, 5 November 2021 at 11:59pm AEDST for our inaugural short story competition. There is still time to enter! Choose your theme from either Thread 1 (COVID Lockdown) or Thread 2 (A Connected Life) and write up to 800 words. Stories must be original and can be fiction or non-fiction. Enter as many times as you like. $20 per entry. First prize in each category is $300 and second prize is $150. Please refer to the Terms and Conditions as well as the FAQs, which can be found at www.mccws.org.au/rainbow-tapestry . Get those creative juices flowing! Pj