By Jed Lanyon
Cire Services morphed into the Pied Piper of Yarra Junction on Tuesday 22 October when it hosted a teddy bears picnic bursting with fun and activities to celebrate National Children’s Week.
Pre-schoolers and primary school students converged at Yarra Junction Reserve for the festivities accompanied by family members.
An estimated 400 people attended, creating a vibrant community festival atmosphere as they immersed themselves in the magic of local drummer Kofi Kunkpe, story time with Eastern Regional Libraries, a toddler dance class with Count Me In Dance Company, badge making, plaster mould painting, playdough and lots more.
It was one-stop shopping for local information and treats with stalls promoting a range of Cire’s programs, the CFA complete with a fire truck along with local pre-schools and primary schools and many more.
The theme for this year’s National Children’s Week was, ‘children have the right to be healthy, safe and happy. Richer countries should help poor countries achieve this’.
In keeping with that theme and to plant the seeds of social justice, Cire showcased a charity it supports in North Bali.
Donations received will be forwarded to the Aura Sukma Insani Foundation Peduli Sesama Philanthropic Work whose main focus is education, housing and medical care in remote areas.
Cire CEO Gus Seremetis said, “Cire is proud to partner with others to ensure such an event is successful and that we work together to strengthen our broader community, through inclusiveness and connectedness.
“It is tremendous that children’s week is helping sow the seeds of social justice with a focus on helping less fortunate children overseas, as well as promoting the rights of children in Australia.
“Cire’s values closely align with those of the Aura Sukma Insani Foundation which we actively support.”
Ms Seremetis said that former Cire employee and Yarra Junction resident Heather Dryden spends several months a year doing invaluable volunteer work for the foundation in Bali.
Cire operates across sites in Lilydale, Yarra Junction, Mount Evelyn and Chirnside Park, as well as through outreach.
For more information about Cire, visit https://www.cire.org.au/
