Alithia Community Festival Fundraiser March 2019
The first Alithia Community Festival in Valla on Sunday 10th March was a great success.
Alithia volunteers from Upside Down Fitness, Sound Spirit Yoga, Wearable Art Workshops, Valla Permaculture Farm and Phillida’s Tesselates created a number of free workshop zones and chill out areas.
Photography by Melissa Seelenmeyer and Cindy Gabert.
Photography by Melissa Seelenmeyer and Cindy Gabert.
Adults and kids alike enjoyed the Giant Jenga, hulahoops, balancing skills and all the creative activities on offer.
Photography by Melissa Seelenmeyer and Cindy Gabert.
Photography by Melissa Seelenmeyer and Cindy Gabert.
Many chatted under the trees colouring, while some printed their designs on to linen bags that could be purchased for a small donation.
The model boat workshop was a hit with families who engineered their own bamboo designs. Participants were invited to make a model boat at the event or to make one at home to bring, encouraging families to connect with their children over hands-on activities. A crowd gathered on the bridge to watch the boats sail down Deep Creek, with kids noting that the ones with sails made from the large banana leaves caught the wind and took the lead.
This was followed by a raft sailing adventure, which was conducted in collaboration with Trent Munro Surf Academy, who volunteered their time to provide the water safety. People from the community brought their own large home-made rafts to ride down the river for their chance to win a voucher at Valla’s Beach House Providor Cafe. Many laughs and cheers were had with requests to make this an annual event.
Photography by Melissa Seelenmeyer and Cindy Gabert.
While the kids bounced on the jumping castle, had their faces painted and created designs at the Sand Wizard stall, others browsed the delights of the stalls, with many hand-made treasures on offer from local artists.
Photography by Melissa Seelenmeyer and Cindy Gabert.
Others enjoyed pamper sessions with Bare Nature Beauty, while listening to Stephen Edwards lulling the crowd into a relaxed vibe. There was also exceptional coffee and a range of delicious food. Enjoyment was had for all ages as the community came together to connect, laugh and share.
Some of the children who attend Alithia's programs created their own stall, selling home-made ice poles, their own handmade crafts, flowers and sausage sandwiches.
They joined the Valla Voices Children’s Choir performing on the stage with their mentor Bonnie Nilson.
Photography by Melissa Seelenmeyer and Cindy Gabert.
Photography by Melissa Seelenmeyer and Cindy Gabert.
Photography by Melissa Seelenmeyer and Cindy Gabert.
The finale was the fun-filled auction which raised over $1000 for Alithia. The Valla Voices won the bidding battle for a meeting with George Negus, while others secured bargains which ranged from beautiful paintings by Bellingen artist, Jodi Marshall and indigenous art works by Chels Marshall, to fun times at the Big Banana.
One hundred percent of funds raised will go towards providing further resources, activities and a community facility in Valla. Alithia is a grassroots charity, entirely run by volunteers, providing activities and workshops for children aged 12 years and under.
Sponsored by the BCU.
Total raised: $3,500.
Raffle Winners:
- Mid North Coast $200 Voucher: Brenda Mulhern
- Consulting with Melissa Seelenmeyer, $200: Lotus and Peter Sobey
- Happy Frog $120 worth of goodness: Rob Thomson
- Bare Nature Beauty Kids Turkish Towel Poncho: Bernadette Woodhouse (online raffle ticket purchase, posting item)
From the Blog
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Alithia Learning runs a range of child-led programs designed for 5 to 12 year-olds. The defining characteristics of our programs are positive communication and freedom to learn.
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